135 slow to heat up!

[Schilliard]

So I got my 135i around August and the entire time I've had it, it takes 15 minutes of driving before getting up to operating temperature. Is this normal? I work about 10 miles from my house and it's only just getting up to temp by the time I get there... It's very frustrating if I ever want to tear around a bit but I have to wait 15 minutes before I can do anything!

[pavelitto]

Yes it takes some time in my car to heat up, its annoying sometimes if you want to drive more enthusiastically straight from the start. I never push it above 3-3,5K RPM until the temp reaches more operating levels...
The option is to take a longer route

[SV Concepts III]

I noticed this too, it takes my car a good 20 minutes to reach 250 degrees and the car cools VERY quickly.

[yandy]

yup it takes a good 15 minutes, however I live in Miami, Fl so traffic sucks. And by the time I get to free open space on the way to work it's been a good 30 minutes in the morning, then I have at least 10 more minutes to have fun.. Distance wise it should really be a 10 minute drive.. 13 miles away.. but sometimes traffic helps

[aarong_m3]

Yup...10-20mins for me too over here in the Bay Area. Almost about the same when i had my E46 M3.

[AchtungF80]

Guys...what are you considering as "at temp" oil temperature...

Once it hits above 180...she is ready to go!

[rori zahr]

at least you guys can see when your car is ready for action since 135 has a temperature gauge which is non existent in my car, a 125i. :-(
I wonder if I can replace my instruments with the 135 one?

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by achtungE30

Guys...what are you considering as "at temp" oil temperature...

Once it hits above 180...she is ready to go!

On top of that the oil temp has either been "dumbed down" or the sensor is mounted in the oil cooler loop and it takes forever to see that actual temperature. There's no way it's taking the oil in this engine that long to come up to temperature.

Once it comes off the peg, as far as I'm concerned it's good to go.

[Schilliard]

On top of that the oil temp has either been "dumbed down" or the sensor is mounted in the oil cooler loop and it takes forever to see that actual temperature. There's no way it's taking the oil in this engine that long to come up to temperature.

If this is true, wouldn't the car be running pretty inefficiently since the computer is using the same temperature to use in its calculations? Also, if it's delayed, then when the temperature reads 230* it could actually be at 280* or some high number because the water pump wouldn't be trying to cool down the engine very fast even though it might be over heating, right?

On my drive home from work today, it took 10 minutes to get to about 180*F, and finally plateaued around 235* after a total of about 20-25 minutes.

It just seems like there's a big difference between 235* and 180*...

[bluemoon]

Originally Posted by Schilliard

So I got my 135i around August and the entire time I've had it, it takes 15 minutes of driving before getting up to operating temperature. Is this normal? I work about 10 miles from my house and it's only just getting up to temp by the time I get there... It's very frustrating if I ever want to tear around a bit but I have to wait 15 minutes before I can do anything!

It is normal. Oil warms up much slower than coolant does. Once my oil temp gauge reaches about 200º I consider the car warmed up and ready to drive hard.

[Mega Man]

From the Owner's Manual: Engine Oil Temperature (p. 57)

Engine Oil Temperature
When the engine is at normal operating temperature, the engine oil temperature is between approx. 210°F/100°C and approx. 300°F/150°C.

If the engine oil temperature is too high, a warning lamp comes on int he instrument cluster.

Our cars have a handy numerical scale with our engine oil temperature gauge from 160 to 340 with a mid-point 250. 160+90=250; 250+90=340, 160+45=205+45=260. Therefore, the quarter point peg is 205°F: When your temperature gauge is a bit beyond the quarter peg, you're at normal operating temperature.

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by bluemoon

It is normal. Oil warms up much slower than coolant does. .

That's simply not true. The oil conducts heat faster than water, and is exposed to hotter parts of the engine than the coolant is (it's sprayed right on the bottom of the pistons to cool them in this engine).

The reason the gauge is slow is because of the location of the sensor, or the it's being manipulated by the engine controls. The oil in the block comes up to temperature faster than the water does.

[gtaday51]

I was beginnning to think that I simply had a stuck thermostat. Good news to hear that this is normal.

[bluemoon]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

That's simply not true. The oil conducts heat faster than water, and is exposed to hotter parts of the engine than the coolant is (it's sprayed right on the bottom of the pistons to cool them in this engine).

The reason the gauge is slow is because of the location of the sensor, or the it's being manipulated by the engine controls. The oil in the block comes up to temperature faster than the water does.

Maybe when heated on a stove or in a laboratory that's true but not in a car. Coolant does not circulate or circulates very little until the block begins warming. Oil is constantly moving the moment you turn the car on. That's why cars with coolant temp gauges will read normal operating temps much quicker than those with oil temp gauges.

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by bluemoon

Maybe when heated on a stove or in a laboratory that's true but not in a car. Coolant does not circulate or circulates very little until the block begins warming. Oil is constantly moving the moment you turn the car on. That's why cars with coolant temp gauges will read normal operating temps much quicker than those with oil temp gauges.

Oil doesn't circulate outside the engine block until it warms up, just like coolant. The reason cars with both gauges read coolant temps faster is due to the location of the sensors.

Besides that, the coolant temp gauges on most modern cars don't even actually measure temperature. They have three positions, cold, normal, and overheated.

[joeo]

Oil is certainly circulating outside the engine block - otherwise the valves/valve springs, cam shafts (head) etc.. would not get circulating oil which would result it quick failure of those components.

Typically coolant temperature is taken at the head, and since it is controlled via thermostat it shows operating temp quickly. If it was measured at the outlet of the radiator, it would be much cooler. The difference is that all of the oil is being moved, whereas with the coolant, only the coolant in the engine is being moved until the thermostat opens. Oil is always drawn up from the pan and delivered back to the pan.

On my 1991 MR2 turbo, I measure oil temperature in the pan - it takes a long while before that sensor comes up to 160 degrees. The highest oil temp I've seen on that car is 260 degrees.

-Joe
http://www.lovehorsepower.com

[Riss Racing]

Should have your car warmed up before driving

However yes it does take some time to warm up. Before you start getting ready start your car then jump in it

[evoshane]

I agree that it takes some time to warm up as well, however, the heater and heated seats warm up faster than any other car I have had.

[imported_mega]

it takes a while to warm up because it's oil, if you want to test it yourself, do an oil change without letting that gauge move, it comes out cold, just like on every engine I've ever owned, oil takes a while to warm up, a quick little drive is not enough to warm the oil up

the oil temp sender is NOT down at the oil radiator, it's been in the same location ever sense the 335i's that did not even have oil coolers, the part number is 13621433076 and it is located on the front drivers side of the engine head, the gauge does not appear to be buffered like the temp gauges are, because it moves up and down as you push the car. Everyone that's owned a bmw with a temp gauge knows how a buffered gauge works, these oil temp gauges clearly are not buffered

I'm not sure where some of the posters here got their information, but it is wrong

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

On top of that the oil temp has either been "dumbed down" or the sensor is mounted in the oil cooler loop and it takes forever to see that actual temperature. There's no way it's taking the oil in this engine that long to come up to temperature.

Once it comes off the peg, as far as I'm concerned it's good to go.

I disagree, because of the size of the block and internals, plus the amount of oil, I'd say 10-15 minuets is about right, my Wife’s Golf GTi used to take 10 miles at 18 degrees "C" to reach optimum temp, unlike the coolant, oil isn't held off behind a thermostat.

[imported_mega]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

I disagree, because of the size of the block and internals, plus the amount of oil, I'd say 10-15 minuets is about right, my Wife’s Golf GTi used to take 10 miles at 18 degrees "C" to reach optimum temp, unlike the coolant, oil isn't held off behind a thermostat.

oil also does not flow in large volumes like the coolant does, the amount of oil flowing through the bearings is very very small, the parts that oil lubricates are all very tight tolerances, and most simply don't flow much oil at all

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by imported_mega

oil also does not flow in large volumes like the coolant does, the amount of oil flowing through the bearings is very very small, the parts that oil lubricates are all very tight tolerances, and most simply don't flow much oil at all

Take the valve cover off an engine while it's running and you'll see exactl how wrong you are. There's TONS of flow, and oil flows around the hottest parts of the engine, while the water is contained within a jacket and isn't exposed to them.