left car running 4 hrs

dak503

Active member
Joined
Oct 20, 2013
Location
northern nj
TDI
2013 passat se
Hello everyone, Today my wife accidentally left my 2013 tdi running in the driveway for about 4 hrs. Could this cause any permanent damage. TIA Dave.
 

Blue_Hen_TDI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 23, 2005
Location
Slower, DE
TDI
owned: 96 B4V, 06 Golf, 12 NMS, 15 GSW
Should be fine. Just some wasted fuel. Glad it wasn't stolen.


Wonder if it did a regen during its day out? lol
 

dak503

Active member
Joined
Oct 20, 2013
Location
northern nj
TDI
2013 passat se
I have a scan gauge in the car. So i told her not to shut the car off until the temp is in the low 400s. So she left the car running while bringing in the groceries and forgot all about it. I discovered the car running about 4 hrs later. The EGT and temp were normal. So i drove the car it seems fine. Just hoping it stays that way.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
It'll be just fine. You might be better off without the scan-gauge :D .
 

afarfalla

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2006
Location
sugar land tx
TDI
05 Passat sedan and 05 wagen
funny, in the 60's, girlfriend and I left a brand new Mustang at the curb running, I don't remember all the details but we went to the movies, when we returned to the car a beat cop was guarding it.

I know I wasn't messing with groceries
 
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jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
you gave the one-way clutch pulley some wear, but not any more than bad stop and go traffic :D
 

dak503

Active member
Joined
Oct 20, 2013
Location
northern nj
TDI
2013 passat se
Thank you for the quick replies. I'm changing the oil today. then i'm going to take a nice highway cruise to make sure all is well. thanks again Dave.
 

JSWTDI09

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
TDI
2009 JSW TDI (gone but not forgotten)
I've seen some here left running overnight in the extreme cold.

I have also seen some here keep their car running for days - to power an inverter to keep their refrigerator running after a hurricane or flood. Not recommended, but also no serious damage.



Have Fun!


Don
 

oldhifi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2014
Location
Kingston, tn
TDI
2013 Touareg TDI Lux
When I worked up in Byron IL (bitter cold), a guy at work left his old Mercedes diesel running for 5 days
 
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jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
older diesels can run years at idle, modern ones put massive wear one way alt pulleys, the DMF and regenerations dont work well at idle. My Dodge truck has a nice high idle feature for just this, I can bump the idle up with the cruse control for extended idle
 

740GLE

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Location
NH
TDI
2015 Passat SEL, 2017 Alltrack SE; BB 2010 Sedan Man; 2012 Passat,
Wasn't there issues about lower oil pressure at idle that was a cause of concern for turbo bearing wear on older rides?

Eitherway, prob doesn't apply as I think the CRKA has a variable oil pump.
 

itsmejerry

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2002
Location
Birmingham, AL
TDI
2015 Passat SE TDI Nav, 2015 Passat SE TDI, 2015 Beetle Convertible TDI, 2015 Golf Sportwagen TDI All Phase 2 Emission Modified complete. 50 State Legal Diesel!
It won't cause any issues whatsoever.

I've been doing it for years, since 2003 in several VW generations from the ALH to the CRKA engine with no issues at all. Just to check, I'll keep the oil temp screen on and when driving it rarely gets below 200 after a long day, but when Idling for 4-5 hours it gets down in the upper 180's.

I've driven long distances and stopped to sleep for a while at a rest stop. Sometimes late at night where I can legitimately get 5-6 hours of sleep. I can't sleep in a HOT car, so I'll leave the car running with the AC on, and to power the Power Inverter so my CPAP machine can run, and I'll sleep across the back seat. (It's far more comfortable than sleeping in the driver's seat with my legs hanging down).







I've never had any issues doing this in any of my current, or previous TDI's.
 

VernK

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Location
Kelowna
TDI
2012 Passat 2.5L Gas
My dad worked a bit in the Arctic as a heavy duty mechanic in the early 60's, they would leave the diesel equipment running 24/7 in the winter unless they were at the workyard and could leave it in a heated tent. I remember him saying starting a -40° cold soaked D8 took the best part of a day.

Yours
Vern
 

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
My dad worked a bit in the Arctic as a heavy duty mechanic in the early 60's, they would leave the diesel equipment running 24/7 in the winter unless they were at the workyard and could leave it in a heated tent. I remember him saying starting a -40° cold soaked D8 took the best part of a day.
Yours
Vern

I used to ski on group weekend and day trips using buses. They left the buses run 24/7. Said to burn 1 gallon of fuel an hour is cheaper than calling for a specialized start mechanic.
 
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