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Engine Temperature: What is normal?

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191K views 43 replies 23 participants last post by  Autoputzer  
#1 ·
I just picked up my 535 GT 2010 and after the first 1000 miles, I have noticed that the temperature is running just under the 250 center mark on the guage. With the lowest value being 140 and the mid value 150, I am "guessing" that the temperature is probably around the 245 mentioned above. Not being a seasoned BMW owner - this is my first - it appears to me that this might be a little on the high side compared to other cars I have owned.
Does anyone have any true knowledge about the design of this engine so I can determine if this in normal.
Thanks so much for any information and I look forward to my BMW experience.
Skip
 
#4 ·
Normal. Modern BMWs run hot to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. For instance the N52 runs normally anywhere from 97-108°C.
 
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J
#25 ·
My F10BMW 528i



NEW BOUGHT THE F10 BMW, engine N52N, im go into the hidden menu, there is show the car coolant temperature is between 99°C to 109°C during im driving on highway, and when park the car sometime show around 110°C to 112°C, you mean that is normal? im worry about it too much this week because in my knowledge the car normal running coolant temperature is around 90°C...looking forward to hear you.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Skip H said:
Thanks for the response. 108 C is 226 F so at 245, it "appears" that mine is running higher than that upper limit.
Lets see if anyone else comes back with some information.
thanks.
Skip
Click to expand...
That temp you're seeing is the oil temperature, not the coolant temperature. That is because of the car having the turbo. Oil temps are pretty much always higher than coolant temps.
 
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#7 ·
My understanding is that oil temp is a much better indication of what's really going on inside your engine, than coolant temp. To burn off excess waste from the oil it must be brought up to full operating temperature. Your coolant heats up in as little as 5 minutes but oil takes much longer to get up to full operating temperature. People start up their cars and rev up the engines then they take the car out for a spin and rev up the engine again after 5 mins when the coolant temp is giving them a false sense that the engine is warm, all the while the oil is well below operating temperature and relatively thick. I wouldn't start leaning on the car until the oil temp gauge is what I perceive to be around 240ish.
 
L
#11 ·
The little car chip I have always gives me a constant reading of 180-190 degrees in summer...once warmed up (on a long highway trip,for example).Can't recall if it's different at other times of the year.
 
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L
#13 ·
Skip H said:
I have heard something about these "chips". What are they and how can I access them for information?
Click to expand...
The chip I'm referring to is probably different than the ones you're likely to read about on forums like this.The chips referred to here are meant to boost drivetrain (engine and/or transmission) performance by,I believe,tweeking the engine's central "computer".The one *I'm* referring to is called Car Chip and it connects to the vehicle's OBD port and can record,and report,things like vehicle speed,engine RPMs,coolant temp,alternator output and other things as well.IIRC it can also report on fault codes your car may be detecting.It's pretty cool and useful,IMO.
 
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#14 ·
I would be interested in learning more about that recording unit to perhaps pick it up and use it to get a much better handle on how my car's normal conditions run. Can you give me some guidance on where to go to purchase it. I certainly don't want to get something to connect that negates my warranty.
Any further info will be greatly appreciated.
Skip
 
L
#19 ·
Skip H said:
I would be interested in learning more about that recording unit to perhaps pick it up and use it to get a much better handle on how my car's normal conditions run. Can you give me some guidance on where to go to purchase it.
Click to expand...
This is the unit I have.As you can see it's not cheap but,as I said,it's quite handy and useful,IMO.

http://www.amazon.com/Davis-Instrum...rChip-Model/dp/B001A0C7F0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1281306219&sr=8-1

Skip H said:
I certainly don't want to get something to connect that negates my warranty.
Click to expand...
I don't blame you.And I honestly don't know if connecting this could cause any problems (it hasn't for me so far) or if it invalidates the warranty.

And BTW...I'm not certain of this but I *think* it only works with Windows PCs.If you have a Mac you might want to check before buying.
 
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#15 ·
I've had a 335i for about 2 years, waiting for a new 535i to arrive. My oil temp gauge usually reads slightly less than 250 when fully warmed, and in some traffic. It will rise to about 255 in heavy traffic, but then an auxiliary fan will kick in and help cool things. That fan is noticeable, it is spinning very fast and you can actually feel a slight vibration at idle and at speed -- its noise is also more noticeable. Once the temp drops, that fan will shut off (or slow down appreciably, not sure). With the very hot temps here in DC lately, I've also noticed that that high-speed fan will run continuously regardless of the oil temp reading when ambient temperatures are above ~98 degrees. During that time and in very heavy traffic, my oil temp gauge remained at about 240.
 
#16 ·
Dear Mark,
Thanks so much. That is exactly the detail and explanation I hope to get whenever I ask a question on the forum. GREAT choice of your 535. I picked up my 10 GT less than 2 weeks ago and got Black Sapphire/Cinnamon/Anthracite with premium stereo, navigation, and rear camera. I just loaded my entire Itunes library on to the hard drive. If anyone is interested in the approach I took to make it easy and have all the search capabililities, let me know.
Skip
 
#17 ·
Hey Skip, that's cool that your GT is set up similar to my 535i. I ordered it on a Saturday and on my way out, the salesperson suggested I get the USB/iPod adapter. I usually sell my cars after 3-4 years and consider being sure I include "critical" options that will help resale, within reason. I was debating about the adapter and she said to think about it and call her Monday. Well I decided to go ahead an add it, but when she checked that Monday, TOO LATE, the car already moved to production status. I'm a little disappointed after having decided I wanted the USB adapter. But now you remind me that music can be loaded to the Nav hard drive, so you're saying you can do that with the standard auxiliary input port?
 
#18 ·
Mark, I ordered the adaptor, it came in and to be honest, I am not really sure I need it. Here is my reasoning. Much of which I found out AFTER I picked up the car.
First, I have an Iphone so I was thinking, I plug it in the adaptor and I am all set. Wrong! Yes you can plug it in and listen to all your music - no problem. However if you want to use it as a telephone, you can't UNLESS you buy the $180 cradle to plug into the center console. I didn't spend that. Thats when I read the details on how to load the music into the hard drive. On my car, there is a USB port in the glove compartment where you can import to the hard drive. If you are interested, I put together a one page description for my BMW dealer to help them with their customers do it easily and effectively.
I loaded my 1800 songs and they are now on the hard drive with search capability for genre, title, album, artist, etc.
Let me know.
If you don't have an iphone and just an ipod, then the adaptor is worthwhile. But I still ask myself, why not load them on the hard drive in one shot and then enjoy them without having to worry about bringing your Ipod...
Skip
 
#20 ·
Skip H said:
Mark, I ordered the adaptor, it came in and to be honest, I am not really sure I need it. Here is my reasoning. Much of which I found out AFTER I picked up the car....
Click to expand...
I just sent you a private messge -- thanks.
 
#22 ·
Skip H said:
Mark,
Here is the paper I did for my dealer to help them. Let me know if you were able to view it and if it makes sense.
Skip
Click to expand...
Got it, thanks. Took a quick look but I have to review it more. My car should be here in about 4 weeks so I'll be ready to go.
 
R
#30 ·
be sure to use a good quality 5w40, it will help. like motul, shell rotella, amsoil, redline, liqui moly are the best you can possibly get for your car.

if you remove your engine cover, be sure to take off the foam insulation/lining underneath as well. I have been doing this constantly when temps reach above 35F and oil temperature has been perfect. the turbo 35i engines have the insulation foam stuff underneath, mine doesnt so be sure to remove that as well.

temps will still be a little higher then they should, but it brings it quite close to where they should be. the plastic is a heat trap.

just so you get an idea of how hot 250F is, most cars reach that temp from repeated redlines, on a track, on a very hot summer day. I had an audi with an oil temp gauge once and it would not budge past 215F from back to back redlines for half an hour straight on a hot summer day.
 
M
#34 ·
Hi, I have a similar question. I got a 316ti year 2002, recently i observed that the engine gets heated and the temperature is around 85C or 185F. Even the car is driven only 15kms today and now its been an hour since the engine is off. It was low on engine oil so i put 5W40 a while ago, i hope it gets cool with that. However want to know if this temperature is normal or overheated.
Thanks in anticipation
:)
 
E
#36 ·
I have read on this forum that maintaining the high temperatures after shut off is by design. BMW has sealed the engine underneath and in the engine compartment to keep heat from escaping easily. I guess the intent is, since cold starts cause the most wear in the engine, they want to keep the oil hot, if you are doing lot of stops and starts, such as doing errands.

My Oil temps are also in the 245 range when fully warmed up.
 
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H
#35 ·
High temps concern me as I have read a great deal about component failure in the Hot-V N63TU.
My question to the N63 and N63TU owners is, have any of you swapped out these parts?

Sport oil cooler valve
Low temp thermostat
Liquimolly oil or additives

What were the results?
What's the net result of using all 3 to reduce oil temps?
Is this bad or good and why?

HDG
 
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