So define a short trip ?

[Cristobal]

Around here it has been really hot until a few days ago.

About August 15th I would get the Beast to operating temperature within 1.5 miles. Now it takes about 2. When winter comes, it will take about 7.

Up near Tonopah, Nevada in December 2008 it took about 15 miles one morning; it was about 5 degrees F with high winds.

 

[Bruce T]

Originally Posted By: OtisBlkR1
as im sure your aware not all PC/DD autos have a oil temp guage.. only cooling system temp, I fall into this. I know its a generic question, but was intended to drum up opinions and conversation.


That's true. I don't have an oil temp gauge in my '09 Civic Hybrid. I occasionally hook up an OBD-II scanner to read the coolant temps, and then take my best guess on oil temp. Caterham is a fan of everyone installing oil temp/pressure gauges and sensors, and he makes a very good point. It's the only way to KNOW the temps. However, it's not allowed until my warranty expires. Even then, I don't know if it would be worth the trouble.

I think your original question was an excellent topic for discussion. I would love to hear other people weigh in.

 

[CATERHAM]

While oil temp's is what we would like to know and it's very useful to have an oil temp's gauge, the real bottom line is oil pressure.
So if you can install just one oil gauge make it an oil pressure gauge. Indirectly it will tell you if you're reaching normal operating oil temp's since oil pressure is a function of an oils viscosity and viscosity correlates with oil temperature.

An OP gauge will also tell you if you're lossing viscosity due to oil shear and/or fuel dilution. It will also tell you if you're using a heavier oil than necessary and also to light an oil, although the latter is more difficult than you would otherwise think.