Hi Scotty, how long does it take for the engine oil to get to its operational temperature in winter ? Thanks
how long does it take
As long as it takes for your engine temperature gauge to reach the middle.
Metal is an excellent conductor of heat. The engine, oil, coolant and transmission are all roughly at the same temperature.
Thanks
It depends on the make, model, and year of the car and weather conditions.
Colder days may take longer. Hotter days may take faster.
For example, some recent Toyota (usually hybrid TMK) engines will warm up faster than other cars, in the same weather conditions, because they have this special valve and tank which keeps the coolant trapped, so it can warm up the engine faster.
When in doubt, for your specific car you can look at your temperature gauge and time it to give you a good guesstimating point. Assuming your car is in good condition of course. Here is how.
After driving the car for about thirty minutes, look at where the temperature gauge is. Take a picture of it.
Then let the car sit overnight. The next morning, start it up, and time it, until you start seeing the temperature gauge starts to rise significantly. And see how long it takes to get to the mark you took a picture of the day before.
Some cars, it can be as fast as 30 seconds, while taking it easy for the first 10 minutes.
Other cars may take up to two minutes. Some maybe a little more.
There's less oil than coolant in the engine, so, logically, it will warm up faster than the coolant does. I still don't do heavy driving until the thermostat is in the middle. That indicates the engine has fully reached operating temperature.
