Car warming up quicker?

[gdelargy]

Just wanted to report a slight change in my Galant's behaviour lately, in the hope that someone can help explain it.

I live in a village at the top of a hill. My usual routine is to drive out of the village (a few hundred yards with a couple of left and right turns), before heading down the hill for about a mile, into a larger town at the bottom. It's then a further mile or so along the main street, crossing one roundabout with traffic lights, before reaching a second roundabout where i turn left towards Glasgow. The speed limit throughout is 30, and I try to stick to it, keeping in a high gear as best I can.

For all the time I've owned the car, it's taken until I reach the town at the bottom of the hill before the temperature guage has moved, and until the second roundabout at the far end of the town before it's fully warmed up, by which time the needle sits at about 40%. It'd only rise further if I was stuck in heavy traffic.

However, in the past few weeks the guage is now moving before I'm even out of my village at the top of the hill, and it's fully warmed up by the time I reach the bottom of the hill. The needle then sits at 45-50%, even in open road driving, although heavy traffic doesn't seem to affect it any more.

I've checked the fluid reservoir of course, and it was fine. And the car doesn't seem to be running any differently. Just... warms up quicker in the morning. Anyone have ay clues that could explain this, and should I be concerned about impending doom?
:huh:


Regards,
a puzzled G

[Kieran]

It's not just seasonal variation?

[Paul Beazer]

Warmer in the mornings just now?
Change in fuel type?

[gdelargy]

Sorry for the late replies.

I thought about the influence of weather, but it's not exactly been the warmest summer, and even late at night when the air is colder, it behaves the same way. Also, I use the same petrol - either Shell V-Power or Tesco 99 RON.

Heyyyy... now you've mentioned the fuel, I've just had a thought. Previously I've used Silkolene 5W-40, but in June I gave the car an oil change using Mobil 1 0W-40. Could that be a contributing factor?


Regards,
G

[serenity88]

Yes an oil with a lower viscocity will result in more friction on start up the engine will heat up faster. You may want to try a cooling sytem flush out and some new coolant, it's cheap enough to do. See how that go's

Otherwise go back to the 5w40 I've seen enough evidence now to be satisfied that a 5w 40 oil is better in the long run as all the damaged is caused on start up and thats when you need a thinner oil producing less pressure so it can lubricate properly.

[Kieran]

Yes an oil with a lower viscocity will result in more friction on start up the engine will heat up faster.

Eh? That's not right - A 0w oil will pump around faster and get to the parts easier than a 5w oil when cold - It's thinner and therefore it will be less wearing.:inquisiti

[Paul Beazer]

Yes an oil with a lower viscocity will result in more friction on start up the engine will heat up faster. You may want to try a cooling sytem flush out and some new coolant, it's cheap enough to do. See how that go's

Otherwise go back to the 5w40 I've seen enough evidence now to be satisfied that a 5w 40 oil is better in the long run as all the damaged is caused on start up and thats when you need a thinner oil producing less pressure so it can lubricate properly.
Sorry but thats completely wrong.

A 5w oil is thicker than a 0w oil when starting from cold. Therefore a 0w will provide more protection at startup than a 5w oil will.

So because the 0w oil is thinner at startup there is less friction in the engine as the oil flows better than the 5w at startup temp, AND the engine will warm up quicker as the 0w transfers the heat away from the engine hot spots sooner than the 5w oil would.

[Nick VR4]

Maybe you had a small airlock and its fixed its self
Or
You gauge was giving wrong readings

My gauge will start moving after about 2 mins even just idling

[White Lightning]

What Paul said ^^^

I suspect the combination of the warmer weather this time of year and the fact you've changed the engine oil are the two contributing factors here.

[spm01]

maybe your thermostat is on its way out if it has not been changed?? just a guess thought.

[White Lightning]

maybe your thermostat is on its way out if it has not been changed?? just a guess thought.

The thermostat stays closed and the system runs in closed loop until the coolant is up to temperature. So even if the thermostat was stuck closed it would not make it warm up any quicker. If the thermostat was stuck open it would take longer to warm up.

[Nutter_John]

Otherwise go back to the 5w40 I've seen enough evidence now to be satisfied that a 5w 40 oil is better in the long run as all the damaged is caused on start up and thats when you need a thinner oil producing less pressure so it can lubricate properly.

err what evidence have you got to show this statement , please dont' reply with gut feel or my mate told me this down the pub .

There is lots and lots of good info on here from Oilman and our very own AMSoil

[amsoil]

As the man said; but don't think that 0w or 5w are really thin as they are much thicker than 30 or 40 measured when hot! Just measured differntly. Can't see it has anything to do with the oil which means something else has changed. Warmng up quickly is actually good as long as the gauge then sticks at warm and dosent shoot over to hot which means you have a problem.
Talking of 0w-40 do be a little careful with it.... the quantity of VI's (viscocity improvers) necessary to get this kind of viscocity spread does actually make this a weak oil that will break up with abuse. It literally has the VI's chopped up by the piston rings which reduces the 40 down to a 30 and eventually a 20 in time. Amsoil sell one but I would not recommend it for a VR4 (even though I and selling it at 1/2 price in the same way that Mobil have been off loading their 0w-40. Just be a bit careful.


Sorry but thats completely wrong.

A 5w oil is thicker than a 0w oil when starting from cold. Therefore a 0w will provide more protection at startup than a 5w oil will.

So because the 0w oil is thinner at startup there is less friction in the engine as the oil flows better than the 5w at startup temp, AND the engine will warm up quicker as the 0w transfers the heat away from the engine hot spots sooner than the 5w oil would.

[serenity88]

My mistake! I was reading the post as mobil 10w40 not mobil 1 0w40. human error!

Would do the cooling system flush for sure!

[serenity88]

err what evidence have you got to show this statement , please dont' reply with gut feel or my mate told me this down the pub .

There is lots and lots of good info on here from Oilman and our very own AMSoil

See Bradc's post from the oil proffesor for one, He runs 0 in his ferrari. all oils have to achieve a ten rating at running temp, universially accepted as 275 deg. It's all in the oil pressure! It's not gut feeling it's pure logic. The thinner the oil the better the lube when cold.

More frequent oil changes verses start up damage. You be the judge!

[amsoil]

Thats it you all seem to have the hang of it which is great.
0w-40 is a quality grade (to get 0W you do need some quality) but the 'streaching' of the viscocity makes this ideal for the likes of ATV's jet ski's snow bikes or anything that gets thrashed and might need extra cold start protection but yet does'nt need decently long oil change intervals ('cause it will break down)
The same is generally true but to a lesser extend of a 0w-30 but do remember that Amsoil TSO 0w-30 is a very unsusual and special oil , totally outside the normal brackets.