Lycoming Service Instruction No. 1505 - Cold Weather Starting

[scottrsellers]

Lycoming talks about preheating when the engine its temperature drop to 20F or lower seems crazy. When our engine monitor shows oil temps below 50F we always preheat, and that means the entire engine compartment.
Keep in mind the cam lobe to lifter interface on our Lycoming engines is lubricated by oil splash only, making warm oil and crankcase critical. We have heard examples of cam lobes wiped smooth in just a few cold starts.
Our Tanis insulated cowl cover of C182 will hold warm oil temps for hours even on a cold & windy day here in WI, so its well worth the cost.