320 engine temp

[Joedean]

Easy Peeps,
Thought i'd ask the people that know a quick question =-)
How long would you say it takes for a 1990 320 engine to reach its full temperature ??

[ah]

Mine takes 5-10mins.

[Joedean]

Nice! mines in red! how'd you upload that pic to the message btw? also
where does your needle sit at its highest point say after 40 mins sat in traffic
?

[Brianmoooore]

Should climb to just past the first white line on the gauge in five minutes or so (depending on the ambient temperature), and then stay there, apart from rising slightly in slow moving traffic.
If yours climbs more than a little in traffic, then the most likely cause is a duff fan coupling.

[Joedean]

Cheers Brian mine seems to be staying one white line under half after fitting my new engine thermostats which is much better then the halfway jumping around reading I got before changing them

[Brianmoooore]

If the gauge was jumping slightly between two points, then the small nut on the back of the instrument cluster that holds the gauge in place has probably worked loose (or fallen off completely). This nut provides an earth connection for the gauge, as well as securing it, and without this earth, the gauge will read about a quarter of a division high.

[Joedean]

o.k good to know although the thermostat change seems to have done the job