Okay I was driving through I-5 to Los Angeles yesterday and noticed an overheating issue. Yes, given that there was 3000 ft vertical gain in 10 miles driving at 75 mph with AC on... Still I noticed that the oil temp went to about 250 and the water temp rose to about one tick over to the right from the center.

Obviously it cooled down back to normal once I was downhill. Should I worry about this? What do ya'll think?

 

Sounds normal to me, this not overheating. The oil temp was a little high but it went right down. This is why these cars need synthetic oil, conventional can't take the temps.

 

I would be worried if my car did that. Check your coolant level, oil level. Maybe also your coolant temp sensor. Driving 75mph you have A LOT of airflow, there is no reason why the coolant temp should go above the middle mark... It would be more normal if it was 100degrees outside and you were driving uphill in crazy stop and go traffic (like in NJ, where if there is 2-3 car lengths of space in front of them they gun it like there is no tomorrow and then slam their brakes, over and over and over...) for 75 minutes...

 

@oldmots: I am running 5W-40 Castrol Syntec.

@badinstincts: To put it in reference, 3,000 vertical gain is like climbing from the plains of NJ to the highest point of Catskill mountain. Grapevine in I-5 does that in 10 to 15 minutes. I was doing that in about 95 degree weather.

The thing is that I did the same drive a couple of times in my old Honda and never had the temp fluctuate. And since my last timing belt job I noticed that my temp gauge moves just so slightly when I come to a stop in a hot weather. Never had that issue on my previous water pump and the thermostat. But this is the first time that the temp gauge moved at high speed. Do your temp gauge move at all once heated up to the normal operating temperature?

 

I wouldn't be worried. It takes a lot of work to pull that big fat avant up even a small hill. I'm sometimes still surprised my avant makes it up a hill

 

You talkin' bout me mama?! Ha. Ha. Good point. I guess it takes some work to pull that 2 ton beast up the hill. A couple of questions for you all...

1. What is your oil temperature normally?

2. Does your water temperature ever go higher than the dead center point?

FYI, my oil temp normally runs just below 225 doing about 65 mph and gets up right above 225 if I am running 75 to 80.

 

I honestly have no idea where my oil temp sits. I'll pay attention and get back to you. For me, the temp stays in the middle 99% of the time but has on several occasions over the last 5-6 years crept towards the 3/4ths mark while pushing it harder than normal in the summer. 1 time while pulling a small trailer and the others doing just as you were, going up a hill for a while.

No disrespect towards your mamma, we personally call my avant the big ****, cause when you fold down her rear seats, you can just keep shoving more and more in her rear end. I'm not kidding, that's really what we call my car. One of my other friends calls here the silver **** but I prefer big ****. One day outside IKEA I offended this woman loading her Tahoe, she said she couldn't believe how much crap we just put in my A6 when she was struggling to get stuff in her Tahoe. I said, well that's why we call her the ..... the look on that woman's face still makes me chuckle today.


One thing about your temp gauge vs your hondas. All gauges are calibrated to keep it near 50% most of the time. So say audi says 50% = 180-220 degrees (making this **** up) and honda says 50% = 160-240. So don't compare 50% on one brand to another. Our 3 series NEVER leaves 50% no matter what we do to that thing. Sometime I wonder if it even knows what 51% is. Also when the timing belt was done maybe a hotter thermost was installed, no big deal.

one last thing, It doesn't get hot here in MN all that often but in the summer on 90+ degree days, if I sit in traffic my temp gauge starts to go up then the fan kits in and its back down to 50%. Does this all the time.

 

Mine pretty much does what Jeffla says that his does.

Coolant temp climbs right to the middle tick (reasonably quickly) and stays there no matter what I'm doing. Once 100 degree day, stuck in traffic on a long drive, it went one tick above the center but I've also had an occasional problem with my cluster gauges not zeroing all the time (only a handful of times in the last year).

Oil temp between 200-250 consistently

 

Good to know folks. I guess I won't worry about it. Jeffla, about the big **** comment... I completely agree. I have roof rack on mine and I really think that I can carry more stuff in my avant than a small pickup truck.