Migblan45

I wanted to know what is the ideal running temp for an e6o engine? I have a 06 530i and i don't know what normal is, i am usually 4 bars before the red. if someone knows please advise

mickeyboy500

Main thermostat starts to open at 88 deg, and normal running temperature is around 90 deg.It should get to that from a cold start in around 5 minutes or about 5 to 7 miles.

Migblan45

So how does this translate on the temp gauge on the tachometer? how many bars should I see? At this moment I see four bars before the red is this normal?

mickeyboy500

Whilst there probably is a relationship between the tacho increments and the engine temperature, I don't know of nor have I seen that relationship documented anywhere.

I would not reccomend relying on the tacho increments for determining temperature anyway as it simply cannot be particularly accurate. You would be far better off either going into the hidden menu to bring up the temperature or get yourself a bluetooth OBD2 adapter and use something like "Torque" with your cell phone to see what is happening to the temperature.

I use Torque on my Android which has plenty of other features too such as being able to read and reset engine fault codes for one.

Google is your freind if you don't know how to get into the hidden menu or want to find out more about "Torque". I would personally reccomend the "Torque" route as getting into the hidden menu evrey time is a bit of a PITA.

Philinengland

My 535d initially goes from cold and quickly reaches around 76C and stays like this for a good 10 mins or so, then it gradually starts to go up to around 84-86C. This is while I'm driving moderately around 30-50MPH. If I'm then stationary it will go up to 97C which of course is fine, as the cooling fan comes on. However, once I get moving again (50+mph) the temp never goes above 85C or below 76C.
Is this normal or is one of the thermostats showing a problem?
My MPG is around 35, mixed driving, I don't drive like I've stolen it though it is remapped to 340BHP/500LB/FT but I only indulge in occasional short 5-second moments of fun, so all in all, it's normal driving. I'm wondering if it's below normal operating temperature, a lot of people say I should be touching 40MPG but I get conflicting info!

SlvrBmr545

mickeyboy I like your rims .

SilberGrauE60

The markings on the tach are not a temp gauge. They are simply an indication of max rpm (yellow zone) that rises as the car warms up. You should avoid entering the hash marks on the rpm gauge at any time. It is more likely they are tied to engine oil temp than coolant temp anyway, as safe rpm limits are a function of lubrication, not coolant.

Engine over temp warnings show up in the iDrive.

tom_il

It is fully tied to the coolant temp in the pre-LCI. But it won't move anymore ones a certain temp is reached. For the diesel this is around 70°C . In the LCI this feature is gone.

If I am not mistaken you can even read where the gauge is in the hidden menu or with INPA.

BimmerFan52

The rotating dial reacts to coolant temperature.

Oil temperature is not a factor for good lubrication in most situations. Unless an engine is started in severely cold weather, the cold pour characteristics of a good quality synthetic will insure good lubrication quickly. At a 70F ambient cold start the viscosity of a good synthetic is such that after 15-20 seconds of upper engine oil bathing, lubrication will not get much better with an increase in oil temperature, and in fact depending upon the shear load put on the oil, lubrication effectiveness can go south quickly (in extreme temperatures and high shear conditions inherent to engines such as those employing piston squirters, hydrodynamic film characteristics can change to barrier films, resulting in heavy wear on key components like journal bearings).

What a cold engine has a hard time reacting to, however, is engine block cooling. The thermostat has not yet opened and if a severe load is placed on the engine the block can super-heat with no coolant flowing through it yet.

BMW, and some other engine manufacturers try to compensate for this by placing a heater coil in the thermostat to help mitigate block superheating. If the engine computer senses a high engine power demand before the thermostat wax has had a chance to melt and open the thermostat, the computer sends a voltage through the thermostat heater coil to accelerate melting the wax and opening the thermostat quicker than normal so coolant can begin to flow through the block.

However, heating and melting the wax takes time. Hence the dial around the tachometer designed to tell the driver that the thermostat is not even close to opening yet so don't push the engine too hard until it is warmed up.

i545i

bringing back ideal coolant temps... my was running at 106*= 222* today on hot texas 100* weather, m currently running straight water on my radiator... I want to bring temps down.. I could not find a low temp thermostat's .. any advice?>