[AX3]

I have never had a vehicle with an oil temp gage instead of a water temp gage. What is the thinking behind that? Just curious. I would think that by the time the oil gets too hot the water has boiled over. When you see a water temp gage warm up you know that you can turn on the heat. With an accurate water temp gage you can watch the thermostat open and close. The oil temp gage goes from 160 to 340 deg. My car runs around 190, just before the line between 160 and 250. I guess that's a good temp for the oil. I just find it a bit unusual that's all. It's still an awesome vehicle.

[Peter_R]

Originally Posted by AX3

I have never had a vehicle with an oil temp gage instead of a water temp gage. What is the thinking behind that? Just curious. I would think that by the time the oil gets too hot the water has boiled over. When you see a water temp gage warm up you know that you can turn on the heat. With an accurate water temp gage you can watch the thermostat open and close. The oil temp gage goes from 160 to 340 deg. My car runs around 190, just before the line between 160 and 250. I guess that's a good temp for the oil. I just find it a bit unusual that's all. It's still an awesome vehicle.

Not a lot of people realise that the oil cools the engine just as much the water does and is a better indication of the well being of the engine. The mid point on the gauge is the optimum normal running temperature.

[alpwhite46]

You will also find this arrived when BMW started pushing the turbo engines out, its a much better indicator than water.

[deyrag]

Most coolant temp gauges these days do not display an actual temperature anyway. They are basically an idiot light that shows cold, normal (needle at mid point), your engine is toast (needle pegged to right). By the time the needle starts moving to the right you are already overheating.