Where to obtain oil/engine temperature; how hot before driving?

[Freebird32]

There’s a bunch of threads where people are commenting how hot their Broncos are running, but where are they getting this information from? All I see below my speedometer is a gauge, but it just has bars (no measurement °F). I have a 2023 Sasquatch Outer Banks with Lux if that helps.

This YT video covers the instrument cluster pretty well.

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[BlueWaffle]

By the time the motor comes out of 'choke mode' (high idle).. it's happy to be ripped on. Don't over think things and enjoy the ride.

 

[Willub]

With a HUGE amount of internal wear
The lie is all about lowering the tailpipe emissions

Proof of this wear?

 

[Arrowbear Rider]

We just had this thread about auto stop start. It is for fuel economy and based on testing can improve fuel economy 4-7%. Modern engines and oils are designed for ASS.

An engine under load will warm up significantly faster than at idle with no load.

Correct. Just add, for the one that arguing, drive it easy and take it easy if really cold. Under normal conditions, keep the RPMs down for the first few minutes or miles. If in a residential area, your going to cruise in 3rd gear manual and 4th gear auto at about 1800 RPMs, so just take it easy.

And even if your engine is warmed up, the rest of your drive train isn't, so in the snow I give it enough time for me to get situated, seat belt and etc, but take off slowly to let everything, i.e CV joints and all to get moving together. I put 238K miles on that truck.

When I lived in the mountains, the big reason to really wait was for the defroster to keep the windshield clear enough to see out when driving, without that heat it fogs right back up when the cold air goes over it and you can't see.

That gets scary fast.

 

[Jimsea]

The other side of the question and of equal importance is “how hot before shut down” especially during break in.

Read up on fuel dilution and how to avoid.

 

[Phil Brown]

Proof of this wear?

Look it up, Ford has done tons of it, its out there

 

[Phil Brown]

And if you're a fan of "it warns up faster under load" which it will, why drive it easy for the first few miles ?
All of the lubricants in your drive train are synthetic so the drive train should be protected like your motor, right ?

 

[CarbonSteel]

Both the 2.3L and the 2.7L are direct injected and suffer from fuel dilution. Long idle times and short tripping only serve to exasperate this condition.

 

[Willub]

And if you're a fan of "it warns up faster under load" which it will, why drive it easy for the first few miles ?
All of the lubricants in your drive train are synthetic so the drive train should be protected like your motor, right ?

How recent is that screenshot?

Idling is not good for an engine either. Plenty of proof of that too.

Beating on a cold engine, especially forced induction, is a great way to blow a head gasket.

 

[Overcooked]

I just fire her up and drive. Normal driving will heat the engine up just fine. Just take it easy until the oil temp is about 160F or so. I can't think of a single reason idling would be good for the engine.
I've been doing the same for my other previous/current Audi/BMW/Mercedes/Volvo/Subaru/Hyundai/Ford vehicles. Some of them had 110K+ miles and never had any issues on engines.

 

[da_jokker]

Start the Vehicle, wait the 30-60 seconds for the idle to go back down to normal.

Drive, but be easy on it (no big throttle, high revs). Within a couple miles, the COOLANT temps (under the dial speedometer) will be at the normal 4 bars (or is it 5)....at that point you are good to go.

I've driven in 20 degree - 120 degree, off road, pulling long hills with turbos...and the Temp "Bars" never vary once it gets to that 4th one.

Now Transmission and Oil can go up and down... both tend to hang around 200 +/- 20 degrees depending on the workload.

 

[Trail_Runner]

Both the 2.3L and the 2.7L are direct injected and suffer from fuel dilution. Long idle times and short tripping only serve to exasperate this condition.

The 2.7L also has port injection that is used during warmup and idle conditions

 

[CarbonSteel]

The 2.7L also has port injection that is used during warmup and idle conditions

Yep, doesn't seem to help much with dilution though. My first oil change was 1000 highway miles and dilution was 2.5% when it should have been the least amount possible.

Idling these engines for long periods is not something that should be done with any regularity.

 

[330SMG]

Hi,

This has to be a very basic question, but I can’t find this answer in the forum, Google, or the Owners manual. Where can you get the engine oil temperature and how hot should it be before you start driving?

There’s a bunch of threads where people are commenting how hot their Broncos are running, but where are they getting this information from? All I see below my speedometer is a gauge, but it just has bars (no measurement °F). I have a 2023 Sasquatch Outer Banks with Lux if that helps.

Is there a set number of bars I should let my bronco obtain before I start driving it? It was 29°F here in Raleigh this morning and I let it get to two bars first. After driving it at low speeds for a minute or two, finally three and four bars finally showed. Is this a good enough approach? This is a brand new bronco and I want to be nice to it.

What is the common rule for heating up your vehicle before driving? Back when I took driver’s ed like 1 million years ago they said keep it under 35 until it warms up. Is this still true? I’m heading up to Buffalo and I may face much colder temperatures.

Also, if there are any general guidelines for breaking in a brand new vehicle that I should follow please let me know.

thanks!

I have always followed the BMW M3 model. They limited redline on the engine till the fluids were warm enough. So you can start up and drive immediately even Rev the engine if need be but stay 1000 to 1500 below redline for about 5 - 10 minutes. Honestly you can use the water temp to see if the engine is near operating temperature since the two fluids go hand in hand. These engines have a lot of oil for their size and distribution is much better than older V8s with piston squirters and roller cams.
Really nothing to get super concerned about.

Oh breaking in a new vehicle drive it like you stole it. Firm believer of breaking it in like you want it to run. All you are doing today is seating the rings. Done this all my life no detrimental issues.

The bigger key is to change the oil every 5-7k (synthetic) using the correct weight for your climate , do maintenance and keep it from overheating.

 

[Taltyman]

In mine just out of curiosity I set one customizable gauge to show the transmission temperature. The other is set to show the turbo psi and hg. I'm not sure if all trim levels have the capability to do that or if all trims offer the dashboard that you can customize 2 gauges. I do notice that with colder weather coming on that the automatic engine shut off doesn't kick in until the engine warms up. So the first couple of stops it stays running.

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