[CamB]

Super - you crack me up.

Every month or so you post a debate like this - always a well thought out issue, always with two good arguments.

Alright, I'll take the bait. Non-engineer's viewpoint.

I agree on the engine temp before running to redline - if it has reached equilibrium then why not. Maybe a couple of brief forays up that way will "fix" the low temp problem.

My BMW has a 70 deg C thermostat and upgraded radiator and it won't achieve anything higher unless it is running in traffic with no airflow (fan turns on at 80-85 deg). I figure I am safe gettin on it once it has run at 70 deg for a while.

Valve clearances? Well I understand the reason you set them cold is because the gap closes to basically nothing when the engine is hot. I suspect the spec could also be "gap equals bugger-all when hot" but how the hell do you set that? So they have a specification for when the engine is cold.

Thus as long as the engine is cold enough for the gap to be as wide as it will ever be (stone cold, cool, whatever?), then it is fine. So we need one of the guys who can give a discussion on the thermal expansion rate of the valve train and can tell us how much the gap would be closed on a cool engine vs a cold engine.

Cam's essay is complete.