Stop / Start on Cars

[KneesUp]

I had an old Fiat that must have had the 'Start' part disabled.

Bdm tish!

 

[raleighnut]

Sounds like a turbo timer, keeps the engine running at idle for a predetermined time to maintain the oil supply to the turbo as it spools down. It's easier just to keep it off boost for the last minute or two before parking up, but boys and their toys...

10 seconds minimum between taking the keys out and it stopping which is the turbine 'spooldown' but if it has got really hot a lot longer, summat to do with the oil seals in the turbine melting allegedly (controlled by the Lamda sensor which also acts to squirt in extra fuel for cooling if it senses the exhaust temperature is too high)

As for the "boys and their toys" it has been Scott's toy for over 10yrs now along with his VTR1000sp although he mainly uses his Van for transport.

 

[Ian H]

I just part-exchanged the older Berlingo* (186k) for a a small petrol-engined vehicle. Stop-start works in neutral with the clutch out. A/C is unaffected.
*The newer one isn't actually a Berlingo, being Peugeot-made.

 

[DRHysted]

Next door neighbours Subaru has the opposite in that if he's been playing silly b*ggers in it turning the key off will not stop the engine until it has cooled down a bit. In fact it has been known for it to take nearly 10 minutes in order for the car to decide it is OK to let the engine stop.

My old 4x4 had similar through a turbo timer, normally only kicked in after long distance towing.

 

[DRHysted]

My car has it but there are many parameters which control whether or not it activates. This is the manufacturer's list of conditions :


Conditions that must be met in full for automatic engine stop (stop phase)


› The gearshift lever is in Neutral.

› The clutch pedal is not depressed.

› The driver has fastened the seat belt.

› The driver's door is closed.

› The bonnet is closed.

› The vehicle is at a standstill.

› The factory-fitted towing device is not electrically connected to a trailer.

› The engine is at operating temperature.

› The charge state of the vehicle battery is sufficient.

› The stationary vehicle is not on a steep slope or a steep downhill section.

› The engine speed is less than 1 200 rpm.

› The temperature of the vehicle battery is not too low or too high.

› There is sufficient pressure in the braking system.

› The difference between the outdoor- and the set temperature in the interior is


not too great.

› The vehicle speed since the last time the engine was switched off was greater


than 3 km/h.

› No cleaning of the diesel particle filter takes place

› The front wheels are not turned excessively (the steering angle is less than 3/4


of a steering wheel revolution).


Some additional conditions for the system to function cannot be either influenced or recognised by the driver. Therefore, the system can react differently in situations which are identical from the driver's view.

If after stopping the car, the message UNABLE TO START STOP appears in the segment display or in the MAXI DOT display the check mark View attachment 420978 » Fig. 115, then
the conditions for automatic engine shutdown are not met.

Running the engine is essential, for example, for the following reasons.

• The engine temperature for the proper function of the system has not yet been reached.
• The charge state of the vehicle battery is too low.
• The current consumption is too high.
• High air-conditioning or heating capacity (high fan speed, big difference between the desired and actual indoor temperature).

Note

• If the vehicle remains outdoors for a long time in minus temperatures or in direct sunlight, it can take several hours until the internal temperature of the vehicle battery reaches a suitable temperature for proper operation of the START STOP system.

My Insignia is the same, stop start rarely works, so I tend to just switch the engine off myself when sitting at the train gates.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

My wife has just (3 weeks ago) bought a new Toyota C-HR 'hybrid' & that's rather odd to drive, even if the most I have done with it so far, is put it in/take out of the garage (thus, if it gets scratched, it's my fault!!)
Sounds like a milkfloat though, up to about 15MPH, I might have to put some empty bottles in the boot...….

Although, it does have one (two?) cool features
- It's completely LED lighting (barring the interior lights - for some reason), & I'm very interested to see how good the headlights are, when it goes out in the dark
- The front indicators are 'sequential'

 

[Globalti]

My Passat has it but I disable it most of the time because it annoys me. If I leave it enabled it works whether the car is in gear or not and if you are running the AC it will restart the engine after a couple of minutes to run the compressor.

 

[KneesUp]

My Passat has it but I disable it most of the time because it annoys me. If I leave it enabled it works whether the car is in gear or not and if you are running the AC it will restart the engine after a couple of minutes to run the compressor.

Your engine running when you're not moving annoys my lungs! Turn it back on.

 

[jayonabike]

The beemer doesn’t have it, don’t want it. I imagine it does more harm than good to the engine and parts over time.
I always thought starting the engine would use more petrol than just idling for a few seconds so stop/starting at lights all the time would cough out more fumes than just having the engine ticking over?

 

[Drago]

If the engines up to temp in all respects, restarting creates less guff than idling. That's why manufacturers fit such systems to help cars though EU mandated emissions testing.

 

[KneesUp]

All the stuff about cars using more to start than to idle for x minutes is, I believe, not true of modern cars with electronics and computers and that. It might well have been true of a E series in a Maxi with a scorched Lucas dizzy cap, an oil leak and the choke left out, but the fuel required to start a modern car is much less.

 

[KneesUp]

[QUOTE 5325747, member: 43827"]That's why I asked earlier if there is a minimum time for a stop where there is no advantage in fuel use to the system.[/QUOTE]
The answer depends on all sorts of variables. I seem to remember reading somewhere that for a modern car it's more efficient - all things being optimal - to stop if it's going to be off for more than 30 seconds. It was less than I thought, anyway.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

The answer depends on all sorts of variables. I seem to remember reading somewhere that for a modern car it's more efficient - all things being optimal - to stop if it's going to be off for more than 30 seconds. It was less than I thought, anyway.

Yes, I've been told 30 seconds too.

Sometimes my car decides not to operate automatic stop/start at the lights so after a while I'll just switch it off manually. In doing so I have inadvertently discovered how to magically make the lights immediately go green again.

 

[raleighnut]

All the stuff about cars using more to start than to idle for x minutes is, I believe, not true of modern cars with electronics and computers and that. It might well have been true of a E series in a Maxi with a scorched Lucas dizzy cap, an oil leak and the choke left out, but the fuel required to start a modern car is much less.

With any carbureted engine it wouldn't work, the heat 'boils' the fuel in the float chamber, that's why some engines didn't like starting 'hot'.

 

[fossyant]

I don't have it on my car (too old and too basic) but having worked in the industry I'm aware that an engine's start causes the most wear. I do worry that we're just building up a future of shortened-life engine rebuilds.

This is my thought, also premature battery knackerdness. I also recon it's another emissions cheat ! My dad was a mechanic, and he's turned it off on his car.