I"d say that the amount of "harm" done would pretty much equal out over time unless you were doing a -10 start every day. I say this because most "harm" to an engine is done on startup due the components moving against each other with little to no oil pressure. That said cold starts typically cause a longer than normal lag in getting oil pressure up due the thickness of the oil caused by the low temps, and as a result would cause more "harm" than your usual warm weather starts.
That said, leaving it running all night at an idle will also cause the usual running wear "harm" you"d expect in normal operation. Now wether the amount of wear "harm" cause will be more, less, or equal to the amount cause by numerous could starts I couldn"t say.
I guess the main thing would be that the engine is able to maintain a normal operating temp while idling all night. If that"s possible them what I said above would apply. If it"s to cold outside and the engine won"t maintain normal operating temp at an idle, with no load, then it will more than likely cause it to "wet stack", putting oil into the exhaust. That"s not a good thing and is something that is considered harmful to an engine. So, if the potential to wet stack is there, then the potential for harm at an idle would be, in my opinion, greater than if it wasn"t.
I know in the Arctic I"ve read and heard that it"s common practice to leave their machines running for days on end. In the trucking world it used to be very common to leave the trucks running overnight, at an idle, just to keep the heat or A/C running. In fact I had a customer call me tonight and asked about leaving his truck running tonight so it would be ready to go in the morning, given that he couldn"t get it going this morning when it was 8 degrees outside.
In the end I think beyond the whole potential to wet stack deal is about the biggest concern I"d have. So, baring that, ultimately, I think the biggest deciding factor on whether or let it idle, or not, is how critical it is to have it running first thing the next morning, as "harm" wise I think most other factors all come out as a wash in the end.
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Today's Featured Article - A Lifetime of Farm Machinery - by Joe Michaels. I am a mechanical engineer by profession, specializing in powerplant work. I worked as a machinist and engine erector, with time spent overseas. I have always had a love for machinery, and an appreciation for farming and farm machinery. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Not a place one would associate with farms or farm machinery. I credit my parents for instilling a lot of good values, a respect for learning, a knowledge of various skills and a little knowledge of farming in me, amo
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