Really noobish warm-up question

[zonacats]

Ok, this may be the dumbest question on here, but i'm a young person, and the blazer (84 / 350 / carb) is the first carbureted (or vehicle that's over 10 years old) that I've ever owned.... I'll wait for the laughter to subside.

So here are my questions:

1) How long do I need to let it warm up before driving it. I live in AZ so its never really that cold. 5 min? until the temp gauge starts moving?

2) I keep the blazer in a garage but since there's no emissions stuff on it, including no cat, its a bit smelly during warm up, so I like to move it outside while its just sitting there running to keep the fumes out of my wife's car. Am I harming anything by putting it in drive immediately for about 3 seconds while i pull it out of the garage?

 

[76zimmer]

NOt a bad question at all, welcome aboard!
Just let oil pressure stabilize, then drive like anything else...the carburetor will be on choke mode for a couple minutes at most (1500rpm or so), then it should idle down to 6-700rpm.
As with any vehicle, take it easy on it until it is up to operating temp (160* +)

 

[454Sub]

No, your fine. I like to let everything I own warm up atleast for a min or two in the summer, and in the winter long enough for me to run out with basically no clothes on, start it, run back in and feed dogs, get coveralls on, pack lunch and head back out.

In AZ, a few min will be plenty, just take it nice and slow the first few min until it hits 160 like was said above, after that, hammer down.

 

[Fordum]

Great way to ruin your exhaust system, or the engine is to only let it warm up partway.
As soon as the pressure is good, and its running smooth, go ahead and drive like they said.
BUT, the truck needs to come to full temp, and stay there for a while before being turned off.

Crank it up, drive it a couple of blocks and turn it off on a regular basis, and you will be replacing the entire exhaust system in a few months, and have more sludge in the engine than you would believe.

Normal byproduct of burning gasoline, is water vapor, plus some nasty acids. When the engine and exhaust is cold, the vapor condenses in the block and exhaust system.
That is the water you sometimes see dripping out a tailpipe on cold days. If your exhaust system does not get hot enough to boil that water, and keep all the vapor as vapor all the way out, it will mix with the sulfur and nitrogen compounds to form sulfuric and nitric acids.
These will eat out the exhaust system from the inside out.

The water that condenses into the engine takes longer to get out. Since your engine oil rarely gets to 212 degrees, the water does not boil. But it will evaporate faster the hotter the engine gets.
Its the water and stuff it dissolves that forms the sludge.

Also a good reason to not go to a cooler thermostat.

 

[kateean2]

I love this thread already.

 

[Deuling]

You dont neeeeeeed to let it warm up. Just start it and dont slam on the gas pedal until its warmed up. I warm my vehicles up in the winter, but only because id like to be able to see out of the windows, and i like being warm on the way to work lol.