What is Idle? What is Idle? How much fuel does the car use per hour while it idles? What is the idle fuel consumption of a 4-cylinder engine?
The word idle has entered our language from the French word “Ralenti”. It can be translated as “gearing the engine to neutral” or “in motor vehicle, allowing the engine to run smoothly while the vehicle is stationary”. An idling engine requires between 500 and 1000 revolutions per hour depending on its type. If the engine slows down below the optimal speed, it can cause engine misfires, knocking or stalling.
The engine runs at the lowest RPM when it is idle. An engine that turns 1000 revolutions per hour has its crankshaft turning 1000 revolutions. The crankshaft moves the pistons up and down, and intake-compression-ignition-exhaust processes occur in the cylinders. With the explosions, the engine keeps its operability. This reduces fuel consumption.
The engine will continue to idle even if the vehicle is in neutral. Zero fuel consumption does not necessarily mean that you are moving downhill to neutral. In order to keep its speed constant, the engine will continue to use fuel. The engine will continue to burn fuel even if it is idle. But, the fuel consumption will drop to zero if the accelerator is not pressed for as long as the vehicles of the next generation are in gear. The wheels transfer energy to the engine, which causes the pistons to move. This continues until the engine speed becomes too slow. If it drops below 1500 dd the ECU regulates the situation and sends the fuel required to the engine.
How much fuel does the engine consume per hour at idle?
The amount of fuel that the engine uses at idle depends on many factors, including the waiting time, engine type, volume, number, and condition of the transmission, as well as the ambient temperature and engine temperature. You can also add a headlight and an air conditioner. Additional equipment running can also increase this consumption. Low volume engines typically consume between 0.2 to0.3 liters per hour. However, standard engines can use 0.7 to1.0 Liters. You can find out this information by driving the car downhill and monitoring the fuel consumption on the trip computer. Vehicles with automatic transmission have slightly higher fuel consumption.
Take, for example:
A 4-cylinder cold engine consumes 1.4 Liters of fuel an hour when it is starting up. At 90C, a fully warmed-up engine consumes 0.5 liters per hour of fuel without any electrical load and 1.0 Liters when the A/C is on.
A 6-cylinder cold engine uses 2.0 liters of fuel an hour when it is starting up. At 90C, the engine consumes 1.3 liters per hour of fuel without any electrical load. The air conditioner turns on and it uses 2.0 liters.
