Observations on my 164L

[Kim_Laszlo@domain.elided]

I've had my Midnight Jade Green '91 164L for about a month now and I'm ready to
take it on a roadtrip from Los Angeles to Sonoma Country in Northern California.
However, there are a couple of things that concern me and I certainly don't want
to break down in the middle of the San Joaquin valley among the farmlands.
Here's some back story:

I bought my 164 at, of all places, a Kia dealership.  The engine needed work,
but the rest of the car was in such good condition, I bought it on the spot.
Kia absorbed the cost for the engine work, but they took a full month to finally
get it done.  The problem is the valves were not adjusted properly when the job
was done so I'm treated to that horrible clicking/tapping noise.  How much wear
and tear does this cause?  I had the idle and some other minor things
readjusted, but I'm not ready to hand over the car for a week to look into the
valve problem, so I'm wondering if this is causing damage and will a long trip
exacerbate it.

I'm sure I've seen someone mention this, but my 164 tends to run very hot.  In
traffic the temperature gauge will stay pinned at 200, but never moves beyond
that mark.  Interestingly enough, the red overheating light only goes on within
15 minutes of my starting the car when the car is cold.  Once it warms up, the
light never comes back on.  Another light that comes on occasionally when the
car is first started is the engine coolant light.  I busted a hose about three
weeks ago and just had the coolant refilled so I'm doubting that it is low.  My
last car was a 3 series which had horrible overheating problems so I constantly
have an eye on that temperature gauge.  Any insight into why the car is telling
me its hot when its really cold?

There are a few other details that need to be addressed with the car, but my
overall attitude toward it is true love.  When I first picked it up, I was
intimidated by its size and the complex appearance of everything under the hood.
Then when I put it in gear and felt the power of the engine, I became even more
nervous.  After zipping around in a gnat-like 318is, I thought I'd bitten off
more than I could chew with the 164L.  The heavy feel of the clutch took me a
few weeks to become accustomed to and the considerable weight of the car caused
me to have to reevaluate my entire approach towards driving.  At first it was
downright laborious driving it on the congested streets of LA, but I really
started to fall for it when I took it out to stretch its legs.  When the 164
reaches crusing speed, it is a beautifully effortless ride.  It handles
marvelously on the open road.  Because I've only been doing short distances, I
haven't taken it past 85 mph, but that's in fourth gear.  What awaits me in the
fifth gear?  I'd like to find out on I-5 this weekend.

Kim
'91 164L

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