The idling control recommendations and background information from the City Solicitor is available along with the 1996 by-law draft. It has been estimated that 3 per cent of Ontario's fuel is wasted by idling. An idling diesel engine will burn about 2.5 litres per hour. An idling gasoline engine will burn about 3.5 litres per hour. Ten seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine.
Lubricant contamination occurs from excessive idling.
This is because engine operation at idling temperatures creates soot deposits and condensation of water vapour that mixes with sulphur oxides to become sulphuric acid in the crankcase. You may obtain further information about saving energy at the Energy Efficiency Web site . From a cold start, it is better to warm up an engine by driving it rather than idling. Warm up times are reduced to half and fuel consumption is reduced. If you are concerned about turning off your engine because you may have trouble restarting it, a well maintained starter system and engine is a better alternative than idling.