[rakesh_r]

If driven sanely,yes engines can run for longer periods without any problems,perfect example would be the diesel locos that run continuously for more than 48 hours even more(comparing as it to has a diesel IC engine) but again it depends upon a number of factors like engine oil quality,cooling efficiency etc etc

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

It depends upon the warranty. Till your engine is under warranty, it will keep running as long as there is fuel.
It will run quivalent of 80000 kms without oil change.
As soon as it gets to know warranty is over, it will die.

A ship engine can run for months can it not? But it has special cooling requirements.

[Ricky_63]

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

do not do that on modern FI engines. I have heard of fuel pump going bust when tank got empty.

Oh no, this was a carburetor the car was a 1987 model. I would never try such practices in the newer cars. Thanks for the info anyway



Cheers

[synchromesh]

When it comes to Le Mans, the Audis, Bimmers and Porsches run high rpms for almost 24 hours non-stop (except for driver changes during pit stops).
IMHO, while only some engines can deliver that kind of peak performance, the regular production engines may be able to hold onto such rpms for even one fifth of the time.

[Delta Wing]

Originally Posted by mercedised

Really!!! Do they make parts that lasts only warranty periods? ...
...And if still we go deep into Skynet thingy, then do you think that manufacturers will programme the ECU to deteriorate the engine by some variation in technical parameters like fan cut-off, engine oil pressure, controlling engine inputs etc. Even if then not in the current generation cars, forget about the previous ones.

Man, you've completely lost tsk1979, he was joking about reliability as tied to warranty. Skynet is pretty much fiction (described in the Terminator sci-fi films as the self aware military computer control network that takes over the world through machines by triggering a nuclear war and sending humans into hiding).

[Astleviz]

It seems a Kinetic honda scooter was used for a 1001 hour non-stop marathon run. Not sure about the details, or if they stopped the engine while topping up fuel and oil but this is what I found on the web-
"On June 3, 1990, three riders, Harprakash Rishi, Amarjeet singh and Navjyot Chaddha road a 100 cc Kinetic Honda non-stop for 1,001 hours in 42 days covering 30,965 km using 621 litres of petroland 21 liters of oil."

Source:
Indian World records part 5 @ eManinagar.com

also mentioned on wikipedia-
Kinetic Honda - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[condor]

@mercedised, thread is about non-stop running. Not how many years, but just about how many hours / days without switching off the engine.

Originally Posted by Astleviz

... non-stop for 1,001 hours in 42 days covering

42 days = 1008 hours. So they did switch it off for about 7 hours in this duration. Pretty impressive, actually - almost 1 hour break per week, and running for 6 weeks continuously.

[HotChillyPepper]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Every engine is conscious. ITs self aware. Somewhat like skynet. (Infact, one day I think engines will take over the world).
So once its aware that warranty is over, it dies. Its a part of the great plan to increase stress in the owners, and make it easier to take over the world.

I liked it. For me it sounds so real. The days will come, where engines will achieve thinking and learning capacity that exceeds human and machines will start inventing themselves.


Back to topic, i think the limit is engine operating temperature. As far as the temperature is within limit, you can keep revving.

[Astleviz]

Originally Posted by condor

@mercedised, thread is about non-stop running. Not how many years, but just about how many hours / days without switching off the engine.

42 days = 1008 hours. So they did switch it off for about 7 hours in this duration. Pretty impressive, actually - almost 1 hour break per week, and running for 6 weeks continuously.

I think they did it nonstop for 1001 hours over a period of 42 days. The 42 days period may be an approximation (instead of writing 41.708 days...).

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Every engine is conscious. ITs self aware.

Agree. But more to do with abuse.
If it feels it is being abused/ taken for granted/ TLC lacking etc. it will make its displeasure known by biting back. Hard. And it will uncannily choose time and place to cause you maximum inconvenience.

Jokes aside, prime movers are rated to run continuously at rated power. They even have separate backup lines so that filters can be changed while engine is running!

Nothing should happen to a modern car engine during extended normal running. Running at the redline (or idling for that matter) for extended periods is not normal running.

Regards
Sutripta

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

It will run quivalent of 80000 kms without oil change.
As soon as it gets to know warranty is over, it will die.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Every engine is conscious. ITs self aware. Somewhat like skynet. (Infact, one day I think engines will take over the world).
So once its aware that warranty is over, it dies. Its a part of the great plan to increase stress in the owners, and make it easier to take over the world.

ROTFLMAO!! You really tore me up with that one! Ha Ha!

But seriously, for all practical reasons one can keep the engine running till the time comes to replace the engine oil. It will not complain. In fact if nothing else, it will last longer as the major wear and tear happens at cold startup.

Cheers

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Nothing should happen to a modern car engine during extended normal running. Running at the redline (or idling for that matter) for extended periods is not normal running.

Agreed. The limitation is the driver and available fuel. With 2 or more drivers, and not switching off during refuelling / driver change stops, one can run a car engine till the next oil change, if one so desires. But not at the redline, and not at idling all the time.

[StrangeWizard]

Autobild India magazine had done a story more than a year back where they drove a Skoda Laura through the Golden Quadrilateral IIRC. In the end the editor had said that the engine was running throughout the journey which lasted 4 days. I don't know whether they switched it off while filling fuel or not.
But as a safety measure it is advisable to switch it off while filling up.

[lejhoom]

I asked the question after reading an observation by DHABHAR.BEHRAM in the thread "Scorpio Mhawk Clutch Failure & Break Down" by 4x4addict.

The observation was, "we have what are known as DVPs (Design Validation Plans). They cover much more than what happens in what we call RWUP (Real World Usage Pattern). There are tests where the suspension has to be actually cooled after "unit distance / time" covered (cannot disclose figures) otherwise you will have shock absorbers snapping like matchsticks."

If the shocks need this much attention, why shouldn't the engine? And will it not be wise to learn the capability of our car's engine?

I went through some manuals (Innova, Scorpio, and Fiat) and all that they say is about cooling the engine or idling before switching off. No mention whatsoever as to how many hours the engine can run. I think I should assume that it should run for any number of hours provided it has sufficient fuel to consume and there is adequate engine oil as well as coolant.

[dhanushs]

With recent advancement in Overdrives creditability, not sure how much we can take in, butttt... Details of Karizma's Records - xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community