The Engine Warm Up Mistake

[SassyCassie14]

There is basically only one warm up mistake: too much

RPM, too soon. You've seen these guys in the pits, as

soon as the engine starts they're all over the

throttle. What are they trying to accomplish? To

dislodge a rats nest from the exhaust? What is more

likely to be dislodged is a Connecting Rod from the

Crank.

 

There is absolutely NO reason to rev the engine like

this, except during the race.

 

Excuse & Cure:

 

* If you're trying to "clear it out" - Tune the carb so

the engine is clean at idle.

 

* If you're trying to "put some heat in the engine" -

Don't waste your time, heat comes from load and there

is no load in neutral or park.

 

* If you just enjoy revving the engine - Fine, I

respect that, it's the only reason you should be doing

it because there are no benefits.

 

Other potential warm up mistakes:

 

* Wrong oil - Still running straight 50w oil? You may

want to spend some time on the Bob is the Oil Guy

website

 

* Cold oil - It's near impossible to get engine oil hot

without extended periods of heavy load - idling in the

pits will never do it. If you're serious about keeping

your engine together, you need an oil heater - attached

to either the oil pan or oil tank.

 

* No thermostat - The object is to get the engine to

operating temperature as fast as possible without

having to beat the crap out of it. A Thermostat will

dramatically shorten coolant warm up times.

[Danielsen Motorsports]

So will a piece of cardboard over the radiator without the risk of a thermostate sticking and really screwing up your engine.

[Boernebullet]

If you are running an engine driven mechanical fan on a cool day or night it is a very good idea to warm up the engine with a piece of cardboard over the radiator. And this will definently give you some oil temp. A little heat is better then none at all.

Oil heaters and rev limiters have always been a good idea and have been around forever.