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Anyone have thoughts on the auto stop/start feature on newer cars designed to save on gas by stopping the engine at lights/ stops? Seems like it may cause excessive wear on the engine by all the stopping and starting. But it's touted as a good feature.
I haven't had a car with that feature myself, but like you said, I wouldn't think the frequent turning off and restarting would be good for the engine. At a minimum, it seems like it would wear out your starter much quicker.
You aren't an engineer. The system was designed from scratch to endure hundreds of starts per day. Ignition systems now can get an engine running in 1/4 of a crank rotation. The starter motor is not stressed.
Not a fan myself, because it was imposed on us via government decree, but it's here to stay.
Is that true? I just thought/assumed it was something the automakers had come up with on their own to try to help meet government fuel economy standards.
I was watching a video on CNET yesterday about the rise in auto fatalities since 2015, and they were saying that legislators are tossing around various ideas on how to reduce auto related deaths, including making these new features such as lane departure warning, automatic braking, etc. mandatory on all new cars. Great, just what we need are more nanny features added to our cars pushing up the sticker price because of the people that can't manage to drive without getting into an accident.
The only time I've damaged one of my cars since 1983 was when I hit the corner of the front bumper against a low stone wall trying to get up a friend's snowy and icy driveway. Cracked the bumper cover and it had to be replaced. Other than that, I've been out driving in heavy rain, snow, sleet, etc. and haven't had an accident in over 30 years.
Uncle Sam mandating crap in an industry which they know nothing about and forcing "efficiencies" on the manufacturers that may or may not work, and can be overridden with a switch anyway. I'm not a fan but think we are screwed anyway due to governmental controls that the masses blindly allow our "leadership" to impose on us.
Uncle Sam mandating crap in an industry which they know nothing about and forcing "efficiencies" on the manufacturers that may or may not work, and can be overridden with a switch anyway. I'm not a fan but think we are screwed anyway due to governmental controls that the masses blindly allow our "leadership" to impose on us.
Rant over.
You know, they have this in Europe, maybe even more than here.
These are all global corporations. It's not just "Uncle Sam".
You aren't an engineer. The system was designed from scratch to endure hundreds of starts per day. Ignition systems now can get an engine running in 1/4 of a crank rotation. The starter motor is not stressed.
Not a fan myself, because it was imposed on us via government decree, but it's here to stay.
Yes, the cranking motor IS "stressed", as is the drive system ("Bendix") on the cranking motor shaft.
The more often it is used, the sooner it will fail. That applies to all parts of the system; solenoids, gears, brushes, commutator bars, bushings, bearings, etc.
Systems like this are one of the reasons I own nothing, and will never buy anything, newer than 2006.
IMO, if start/stop was a problem, we'd hear more about it. Dead starters that cost $$$$ to replace would be on this forum and others. I have no doubt that a) S/S increases wear, b) the starter is oversized as a result, c) it will cost more to replace. But it seems like a problem that doesn't exist.
I have heard of newer systems that attempt to stop the engine so that the ECU just has to fire a sparkplug and the engine fires right up. No starter required. Pretty cool trick I think.
Anyone have thoughts on the auto stop/start feature on newer cars designed to save on gas by stopping the engine at lights/ stops? Seems like it may cause excessive wear on the engine by all the stopping and starting. But it's touted as a good feature.
modern features combined like gear-reduction starters (lower wear and lower drain on battery), modern oils (help protect with additives that 'coat' system while 'off'), & fuel injection (won't 'overprime' engine and wash away protective oils), and modern ECU control (already mentioned) pretty much 'eliminate' the OLD concerns of 'wear on engine during starting' .
Last edited by oldoak2000; 05-05-2017 at 09:59 AM..
Reason: punctuation
One thing I've always wondered about s/s is how does the engine stay warm in the winter and keep the interior of the car warm. Does it have an electric heater somewhere that kicks in to provide heat to the interior when the engine is off?
One thing I've always wondered about s/s is how does the engine stay warm in the winter and keep the interior of the car warm. Does it have an electric heater somewhere that kicks in to provide heat to the interior when the engine is off?
Heaters use the engine coolant, which takes a lot longer than a stop light to cool off.
My ML63 has it. I usually disable it when I start the car. I can see its value on a car that is striving to get a good gas mileage rating... but that isn't a consideration for anyone buying an ML63. A bit pointless for a vehicle with a thirsty engine like mine.
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