Is it bad to let a vehicle idle for 8 or more hours?
Posted: July 17th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Q & A | Tags: hours, idle, More, vehicle | 6 Comments »I have an older motorhome on a Chevy full-size van chassis and I can’t get the LP furnace working. Next month some friends and I are going to some pretty remote locations to watch an off-road rally and we’re just going to camp out there. This time of year, temps are rarely above 50 farenheit during daytime and usually below freezing at night. If I can’t get the furnace working, I’ll either have to run the engine (which seems brutally inefficient) or use the stove (which is flat out unsafe). In the past I’ve heard it could cause carbon buildup in the engine, but I can’t see it being too severe. I’d say I have an above-average knowledge of automotive engines, and I can’t really think of any ways that it might be harmful…..
The furnace has me baffled, I can’t find any way to light the pilot, it’s a pretty contained unit, no doors or panels really. The model year is 1982, so it doesn’t seem likely that it has a self-ignition. I know there’s gas in it because the gauge shows 25% and the stove works.
Although it does have a freshly rebuilt engine (a 305) that runs extremely well, the disadvantages in the answers have me convinced. I’ll either look up a RV dealer or look into one of those tent heaters. Or pack LOTS of blankets LOL Thanks!
the furnace works like a charm, a small miracle considering it’s 25 years old! turns out it is self-igniting, all i had to do was turn up the thermostat until it clicked, then wait about a minute and it fired right up! nice hot air too! WOOO!
One issue you might run into is the possibility of the engine overheating. I know it will be pretty chilly, but since you are going to be letting the engine idle, without much air going through the radiator it could overheat. Also, you don’t want to run out of gas in a remote area. How long will your tank last at idle?
you risk the potential of carbon monoxide poisoning of you and all your friends. Get the furnace checked out at a RV shop, its probably a $10.00 thermocouple that wont let it stay lit. It goes from the pilot flame area back to the gas controller. its a easy change and could very well be your problem. Don’t make a trip a tragedy. fix the furnace.
Buy a “tent safe” propane heater like a coleman blackcat
they cost like $35 and take the small containers of propane. 8 hours per canister $2.50 per canister. way cheaper than letting somthing like a chevy 350, or 454 idle. or get the heater fixed if it costs less than a tank of gas its worth it.
just make sure the radiators in good condition, and the fans runnin well…. shudnt have any problems.
if ur radiator messes up at a point, ur engine is gone, count on it.
if you let the engine idle for 8 hours a few times in the engine’s life won’t really affect it. but if you do it every day or few times a week for an extended period of time is not good the engine. the lfe will be reduced
Letting that engine idle for that long will cause severe camshaft wear. The possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning is real also.