RE: RPM higher when cold?
Yes, I have frequently seen this; a sort of a "flash" reading of a couple of hundred rpms higher when an engine is cooler. It could be due to the viscosity of the oil helping ring seal, but I always attributed it to the crankcase being cool, and the engine getting a denser fuel/air charge than it does when the crankcase is warming the mix before it gets to the combustion chamber.
AV8TOR