[northX3]

Hi everyone

How long does it take to warm up your oil in your X3 ? I know that it seems longer since it's not a water temp gauge, but is it normal for the oil gauge not to move until 10-15 minutes ?

Also, what is the minimum oil temp to safely "floor it" ? Lotus7 should have something to say here

[jijioben]

My subjective timing is "quite a bit" as the oil does not get warm (above 70) until 7-8 minutes. Measured with outside temps between -5 C and +2 C.

[Lotus7]

Originally Posted by northX3

...Also, what is the minimum oil temp to safely "floor it" ?

This can be a very controversial topic because everyone has an opinion. What's right for one engine with one particular brand and viscosity of oil is not necessarily right for another.

Regarding warm up time for the X3 35i (only) I find that 3 or 4 miles of low speed traffic will get the gauge to move above 160 and it usually takes another few miles/minutes to get up to 180-190 (just below the second mark on the gauge left of center which is 195 deg. F.)

Since the oil does warm up much slower than the coolant (and therefore the engine block, pistons, bearings, cylinder head, cams, etc.), the engine is certainly up to operating temp. and the oil viscosity is certainly in the correct range for full throttle operation when the gauge reaches 180 or so. On a turbocharged engine, the usual most critical components related to the oil supply are the turbocharger shaft bearings. The oil must be flowing at full capacity to insure proper lubrication. If the oil is too cold and too viscous, you’re headed for a potential disaster if you run the turbo up to speed too early.

Although I don’t know the temperature when the oil cooler is activated (you did know your 35i has a very nice oil cooler in front of the right wheel), it’s probably around 180 deg. F. (82 deg. C.) at that point everything is up to a stable mechanical condition in the engine and transmission, and should be ready for full load with no problems. I’d also feel comfortable using up to 4500 rpm as soon as the gauge moves above the 160 mark. Some M3s have an indicator on the tach that gradually raises the redline as the engine warms up. That’s clearly overkill for a X3 but does demonstrate the need to keep the revs down to reasonable levels with a cold engine.

On my track car (running full synthetic 0w40 Mobil1) I have my oil cooler bypass thermostat set for 75 deg. C (167 deg. F.), once it reaches that temp. I have no hesitation using full throttle for sustained periods. Which incidentally can raise the oil temp up to 140deg. C.(284 deg. F.)

I'd be willing to bet that if you ask three different BMW factory trained technicians, you'll get three different answers.

[stlgirl]

mine takes about 5 miles of normal street driving to get to just under 200 deg F.

[raleedy]

I think the suppressed zero on this gauge effectively means there is no reason to care about the low end. In other words, it is not necessary to wait for the oil temperature to rise above 140º F to consider the engine warmed up enough to perform. After all, most cars don't even have such a gauge, and water temps rise much more quickly.

[northX3]

great ! thanks !