Cars need to warm up to avoid problems: mechanic

Condensation can build up and cause problems in the exhaust system of vehicles that don’t run long enough in the cold, according to Jasper mechanic Robert Block.

Two automobiles with this problem, which Block has recently seen for the first time in his 25-year career as a mechanic, have been brought to him so far this winter. 

When a vehicle doesn’t run long enough in cold weather to burn off engine condensation, water builds up in the exhaust system and eventually freezes, blocking the system and preventing the vehicle from starting.

This will be the first full winter in which the Municipality of Jasper has enforced its new anti-idling bylaw, which states drivers may not idle their cars longer than it takes to clear their windshields of frost, ice, and snow. Bylaw compliance may be contributing to vehicle maintenance issues.

Depending on the cost and distance of towing, the charge to get a frozen exhaust system fixed could run several hundred dollars, said Block. To fix it, mechanics will warm up the vehicle and drill a hole in the exhaust system to drain the water.

But that can be problematic as well. “Ultimately, you don’t want a hole in the exhaust system,” the mechanic said. Having one can be a safety issue due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Avoiding the problem in the first place is the best option, but it takes a little effort. “If you’re going to be doing short trips, get the vehicle out on the highway to clean the system out,” Block said. “It’s a Catch 22, because what you’re saving (in fuel by) not idling, you’re burning off on the highway.”

There’s no magic number to indicate how long an engine should run or how far an automobile should drive in order to avoid the problem, but the engine should reach operating temperature before it’s turned off in cold weather.

Not leaving a car running long enough in the cold can also cause battery failure. “If you don’t run the battery long enough, it doesn’t charge itself,” Block said. “These are the results of not idling.”

If the town is worried about emissions, they should go after older vehicles that really pollute, Block said. 

Bylaw enforcement manager Doug Rodwell said 15 idling tickets have been handed out since September, as well as 60 written and verbal warnings. As well, Rodwell pointed to a document on the Natural Resources Canada website outlining reasons not to idle a vehicle to warm it up.

According to the website, Environment Canada conducted a test to assess the impact of vehicle warmup by cooling vehicles in a chamber to –18C and driving them over a simulated urban driving cycle. But Jasper is unique because the townsite is so small. “In the city, you go 20 minutes to work,” Block said. “Here you have people going from Cabin Creek to downtown.”

The City of Edmonton considered implementing an idling bylaw that would prohibit idling when the temperature is above –10C. “The minus ten stuff, that kind of makes sense,” Block said. “They (the Municipality of Jasper) might have to take another look at it.”

Block does believe the town did its fair share of research before implementing the bylaw. “When they started with the anti-idling bylaw, we must have made a dozen phone calls,” he said. “But we see it from a mechanical standpoint, and they see it from an environmental standpoint.”

“Nobody likes to drive a vehicle that you don’t know when it’s going to start,” he added.