I just installed an oil temperature gauge (Daytona Digital Temp Gauge), and it's wonderful! My car ('95 Honda Accord, 2.2L V-TEC 4 cylinder, holds 4.5 quarts of oil) seems to run between 200 and 210 degrees F. I was thinking that the oil would be hot enough to drive hard at 190 degrees, but as I searched, I saw that some cars run at 180 to 185 degrees F. I'm currently running M1 T&S 5W-40. Should I always wait for my oil temp to reach 190, or would I be okay going as high as redline at a lower temperature?
Oil: How hot before hitting redline?
- Thread starter Palut
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I don't know the answer to your question but for the longest time I've done the following:
Until the car water temp is in its normal range I keep the RPMs to half that of redline. Now I think BMW has something like it but theirs increases the permissible RPMS as the water temp increases.
I know it doesn't give you the answer you're looking for but that's the best my noggin could come up with. I know, I know. It's like asking me about today's weather and I talk to you about the ice age.
Until the car water temp is in its normal range I keep the RPMs to half that of redline. Now I think BMW has something like it but theirs increases the permissible RPMS as the water temp increases.
I know it doesn't give you the answer you're looking for but that's the best my noggin could come up with. I know, I know. It's like asking me about today's weather and I talk to you about the ice age.
Palut, just the other day someone asked me about an inexpensive and easy to install oil temp gauge and you may have found it. Where did you buy yours, how much did it cost? Looks like they give you an adapter, what kind did you get and where on the engine did you install it?
And to answer your question, if the water temp is in the normal range and the oil temp was over 120F I'd think you'd be alright. Obviously, it would be best for it to be in the 180-220F range but I don't believe any damage would be done as long as you don't run it that way all the time.
[ September 03, 2004, 02:34 AM: Message edited by: 427Z06 ]
And to answer your question, if the water temp is in the normal range and the oil temp was over 120F I'd think you'd be alright. Obviously, it would be best for it to be in the 180-220F range but I don't believe any damage would be done as long as you don't run it that way all the time.
[ September 03, 2004, 02:34 AM: Message edited by: 427Z06 ]
Thanks for the answers. 180 degrees sounds like a good temperature to wait for before I hit it.
I can't get that link to work to the Daytona site, if you can't either, go to Google and search for "Daytona Digital Temperature Gauge", and it should be the first thing that pops up.
The gauge itself is quite nice. It's a plastic digital gauge, with a wire that attaches to your vehicle's ignition, a wire going to ground, and a wire to the sensor. You can measure water or oil temp. with it. You can buy an adapter that will replace your oil pan drain plug, just find out the size and threading you need. Mine was M-14x1.5. I don't have much in the way of mechanical skills, changing spark plugs is about the most complex thing I can do, but I was able to install this gauge in about 45 minutes. It only took so long because of my mechanical ineptitude. I paid $154 for the gauge and adapter, but that includes 8% WA sales tax.
Actually getting the temperature gauge took a little detective work. Daytona doesn't sell to individual customers, so I e-mailed them and they referred me to one of their distributors: Shindy Products. Here is their contact information: Shindy Products, Inc. - CA, USA, [email protected], shindypro.com, Phone 408-946-7466. They listed Parts Unlimited as one of their distributors, so I looked up their web page. They have a feature that allows a person to find a dealer near them. I punched in my ZIP code and found a store 10 minutes from my house. I went there, they ordered the gauge for me, and it arrived two weeks later. I would recommend starting at the Parts Unlimited web site, because of that nifty dealer locater feature. If that doesn't work, you can start at Shindy, check out their other distributors, and keep looking until you find someone near you.
I can't get that link to work to the Daytona site, if you can't either, go to Google and search for "Daytona Digital Temperature Gauge", and it should be the first thing that pops up.
The gauge itself is quite nice. It's a plastic digital gauge, with a wire that attaches to your vehicle's ignition, a wire going to ground, and a wire to the sensor. You can measure water or oil temp. with it. You can buy an adapter that will replace your oil pan drain plug, just find out the size and threading you need. Mine was M-14x1.5. I don't have much in the way of mechanical skills, changing spark plugs is about the most complex thing I can do, but I was able to install this gauge in about 45 minutes. It only took so long because of my mechanical ineptitude. I paid $154 for the gauge and adapter, but that includes 8% WA sales tax.
Actually getting the temperature gauge took a little detective work. Daytona doesn't sell to individual customers, so I e-mailed them and they referred me to one of their distributors: Shindy Products. Here is their contact information: Shindy Products, Inc. - CA, USA, [email protected], shindypro.com, Phone 408-946-7466. They listed Parts Unlimited as one of their distributors, so I looked up their web page. They have a feature that allows a person to find a dealer near them. I punched in my ZIP code and found a store 10 minutes from my house. I went there, they ordered the gauge for me, and it arrived two weeks later. I would recommend starting at the Parts Unlimited web site, because of that nifty dealer locater feature. If that doesn't work, you can start at Shindy, check out their other distributors, and keep looking until you find someone near you.
Patman
Staff member
I like to wait until my oil temp hits 180F before going anywhere near the redline.
I don't know about the target oil temperature, but I can advise on engine warmup. You should accelerate gently, never exceeding 2500 rpm, where high rpm traditionally starts. I like to cruise at 2000 rpm during warmup, since this moderate rpm is about halfway between engine lugging and over-reving (the two evil extremes). An rpm engine like Honda might prefer to warmup slightly over 2000 rpm, a torque engine like GM 3.8 might like it lower.
The good news is your smaller Honda engine will reach it's operating temperature quicker than a big engine.
[ September 03, 2004, 12:23 PM: Message edited by: Bruce T ]
The good news is your smaller Honda engine will reach it's operating temperature quicker than a big engine.
[ September 03, 2004, 12:23 PM: Message edited by: Bruce T ]
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I sorta agree. You can get the cyberdyne oil or water digital temp for around $50. I'm unsure of certain quality issues, however. In my research of guages ..the vast majority fall into the same price group when they subscribe to the same market (makes sense) ..but if you stray into marine or industrial ..a gauge doing the same function tends to be more expensive (certain marine applications have needle sweeps that I preferred -this naturally isn't digital). This gauge must appeal to some niche market to demand such a high price.
Out of curiosity I did a search and tried to find an authoritative answer to this question. Obviously it's best to wait until both the water AND oil temps are fully warmed up, and oil can lag water temp rise by a number of minutes. But Shell suggests that once normal WATER temp is reached, you're OK to rev. So I'd suggest that "normal water temp" is your answer, and this jives with owner's manuals I've read in the past. (Once again, normal OIL temp is best, but sooner-occuring normal WATER temp is good enough.)
"...Do not rev up the engine immediately after starting it...The best compromise is to wait two or three minutes, then drive slowly for the next five to 10 minutes until the engine reaches the proper operating temperature." (This would be water temp since most rides don't have oil temp guages.) http://www.shell.ca/code/motoring/tips/engines.html
ALSO, 1970 Mercedes Benz 6.3 Sedan Owner's Manual:
"Do not rev the engine without load above 3000 RPM and do not load before normal oil pressure is reached...We recommend that you drive off with moderate speed after the engine has fired, since in this way the operating temperatures of the engine are attained in the best way."
http://www.m-100.org/6point3/ownersmanual/pg14-15.html
"...Do not rev up the engine immediately after starting it...The best compromise is to wait two or three minutes, then drive slowly for the next five to 10 minutes until the engine reaches the proper operating temperature." (This would be water temp since most rides don't have oil temp guages.) http://www.shell.ca/code/motoring/tips/engines.html
ALSO, 1970 Mercedes Benz 6.3 Sedan Owner's Manual:
"Do not rev the engine without load above 3000 RPM and do not load before normal oil pressure is reached...We recommend that you drive off with moderate speed after the engine has fired, since in this way the operating temperatures of the engine are attained in the best way."
http://www.m-100.org/6point3/ownersmanual/pg14-15.html
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Coolant temperature is a poor indicator of whether the engine has reached operating temperature. BMW used to state the engine would be properly warmed up 30 minutes after the oil temperature reached operating temperature. After the coolant reaches operating temperature, I still have to drive about 5 miles until the oil reaches around 180 - 200 degree F. Normal operating temperature is around 210 degree F. I won't "hit it" until the oil is very close to the 210 degree mark.
You can tell when the oil is warm by watching the oil pressure at idle. As the oil warms the idle oil pressure drops to it's usual hot reading.
I wouldn't rev to redline until you hit 160F. It would probably be OK to rev to 75% of redline as long as the water is hot.
I wouldn't rev to redline until you hit 160F. It would probably be OK to rev to 75% of redline as long as the water is hot.
Thanks for all the answers, you guys have been very helpful! I guess I'll keep it under 3k until the water is warm and the oil reaches about 130-150, and still drive very gently, not going much over 3k or exceeding 4k until the oil goes over 180.
I used to let the water warm up, then wait five minutes for the oil. Now I see that I was driving hard with oil at about 140. I'm really glad I got this gauge, now I won't have to guess anymore!!
I used to let the water warm up, then wait five minutes for the oil. Now I see that I was driving hard with oil at about 140. I'm really glad I got this gauge, now I won't have to guess anymore!!
Patman
Staff member
I don't like this idea with my car, because I notice when my water temp gets up to 190F, my oil temp is still only 120F. That's too cold for my liking, especially since the oil will be a lot thicker than normal.
I was always taught to drive relatively gently until the water temp came up. That is a lot sooner than the oil temp and pressure, but the critical thing is the block gets up to temp as it is distorted when cold and revving or hard driving a cold engine produces a lot more wear, especially in the cylinder bores, or so I am told. Pounding on a cold engine will tell its tale in soon producing a fogger. But I digress.
As for oil temp, I only have an oil pressure gauge and I think pressure and temp would correlate fairly strongly, so I agree with the post above that one should wait for pressure to get fairly close to normal hot pressure. Then it is fun to guiltlessly hammer it. Yeah, my F150 300 straight six is not exactly impressive in this situation, but sure is fun.
As for oil temp, I only have an oil pressure gauge and I think pressure and temp would correlate fairly strongly, so I agree with the post above that one should wait for pressure to get fairly close to normal hot pressure. Then it is fun to guiltlessly hammer it. Yeah, my F150 300 straight six is not exactly impressive in this situation, but sure is fun.
Owners manual, 1987 Porsche 928 coolant temperature gauge and warning light instructions:
"Needle in lower field – engine is cold. As long as needle is in lower field, avoid high speeds and high engine rpm, until engine has reached normal operating temperature."
http://members.rennlist.com/pirtle/87man06.htm
While "normal OIL temp" is certainly preferred before revving, manuals in general appear to suggest that normal WATER temp is close enough.
"Needle in lower field – engine is cold. As long as needle is in lower field, avoid high speeds and high engine rpm, until engine has reached normal operating temperature."
http://members.rennlist.com/pirtle/87man06.htm
While "normal OIL temp" is certainly preferred before revving, manuals in general appear to suggest that normal WATER temp is close enough.
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(as others have said)
Old schoolers used 180 as a minimum (for those old schoolers that actually pondered the topic). I'd just consider it one more indicator of warm up. It will trail the coolant temp (which is regulated) until it is saturated with heat. The temp will vary naturally with stress ..but isn't typically regulated (unless you have a cooler with a thermostat - which won't maintain a low temp).
I would also offer that most of the oil cooler thermostats offered on the market have a 180 degree setpoint for opening.
Old schoolers used 180 as a minimum (for those old schoolers that actually pondered the topic). I'd just consider it one more indicator of warm up. It will trail the coolant temp (which is regulated) until it is saturated with heat. The temp will vary naturally with stress ..but isn't typically regulated (unless you have a cooler with a thermostat - which won't maintain a low temp).
I would also offer that most of the oil cooler thermostats offered on the market have a 180 degree setpoint for opening.
How long does it take your honda to get oil to operating temp?
It is nice to have oil temp readings but 150$ is pretty expensive I think....
It is nice to have oil temp readings but 150$ is pretty expensive I think....
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