I have some questions about warming up the engine in the morning. I live very close to the highway, less than 1/2 a mile. I upshift at 2500 -2700 rpms when I merge (uphill) on to the highway as part of my daily commute. By the time I make it on, the temperature needle is still sitting at or near the bottom. Should I limit my speed until it comes closer to normal operating temperature? Also, can I safely rev a cold engine to 3000 or 3500 rpm without doing harm to it in the long run (for my uphill merge)? I think this will be more of an issue in the winter than now.

 

Many people won't recommend reving a cold engine past 3K rpms

 

I would say to drive the car like normal. I live 1/2 mile from the freeway as well, and when I merge, my car isn't really warmed up yet either. But then my car is an auto, and I just accelerate like normal (shift at 3000-3500 RPM) and after a mile or so, the engine is at operating temp.

 

Your engine should be warmer than that after 0.5 miles of low-speed travel. Your engine temperature gauge may be inaccurate. Your thermostat may be defective.