do petrol engines warm up quicker - true or false ?

sillysi

A bit of a daft question but do car petrol engines warm up quicker than diesel engines ? My diesel xtrail takes for ever to warm in these chilier mornings .

worried_jim

Yes they do.

Buellguy

Yes they do,
petrol engine = possibly aluminium engine block
diesel engine = big cast iron lump, far heavier - has to be to cope with the higher compression

GlynD

It depends on the metals used in the construction of the engine AND the engine size. A 1300cc will heat up faster than a 4200cc. An aluminium head will head faster than a steel head. So many factors.

andrew-the-cat

In a nutshell, yes. The last 2 diesel cars I have owned have pre-heating systems in them, which utilise a block in the coolant system with glow plugs powered by the battery, which will use electrical power to heat the water so that you don't have to wait forever to get warm air on cold days.

espresso

andrew-the-cat wrote: »

In a nutshell, yes. The last 2 diesel cars I have owned have pre-heating systems in them, which utilise a block in the coolant system with glow plugs powered by the battery, which will use electrical power to heat the water so that you don't have to wait forever to get warm air on cold days.

You really should learn what a glowplug is and how it really works before making any more of a !!!!!! of yourself! I can never understand why anyone would post about something that they obviously don't understand.

Rolandtheroadie

espresso wrote: »

You really should learn what a glowplug is and how it really works before making any more of a !!!!!! of yourself! I can never understand why anyone would post about something that they obviously don't understand.

My Audi 80 has the same system, 3 glowplugs to heat the coolant.

Just google coolant glowplug.

cardinalbiggles

Buellguy wrote: »

Yes they do,
petrol engine = possibly aluminium engine block
diesel engine = big cast iron lump, far heavier - has to be to cope with the higher compression

Not quite true but close. A lot of newer diesels use aluminium blocks.

Just keeping you right

Buellguy

cardinalbiggles wrote: »

Not quite true but close. A lot of newer diesels use aluminium blocks.

Just keeping you right

Fair point

vikingaero

Diesels are thermally efficient which is why it takes so long to produce any meaningful cabin heat. Petrols are the thermally inefficient.

reeac

The fastest heating up car that I've ever owned is my XJ8 3.2 - all alloy V8 - and no doubt it does it by guzzling petrol but it's very good at demisting the screen and cosseting the passengers.