Is the oil supposed to take THIS long to warm up?

[jibaholic101]

GAHHH!!! it takes like 15 minutes for the oil to warm up! is this normal?

[bimmerboy]

what do u mean warm up? like to get the oil temp needle to start moving, or to get the oil temp to ~220-240?

it takes me ~15min to get my oil temp gauge to start moving, but after that it moves pretty quick..

[bluejaypanther]

it's normal for me. can't let the leash out at all on short drives.

[otterdoc]

My oil temp isn't up and stable for about 10-15 minutes. Aggravating.
Oddly I wonder how much it really matters. My 330 warmed up in less than ten minutes, but that's coolant temp vs. oil temp, right? Drove that car hard as soon as the temp gauge hit the middle. \ | /

[nfot]

Oh yes. Oil takes significantly more time to reach working temp than coolant.

[WhiteOne]

I guess cold oil doesn't lubricate. It only works when it is warm?
I have allways allowed my cars to warm up before pushing them.
It just seems like the right thing to do. Different metals expanding at different rates I guess.....
I have to drive like a civilized person for the first 15 minutes?

[Ajumepke]

yep takes about 10-15 min for the oil to warm up. Don't "Punch it" until it's nice and warm.

[jibaholic101]

but everything around here is pretty close by, so most of the time it wont get up to temp

[joeo]

Take the long way!

-Joe
http://www.lovehorsepower.com

[Eazy-e]

Originally Posted by jibaholic101

but everything around here is pretty close by, so most of the time it wont get up to temp

Yeah, I know what you mean...

check this out:http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4937

I wonder what our operating temps are because i always thought it was 200-210 but Terry@bms says its 160

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by Eazy-e

Yeah, I know what you mean...

check this out:http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4937

I wonder what our operating temps are because i always thought it was 200-210 but Terry@bms says its 160

IF you reread what he wrote, he actually thinks you can pretty run it hard fairly quickly after a cold start.
He points to the 160F temp as a consensus temp, but it doesn't sound like he buys that.

This thread is a reason why I think BMW should have an engine temp gauge instead of a oil temp guage. I would rather have had an oil pressure gauge along with engine temp.

Why do you guys think your oil needs to be at 210F before you can run it hard? Do you not know that synthetic flows nicely at even room temp?
Once your oil has it even 100F it's flowing fully and easily.
Most thermostats are around 160-180F. You're likely hitting that much sooner than 210F on your oil. Once the thermostat opens the coolant starts to flow to keep engine temp in check, preferably near the thermostats operating temp. Higher than that simply means the engine is getting hot, and a hot engine does not run it's best. When it gets too hot and engine can lose power.

In current ambient temps, which are well above freezing, we are easily warmed up within 5 minutes of normal driving.
The oil temp gauge is causing silly concerns.
I can't believe some of you are waiting 15-20 minutes in summer temps to actually start driving hard. 210F is not a magical "go for it" oil temp.
Do you see a red line in the oil temp guage before 210F? No, and it's not there for a reason. Because you DON'T need to worry about it.

[jibaholic101]

Originally Posted by RPM90

IF you reread what he wrote, he actually thinks you can pretty run it hard fairly quickly after a cold start.
He points to the 160F temp as a consensus temp, but it doesn't sound like he buys that.

This thread is a reason why I think BMW should have an engine temp gauge instead of a oil temp guage. I would rather have had an oil pressure gauge along with engine temp.

Why do you guys think your oil needs to be at 210F before you can run it hard? Do you not know that synthetic flows nicely at even room temp?
Once your oil has it even 100F it's flowing fully and easily.
Most thermostats are around 160-180F. You're likely hitting that much sooner than 210F on your oil. Once the thermostat opens the coolant starts to flow to keep engine temp in check, preferably near the thermostats operating temp. Higher than that simply means the engine is getting hot, and a hot engine does not run it's best. When it gets too hot and engine can lose power.

In current ambient temps, which are well above freezing, we are easily warmed up within 5 minutes of normal driving.
The oil temp gauge is causing silly concerns.
I can't believe some of you are waiting 15-20 minutes in summer temps to actually start driving hard. 210F is not a magical "go for it" oil temp.
Do you see a red line in the oil temp guage before 210F? No, and it's not there for a reason. Because you DON'T need to worry about it.

[otterdoc]

Originally Posted by RPM90

Do you not know that synthetic flows nicely at even room temp?...Most thermostats are around 160-180F...In current ambient temps, which are well above freezing, we are easily warmed up within 5 minutes of normal driving...The oil temp gauge is causing silly concerns.

This all makes good sense, though the information we were asking for would apply in the winter when ambient temps aren't high at all. I drive in -10F temps sometimes, and I'd like not to do anything to harm the car if simply keeping my foot off the floor a bit will be better for the powertrain.

The critical question, in my mind, is to find a way to say 'the car's ready to go hard' with the information we've got at hand. The oil temp gauge clearly isn't the best way to do it but that's what we've got to work with. If there's a more practical rule of thumb to apply to a modern engine I'll happily take suggestions that have some supportive references.

A great deal of this sounds like the argument for breakin procedure, which is also frustrating to an extreme.

[imported_mega]

Originally Posted by RPM90

IF you reread what he wrote, he actually thinks you can pretty run it hard fairly quickly after a cold start.
He points to the 160F temp as a consensus temp, but it doesn't sound like he buys that.

This thread is a reason why I think BMW should have an engine temp gauge instead of a oil temp guage. I would rather have had an oil pressure gauge along with engine temp.

Why do you guys think your oil needs to be at 210F before you can run it hard? Do you not know that synthetic flows nicely at even room temp?
Once your oil has it even 100F it's flowing fully and easily.
Most thermostats are around 160-180F. You're likely hitting that much sooner than 210F on your oil. Once the thermostat opens the coolant starts to flow to keep engine temp in check, preferably near the thermostats operating temp. Higher than that simply means the engine is getting hot, and a hot engine does not run it's best. When it gets too hot and engine can lose power.

In current ambient temps, which are well above freezing, we are easily warmed up within 5 minutes of normal driving.
The oil temp gauge is causing silly concerns.
I can't believe some of you are waiting 15-20 minutes in summer temps to actually start driving hard. 210F is not a magical "go for it" oil temp.
Do you see a red line in the oil temp guage before 210F? No, and it's not there for a reason. Because you DON'T need to worry about it.

-1 oil must warm up before you beat on your car

[marvinp]

Originally Posted by otterdoc

This all makes good sense, though the information we were asking for would apply in the winter when ambient temps aren't high at all. I drive in -10F temps sometimes, and I'd like not to do anything to harm the car if simply keeping my foot off the floor a bit will be better for the powertrain.

The critical question, in my mind, is to find a way to say 'the car's ready to go hard' with the information we've got at hand. The oil temp gauge clearly isn't the best way to do it but that's what we've got to work with. If there's a more practical rule of thumb to apply to a modern engine I'll happily take suggestions that have some supportive references.

A great deal of this sounds like the argument for breakin procedure, which is also frustrating to an extreme.

Something I've noticed is that when the engine is cold, it feels as if there's a lack of power in 2nd gear in low RPMs. It just doesn't drive as smoothly compared to when it is warm. After a few minutes, and some shifting, it goes away. Anyone else noticed that?

[ChrisK]

^ As with all cars - I have never owned a car that ran at 100% when it was cold.

[Eazy-e]

I wait approximately 15 min before I give her hell. The engine may be warm and ready before the tires and tranny actually are.