Re-defining when a car has "warmed up"

[dparm]

Now that I can see my car's oil temperature, it's finally becoming apparent that coolant temperature (i.e. the "temperature gauge") and oil temperature are very far apart when the car is cold.

Today my coolant gauge stabilized but the oil temperature hadn't even registered yet, meaning it was < 140 F. Ambient temp was 40 F. It took a good 10-15 more minutes of driving for the oil temp to stabilize around 220 F.

I always knew the oil took a bit longer, but seeing oil temp really opened my eyes. Related question: at what point is the oil "hot enough" to start using WOT or subjecting it to higher loads?

 

[OVERKILL]

Yup, I've observed somewhat similar characteristics with my car. As the ambient drops, the oil takes significantly longer to come up to temp. When it is warm out, the oil temp increase almost parallels that of the coolant temp.

 

[dparm]

I'm curious to see how this behavior changes when I switch oils tomorrow. Word has it that Syntec 5w40 is on the thick side for a 40-weight.

 

[JOD]

Yeah, I agree--it was a big eye opener for me as well. Ambient temps don't vary that much around my parts, and for me it's 10-12 miles of "regular" driving, not matter what (that's between 40-70 degrees F).

I have to admit, my WOT days are past me until I get a fun-to-drive garage queen (no rallying the Freestyle), but I imagine having an OP gauge would be key in determining when you could really safely stand on it. That said, my next door neighbor is at WOT by the end of the block in his new M5, so within 20-30 seconds of operation! Of course, he also has a new car every 2 years...

 

[TallPaul]

You can see when the oil is fully warmed up with an oil pressure gauge too. Yes it takes 10-15 miles.

 

[MarkStock]

And there is also a point where the engine, and not just the oil is warmed up and operating to specification.

 

[dparm]

Just looking up the specs for the Syntec Castrol EDGE 5w40 that's in there now...when the coolant temp is stable, the oil is more than 40cSt! Crazy.

 

[G-MAN]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Now that I can see my car's oil temperature, it's finally becoming apparent that coolant temperature (i.e. the "temperature gauge") and oil temperature are very far apart when the car is cold.

Today my coolant gauge stabilized but the oil temperature hadn't even registered yet, meaning it was < 140 F. Ambient temp was 40 F. It took a good 10-15 more minutes of driving for the oil temp to stabilize around 220 F.


220F?

Even in 90F+ I've never seen my oil temp go over 204F. It generally runs around 185F.

 

[dparm]

This is a supercharged V6 with an ECM tune to make about 30% more power...so yes, the oil gets warm. If I'm really "on it" a lot in a short period it will pass 230. No clue what happens on the track, but I'll report back next spring.

Now you see why Audi requires synthetic with HTHS > 3.5.

 

[JHZR2]

I've always said that it takes up to 20 minutes/miles past the water being to temp of further use before the oil is up to temp. These higher power cars with oil/water exchangers are faster (I put a data set in a few threads showing my 135 temp performance under one use profile that was pretty benign). I still think 15-20 minutes or miles, when oil temp is not known, is fairly sound for most cars.

 

[dparm]

Agree. Cars with big sumps (my previous car was over 9qt) take a really long time. I had always waited about 10-15 minutes after the temp gauge stabilized and it sounds like I was about right.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: G-MAN
Originally Posted By: dparm
Now that I can see my car's oil temperature, it's finally becoming apparent that coolant temperature (i.e. the "temperature gauge") and oil temperature are very far apart when the car is cold.

Today my coolant gauge stabilized but the oil temperature hadn't even registered yet, meaning it was < 140 F. Ambient temp was 40 F. It took a good 10-15 more minutes of driving for the oil temp to stabilize around 220 F.


220F?

Even in 90F+ I've never seen my oil temp go over 204F. It generally runs around 185F.


I've seen 226F coolant and 240F oil in my 135. Nothing out of the ordinary in high performance euro cars.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: G-MAN
Originally Posted By: dparm
Now that I can see my car's oil temperature, it's finally becoming apparent that coolant temperature (i.e. the "temperature gauge") and oil temperature are very far apart when the car is cold.

Today my coolant gauge stabilized but the oil temperature hadn't even registered yet, meaning it was < 140 F. Ambient temp was 40 F. It took a good 10-15 more minutes of driving for the oil temp to stabilize around 220 F.


220F?

Even in 90F+ I've never seen my oil temp go over 204F. It generally runs around 185F.


I'm normally around 195F. I've managed to get it to 212F a couple of times.

 

[expat]

I have an oil temp gauge in my Triumph, it stabilizes at about, 190f after about 20 min. I've never seen more than 220f even after a prolonged 5,000 rpm blast.
I'm considering an oil/coolant heat exchanger.
I have already switched to a smaller oil filter.

I use 15w40 oil.

 

[Artem]

I never run my cars past 3,000 RPMs until about 10-15 minutes of driving. The temp gauge in my 06' Scion TC will show that the coolant has reached operating temp within 5 mins of the engine being started. It goes up quick. I know the same can't be said about the oil temp as well as the rest of the engine "loosening up".

 

[HTSS_TR]

None of my cars has oil temperature or oil pressure gauge, I wish at the very least my S2000 has either or both.

I hear that someone tried to redline the S2000 within 1 minute after started and he could not rev pass 5500-6000 RPM. I normally do not rev pass 4500-5000 RPM until coolant temp is stabilized at around 180-185F after 4-5 miles or 7-10 minutes of driving.

 

[deven]

Originally Posted By: dparm
This is a supercharged V6 with an ECM tune to make about 30% more power...so yes, the oil gets warm. If I'm really "on it" a lot in a short period it will pass 230. No clue what happens on the track, but I'll report back next spring.

Now you see why Audi requires synthetic with HTHS > 3.5.

Darn, you got me paranoid now. I have the same engine as yours with an APR tune, Stasis exhaust, headers, pulley. I am making around ~440hp on this A6. Going to have a hard time sleeping tonite knowing my oil is being cooked(not a big fan of Castrol). Note to self...install a real oil gauge!!!

 

[dparm]

If you're using a 502/505 oil it's fine. The RS4 guys routinely see 240 on the street and 270+ on the track.

 

[bvance554]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
None of my cars has oil temperature or oil pressure gauge, I wish at the very least my S2000 has either or both.

I hear that someone tried to redline the S2000 within 1 minute after started and he could not rev pass 5500-6000 RPM. I normally do not rev pass 4500-5000 RPM until coolant temp is stabilized at around 180-185F after 4-5 miles or 7-10 minutes of driving.


Did the computer keep him from revving past that with a cold engine? Just curious. Never heard of it but it seems like a nive feature to program into a high revving engine.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: bvance554
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
None of my cars has oil temperature or oil pressure gauge, I wish at the very least my S2000 has either or both.

I hear that someone tried to redline the S2000 within 1 minute after started and he could not rev pass 5500-6000 RPM. I normally do not rev pass 4500-5000 RPM until coolant temp is stabilized at around 180-185F after 4-5 miles or 7-10 minutes of driving.


Did the computer keep him from revving past that with a cold engine? Just curious. Never heard of it but it seems like a nive feature to program into a high revving engine.



Yes, every Honda I've ever owned has the lower redline until the motor is warm.