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Work commute cut to just 1.5 miles... Should I be concerned with constant cold tranny?
- Thread starter Mister Lamb
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BearFootSam
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Man, I feel you on not wanting to hoof it some mornings. On a summer day it would be a treat but come December when the cold winds blow and you are schlepping through the windy streets.... I used to live in Stuttgart where the sun wouldn't come up until 7:45am in the winter. I would leave the house at 5:30 to bike 15 miles to work and it took a special kind of motivation to leave the garage when it was 25*F, live hard to be hard my SGM would say.
Luckily, living on the West Coast and working via DC my 4am commute is 20 feet from the bed to my desk and the cold is no longer my companion.
You have the perfect use case for a plug-in hybrid. I don't know too many people who would really benefit from the 20 miles of all electric range that some provide but you do. In addition to the aforementioned issues with not getting your powertrain up to temp, the short trips will kill your battery in no time. Even frequent 20-mile trips benefit from regular battery tender love to keep everything healthy.
Luckily, living on the West Coast and working via DC my 4am commute is 20 feet from the bed to my desk and the cold is no longer my companion.
You have the perfect use case for a plug-in hybrid. I don't know too many people who would really benefit from the 20 miles of all electric range that some provide but you do. In addition to the aforementioned issues with not getting your powertrain up to temp, the short trips will kill your battery in no time. Even frequent 20-mile trips benefit from regular battery tender love to keep everything healthy.
ShadowsPapa
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There it is, summed up neat and tidy.
Mojave2021
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Sounds like a plug in EV would make sense too...if they suit your needs. We had a Chevy Volt for a while and rarely used the gas engine. They're a bit more reasonably priced than others, but it's quite small inside.
That being said, if you don't plan on having your Gladiator for an extended period of time (say 5+ years), I don't know how much I'd be stressed over this.
That being said, if you don't plan on having your Gladiator for an extended period of time (say 5+ years), I don't know how much I'd be stressed over this.
Jefe1018
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What's the pic of the conversation for?2007 Honda Fit… saw it on Zucks marketplace and told my son to look into it for his GF’s little sister
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Maximus Gladius
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If it’s about getting it all hot quick, have it plugged in to keep it toasty before you start up. Our tranny’s have a little heater unit from the coolant side of things to help heat up the transmission. I don’t know what temp the block heater keeps the engine at but it’s gotta be warmer than not plugged in at all.
PlayfulBird
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after a certain number of short commutes the engine comes on anyway (no choice, even if it is a short commute) to try and warm up fluids to manage engine etc health
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ajkaz
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What about more frequent oil changes? The Op could easily pull an oil sample and send off to Blackstone for analysis. If the oil is becoming acidic or the detergents have deteriorated, get the fluids changed early. A $200 oil change every 4-6 months is a lot cheaper than an additional car at any price.
ShadowsPapa
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Why bother with samples? Just change it more often - but that's still not the full point here as there's the transmission to consider, battery life, oil changes, exhaust system, cats never getting up to full temperature (and more - you'd likely not believe the stuff I've seen in engines, transmissions, differentials and other parts that had nothing but short drives)
You could change oil every month - 10 minute drives are harder than hell on vehicles.
(BTW - who pays $200 for an oil change? Just curious. )
ajkaz
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I agree samples aren't necessary, but it would be great to see the degradation rate of the oil in this use case and understand the real service life with these short trips. That way your changing it before its acidic but not too early that its unnecessary.
@Mister Lamb if your not keeping the truck forever, you'd be fine with shorter oil change intervals, even other fluids as necessary. If you do plan on keeping long term, then you should definitely consider some of the options in this thread. I know if you "could" turn off the EGR it could dramatically reduce the amount of buildup in the engine and oil however I imagine it would likely also lengthen warm up time.
The going rate in Southern CA at the dealer is $219 for an OC on the diesel. There was a coupon a while back for $119, I'm still well within my free Jeep Wave oil changes. Just had my first at 7k miles, so I havent had to even think about it yet.
dcmdon
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Yes. But people overstate the need to get the trans fluid warm.
The AT is a sealed system. If the fluid gets warm great. If it doesn't get warm it's not such a big deal.
There's a big difference between the engine oil and the ATF. The engine oil suffers from ring blow by so you end up with moisture (one of the byproducts of the combustion of any hydrocarbon, engine combustion literally MAKES water) in the oil.
If the oil never gets warm enough to evaporate the water, you end up with it accumulating in the oil. Not a good thing.
This water is also why cars "smoke" when started cold. The cold exhaust causes water created during combustion to condense and you see that water further condensing when it hits the air.
If you keep driving the car, eventually the exhaust gets hot and the exhaust system gets warm and you end up evaporating the water that has built up in the exhaust. Driving a car a short distance every day will leave it with water in the exhaust almost continuously. This can cause premature corrosion of the exhaust, from the inside out.
Unless you have a stainless exhaust. Which of course Jeep doesn't do from the factory. It's funny, my 2002 Volvo wagon has zero rust and its original exhaust despite being driven in New England winters since new. It sure would be great if somebody other than Jeep built the Jeep.
I'm getting distracted, but there s also the electrical system which never gets a chance to get a good solid charge.
I guess in summary, the AT is probably the least of your worries. Since it's a sealed system.
In3briatedPanda
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I am 8 miles to work and my transmission does not get up to temp in the morning or on the way home. Everything else seems to though.
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