There has been a bombardment of threads lately regarding oil temperature,so here is another.Right indeed are those who stated the oil temp guage is unnecessary.It is another issue that may get us worried.

I have noticed that when the coolant temperature reaches the middle of the scale and shows 90 degrees Celsius,the oil temperature has not yet reached 60 degrees.

My question is whether the oil should be let to heat up a bit more before "pushing " the engine, (even if the engine is supposedly hot according to the coolant temp) and to what temperature should the oil reach before working the engine harder?

Edited 26 February, 201313 yr by oriki

I take it easy until the oil temp gets above 80C. Given the constraints of traffic, passengers and suitable roads, I usually have to take it easy above 80C most of the time as well :-(

That's the advantage of having the oil temperature display. Water temp doesn't relate to the engine temperature - mine never gets pushed till its showing 95 on the oil display. :-)

The BMW M5 (the current one and the previous one as far as I know) has a variable electronic red line display on the rev counter. Temperature might have been reached on the water temp display but until the oil is at temperature, the red line is at something like 5,000rpm instead of 8,250rpm (or something like that).

You can see the red line is a sliding disc (on the outer edge) in the new M5 if you click on the pic above.

On the old one it was digital lights that went off as the car heated up:

Ergo... to push the car you always wait for BOTH water and oil to be at operating temperature. Hence as Lee says, that is the whole point in having the oil temp display as well as the normal water temp display.

All these gadgets and displays only add to my stress levels.

I remember my first Mini, speedo and fuel gauge. Fuel in one hole, oil in another and water in yet another, not easy to confuse. Oh, it also had round black things on each corner that sometimes needed air putting in them.

I love just driving my Yeti, all the rest is just too much information.

Fred

So true Fred!

First car only had three lights on the dashboard. Ignition, oil and high beam.

Andy

You were Lucky!! I used to dream of lights on 't dashboard I had a Renault 8 1100 which needed the top radiator hose re-fitting most journeys it told you when the water was up to temperature

I,m with Fred and Graham just drive it and ENJOY

Sort of off topic but why do I need a rev counter, fuel range, miles per gallon, inside outside temp etc?

You don't really.

I raised the topic the other day , and here are some more things to "worry" about.

I have a Scangauge 2 which I use in another vehicle. Just out of interest I plugged it into the OBD2 port to see if I could get a speed signal.

Interestingly however, the coolant temperature showed the usual broad band reading. I can't remember the exact figures, but somewhere about 75*C to 105*C shows as 90*C on the car display. I guess the oil temperature is somewhat more "true", in that it seems to logically respond to engine load etc.

I'm sure the oil/water intercooler bolted onto the front of the block has an effect on warm up times and averaging temperature spikes.

In this cold weather I'm using the lower blanking plate, and run the heater in re-circ mode to enable the block to warm up as fast as possible.

Hope that's a few more things to worry about Me - it's just background information, sometimes I look at it, sometimes it's interesting, other times it's irrelevant. It just depends if you have a mechanical bent

Just as you have done in the past (or should have). use it normally when cold, ie. don't cane it or labour it.

Oil qualities of the synthetic multigrades are so much better they are developed to cope with all conditions.

As well as provide lubrication oil also acts as a coolant. some engine components such as exhaust valves can reach 600 deg C.

Wear n Tear is an Engineers Nightmare it will always be there but at least we can slow it down.

Edited 27 February, 201313 yr by RickT

For those that are on fixed servicing there is no oil temp display, it goes away for some reason. So it cannot be that important.

Some people like lots of read outs and warning lights, others can take them or leave them. If something is crucial then it would be on all vehicles, everything else is candy floss.

Its probably an age thing as well, those of us who fall into the older age bracket were bought up on cars that needed much more coaxing and general consideration.

I never over rev a cold engine, my missus on the other hand doesn't give it any thought, we have had a number of "conversations" about how the 2 new cars should be driven for the first few miles from cold. I'm winning the battle, but its slow progress.

I have found the best approach is to say stuff along the lines of "if we treat it right initially, it will cost a lots less to maintain in the long run"... appealing to the pocket always seems to carry the most weight!

For those that are on fixed servicing there is no oil temp display, it goes away for some reason.

Visible on mine :wonder:

Visible on mine :wonder:

Ditto. I can enable it via Maxidot, despite being on fixed interval servicing. According to the option codes, the factory set the car up as variable servicing, but the supplying dealer changed this (without asking me!) to fixed. This might explain why.

Ditto. I can enable it via Maxidot, despite being on fixed interval servicing. According to the option codes, the factory set the car up as variable servicing, but the supplying dealer changed this (without asking me!) to fixed. This might explain why.

Ditto , although I did ask for fixed servicing.

Mine was supplied on variable. I set it to fixed using the maxidot and have oil temp in the maxidot.

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Coolant is to cool the engine and cool the oil.

(oil is also a coolant and lubricant.)

The cold engine needs to get up to operating temperature from cold.

The thermostat stays closed to get the coolant to 80 degrees celsius or whatever, then opens, then after that the job of circulating the coolant and radiators, summer coolants etc is to keep the temperature around the 90 degree celsius and to keep the oil cool.

Coolant, H20 can quckly get to the operating temperature, oil will take longer, then once there, needs stopped from over heating.

so Oil coolers and the coolant system.

Simplification, but kind of why Coolant can be up to temp even at 0*C ambient in a few minutes and it may be many miles or minutes later before the oil gets to 90 celsius, if it actually does on some trips.

Say hard use and rising oil temperature, the coolant, radiator,oil cooler/s fans/fans are trying to get the oil temperature down to the safe and normal running temperature.

so coolant stength and types, antifreeze, summer coolant, rust inhibitor, all in one. oil types to suit ambient temperature starting and running ranges and requirement for the work required or possibly expected.

george

I set it to fixed using the maxidot.

How did you do that? I'm interested to know pls.