Warming the engine
Discussion
How do you warm the engine on your car?
Just been reading last months Sprint article about the 125,000 mile Tamora. The article recommends starting the engine, revving to 1,500 revs for ten seconds then driving immediately at no more than 2,500 rpm until oil temp is over 60.
The dealer that I bought my car from 2 years ago recommended revving the engine to 2-3k immediately to clear out the cat then letting it idle until warm (gives you time to take the roof off, etc) or keep it below 3k rpm until temp is over 70
What do you do? Is letting the car idle bad for the cams?
Is it a different process for different engines? - the Tamora is a Speed six engine, I have an RV8.
Just been reading last months Sprint article about the 125,000 mile Tamora. The article recommends starting the engine, revving to 1,500 revs for ten seconds then driving immediately at no more than 2,500 rpm until oil temp is over 60.
The dealer that I bought my car from 2 years ago recommended revving the engine to 2-3k immediately to clear out the cat then letting it idle until warm (gives you time to take the roof off, etc) or keep it below 3k rpm until temp is over 70
What do you do? Is letting the car idle bad for the cams?
Is it a different process for different engines? - the Tamora is a Speed six engine, I have an RV8.
My very complex method is... I rev to 1500 for a few seconds (PSI guage reads 50+) then let it idle at about 1200 til the water temps has raised a few degree's (aka 15 seconds) then drive off
Nothing above 2500 and no loud pedal (aka feels like driving a 1.4 ford
) - I don`t care if people wonder why I`m slowly joining motorways or moving off from lights
I also try to keep the rev's at 1000 when she's sitting at lights, etc.
J
Nothing above 2500 and no loud pedal (aka feels like driving a 1.4 ford
) - I don`t care if people wonder why I`m slowly joining motorways or moving off from lightsI also try to keep the rev's at 1000 when she's sitting at lights, etc.
J
Start the engine (throttle depressed on Cerb so revs rise quickly - I presume that splashes a bit of oil around straight away)
Then drive straight away, keeping below 2500 until water up to temperature, then keep below 3500 for another mile or two allowing oil to catch up (no idea how long - but staying on safe side)
Got my new fangled oil temperature guage to fit though
Then drive straight away, keeping below 2500 until water up to temperature, then keep below 3500 for another mile or two allowing oil to catch up (no idea how long - but staying on safe side)
Got my new fangled oil temperature guage to fit though

On my old Chim I'd start and then drive off keeping below 3k until the engine temp had hit 70 and more importantly I'd seen that slight dip in oil pressure indicating the oil was up to temp.
The T350 I start with no throttle, blip it to 2k to start the oil flow and then drive off. Keeping to 2500 rpm until 40deg oil temp and then 5000 rpm until 70deg oil temp. Or rather in this weather guestimating based on time as the bl**dy oil temp sensor is directly in the cold air flow and is hard to get over mid 40s. Same as the chims water temp sensor really.
The T350 I start with no throttle, blip it to 2k to start the oil flow and then drive off. Keeping to 2500 rpm until 40deg oil temp and then 5000 rpm until 70deg oil temp. Or rather in this weather guestimating based on time as the bl**dy oil temp sensor is directly in the cold air flow and is hard to get over mid 40s. Same as the chims water temp sensor really.
From what I understand the oil passageways are quite restrictive to the top of an RV8 so the one thing you absolutely should not do is just start the thing and leave it sitting. Apparently the oil drains away from the camshaft and hence if you just start it and give it no juice it doesn't have the ability to get oil back up to the top of the engine and hence you are effectivly running the camshaft "dry". This anecdotal evidence seems to be backed up by the fact that wear on the camshaft is one of the weak points of the engine.
Apparently the best thing to do is to drive off pronto as by putting the engine undersome load the oil warms through quicker and is then driven up onto the camshaft lobes.
Apparently the best thing to do is to drive off pronto as by putting the engine undersome load the oil warms through quicker and is then driven up onto the camshaft lobes.
George 500 said:
From what I understand the oil passageways are quite restrictive to the top of an RV8 so the one thing you absolutely should not do is just start the thing and leave it sitting. Apparently the oil drains away from the camshaft and hence if you just start it and give it no juice it doesn't have the ability to get oil back up to the top of the engine and hence you are effectivly running the camshaft "dry". This anecdotal evidence seems to be backed up by the fact that wear on the camshaft is one of the weak points of the engine.
Apparently the best thing to do is to drive off pronto as by putting the engine undersome load the oil warms through quicker and is then driven up onto the camshaft lobes.
that's right, the start it up and go for a smoke brigade will wear their cams out sooner. All the above plus the cam followers are designed to turn so they don't wear on one spot but they only do this once the revs are over about 1,800-2,000 revs so letting it "tick over" on the drive is actualy very bad for the engine. Apparently the best thing to do is to drive off pronto as by putting the engine undersome load the oil warms through quicker and is then driven up onto the camshaft lobes.
well what do you do?? as a cnc engineer we have to warm up the spindles before loading, "admitted they dont have cam shafts" lol
Surely any mechanical device would perform better if allowed to warm up without load, and with oils as they are now surely camshafts are lubricated from start up what ever the conditions.
having said that every BMW we have owned states "do not idle form cold, drive off immediatly.....
Now that Paul at Austec has rebuilt our engine it would be nice to know what to do
Surely any mechanical device would perform better if allowed to warm up without load, and with oils as they are now surely camshafts are lubricated from start up what ever the conditions.
having said that every BMW we have owned states "do not idle form cold, drive off immediatly.....
Now that Paul at Austec has rebuilt our engine it would be nice to know what to do

Start the engine run up to fast idle say 2k for 30 seconds then drive off,driving under 2k is just not neccesary just dont scream or load up the thing until its warmed thru,dont sit there warming the thing up,if you let the RV8 idle from cold until warm you will shed your cam lobes very rapidly 

Edited by That Daddy on Friday 20th February 22:47
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