Warming engine - rules?

[Gavstar]

What are the rules/guidelines around warming up a Chim (or any TVR for that matter)'s engine? I have had mine a month and do not take it above 3000 revs until the temp gauge shows above 75. Is this OK, or should you leave them idling until they reach this temp? What about leaving it to run at idle before turning off? I have a Chim 400 btw.

[Big Al.]

I drive mine from cold, but like you keep the revs down until it's warmed up to temperature.

Little point in flogging a cold engine IMHO.

[Gavstar]

Should you let it settle back down to let the oil settle afterwards? Or am I getting confused with turbo etiquette? (if there is such a thing!)

[count duckula]

I want till the engine gets to 70 and it has done at least 5 miles as well, this way the gear box etc can get some heat in it as well.

Malc

[Incorrigible]

2 things

1. Engine temperature is not as important as oil temperature

2. You should warm an engine up "under load" (ie not idling)

As the Chim doesn't have an oil temp gauge the best way to check whether the oil is approaching operating temp is to check the oil pressure at idle. As the temperature increases the pressure at idle will drop (I can't give precise numbers as all the gauges and senders a re a bit different not to mention the oils used)

[Voltaire53]

Gavstar said:

What are the rules/guidelines around warming up a Chim (or any TVR for that matter)'s engine? I have had mine a month and do not take it above 3000 revs until the temp gauge shows above 75. Is this OK, or should you leave them idling until they reach this temp? What about leaving it to run at idle before turning off? I have a Chim 400 btw.

I personally do similar and don't take the engine above 3000 revs (unless absoultely necessary ) until the temp guage at least starts to register something 'warm'. This was as advised by the dealer who sold it to me.

I always do so by driving not idling since I have heard here and elsewhere to *never* warm up (any engine) by idling as it really messes up the engine with crap deposits.

[Corin Denton]

Drive from cold but don't go above 2,500rpm until temp is above 70 degrees.

[ed400]

I drive mine up to 2Krpm until a) the temp guage reads around 70 and b) the oil pressure has dropped away from 30. Still keep it under 4Krpm until all is at normal (75-80 temp and just over 15 oil pressure)

[gf15]

Less than 2500 RPM for the first 5 miles. Oil temperature is the important one. I have a V6 Audi with an oil temperature gauge, which takes at least 4 miles to move off its stop and 6 to 7 miles to reach its norm. The water temperature is up to normal within 4 miles.

[shadowninja]

I stay under 2000 rpm until 80C. Maybe I'm being over-cautious!

As for turbo cars, same to start, and if i had been driving briskly I wait 2-3 minutes with engine idling. If i was pootling along for 2-3 minutes before parking then i'd wait 1 minute.

-Darren