ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 2, 1996 TAG: 9601020120
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: What's on your mind?
SOURCE: RAY REED
Q: On cold mornings, my husband insists on running the car engine about 10 minutes before he gets in to go anywhere. Is that necessary? Does it help the engine, or is it just a waste of gas?
E.G.
A: Is this necessary? Could be, if a warm heater means the difference between going and not going.
Domestic debates are not settled in this space, and this question clearly involves psychological factors that transcend cold, unfeeling machines.
The information provided here seeks to take no sides.
The American Automobile Association, which views car issues from a purely practical perspective, says a vehicle that's equipped with electronic fuel injection is ready to run when it starts.
Electronic sensors and controls adjust the fuel mixture for any weather conditions the car may face.
That answer takes care of many cars made since the mid-'80s and nearly all of those built since 1990 - from a mechanical standpoint, that is.
Emission-control standards brought us electronic fuel injection, and quick starts are a nice benefit accompanying the fed-mandated cost of cleaner exhaust.
If the car in question is older and has a carburetor instead of electronic fuel injection, the benefit of warm-ups is explained in its owners manual. Chances are, the manual could recommend warm-ups of 30 seconds to a minute.
On the human side of the car-and-driver issue, the advocate of cold start-and-go was Mike Morrissey, who spoke from AAA headquarters in Orlando, Fla., amid sunny weather in the low 60s.
Morrissey admits to having occasionally warmed up his personal car. He's a native of Northern Virginia and spent four winters at Virginia Tech, which may be why he's now in Florida.
Fuel economy is important to AAA. Morrissey pointed out that an idling engine burns one-half to one gallon of fuel per hour.
Warming up the engine does no other harm, he conceded, as long as it isn't done inside a garage.
Warm-ups do allow more people to lock themselves out of their cars, he notes. AAA clubs universally report an increase in lockouts during cold weather.
Looming trash cans
Q: Why doesn't Roanoke County issue reflector strips for those big, black garbage cans that sit beside the road? Some streets are narrow, and sometimes people leave the cans almost in the road for days after trash pickup. This can be dangerous when you're meeting a car.|
A: Reflector tape is a good idea, but not good enough to justify the cost.
That's the essence of answers from a couple of county officials.
Reflectorized containers never were suggested before.
However, if people want to apply the tape to their own cans, the county won't object, said Nancy Bailey, solid waste manager.
People do sometimes mark cans with their name or house number, she said.|
Have a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 linesby CNB