Bronco Sport Takes Forever to Get to Operating Temperature

[Bronclahoma]

My 2.0L gets to its normal operating temp very quickly. The mid-point on the temp gauge may or may not be where your vehicle operates. Mine never gets beyond four bars which is not to the mid-point on the gauge. I consider four bars the normal operating temp for my vehicle, if it got beyond that I would be concerned and investigate.

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[dejones64]

Maybe someone can educate me on this as I have not done any research. My reason for starting a vehicle before I drive off... in the cold MN months I assume the oil is slow as molasses, so I want to warm it up a bit and get it flowing up through the engine parts. That's my take.

 

[Mark S.]

I am pretty mechanically inclined, at least with the older cars, and I've always made sure to baby the car until the temperature gauge is at Operating Temperature.

This is a pretty good policy, especially with turbocharged engines. On the other hand, many here talk about letting their engine warm up for several minutes before driving. Warming up your engine so you don't have to get in a cold car is one thing, but if you're warming it up because you think it's better for the engine then you're just wasting gas, and you may even be causing more harm than good.

Get in, start up, and let the engine run long enough to make sure it's running properly (no weird noises or trouble lights). I take the time to adjust mirrors, put on my seatbelt, plug in my phone, and put something on to listen to. That's just about the right amount of time before driving on. Just be sure to heed brololo's advice and don't push too hard on the accelerator until the engine oil is warmed up. Five to ten minutes of easy driving should be sufficient.

 

[JAD67428]

Well I remote started the Bronco, for about ten minutes and took the wifey to work that’s just a little over a mile from our house and the temp. gauge was past the quarter mark but not full temperature when we got to her work and it is 55 degrees out here right now. All seems well.

 

[Bronclahoma]

After posting early yesterday morning I paid closer attention as I started my BL and headed to a nearby state park. It took about 8 minutes to get to four bars. And the four bars were almost spot on to the middle of the thermometer.

 

[Justin]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for responding. A lot of comments here... So I wanted to just clarify some things, haha

No, I'm not talking about the actual heat through my vents. Just the actual temperature gauge on the dash... This is my first ever brand new car bought straight from the dealership, all other cars i've owned have been 2007 and older (all of which warmed up in a matter of minutes even in cold weather). I am pretty mechanically inclined, at least with the older cars, and I've always made sure to baby the car until the temperature gauge is at Operating Temperature.

Anyways, maybe I should have started a poll or something... Just kind of wanted to get everyone consensus on How long it takes everyone car to warm up. If it's something that is happening to everyone, then obviously i'm not concerned about it.

If it's just about letting the engine warm up to an operating temperature, don't worry. Sit in the vehicle long enough to let the oil move around and then start driving. Modern engines have such tight tolerances and low viscosity oil that you don't need to sit idle to wait for the engine anymore, at least no longer than 30 seconds.

Check your mirrors, set the temperature, throw on your seatbelt, and then put it in drive!

 

[ninjanic]

I noticed the same this morning when going to work and its 40F out. Remote started about 10 mins before I left and the cabin was fairly warm by the time I got in but on my 10 minute drive to work with some long country road stretches, the engine temp never got over 2 bars or 1/4 of the way whereas all my other older cars have been at halfway for operating temp. I turned the heat on high and switched it to the head vents and was getting plenty of warm air so it seems like its functioning correctly, but the operating temp seemed odd to me.

 

[Tom 5778]

The problem is not there is a gauge instead of a light. The problem is a gauge without numbers on it. Without numbers you are just guessing.

 

[M3H7363]

After driven roughly 8 miles with no warmup this morning. Just started it and drove. I did stop about halfway to get gas. As you can see, it's 29 degrees outside.

 

[Orin]

Not exactly sure what the problem is. Unless it's redlining the cars cooling function is doing it's job.

 

[Osco]

U guys worry too much. Oil does not get all thick in 28 degree weather. Even roach oil, I run the Motorcraft blend.
I remote start for five minutes on cold mornings for cabin comfort.
10 or 15 if I’m iced up.
A Two minute engine warm up is more than enough, just drive off easy till the water gauge moves a little.
My normal run temp on my gauge is about 40 to 45%.. it’s never reached mid gauge even in summer heat and traffic.
My 1.5L was slower to warm up when new. After about 3k miles it got faster. Now at 14,000 it’s fine as wine.

 

[21Broncosaurus]

My Big bend does the same thing. Takes awfully long for the engine to warm up. Not sure if it’s a good or bad thing. Never owned a turbocharged vehicle before. Today I cold started my car in 32 degree weather. Drove to get some fast food, 5 mile round trip. I was easy on the throttle the whole time under 40 mph because engine was cold. Whole trip took approx 20-30min. By the time I was pulling up to my house the engine temp had barely started to reach normal operating temp. My 19 ram 1500 hemi will literally reach normal operating temps within minutes of cold starting and light throttle.

 

[Orin]

U guys worry too much. Oil does not get all thick in 28 degree weather. Even roach oil, I run the Motorcraft blend.
I remote start for five minutes on cold mornings for cabin comfort.
10 or 15 if I’m iced up.
A Two minute engine warm up is more than enough, just drive off easy till the water gauge moves a little.
My normal run temp on my gauge is about 40 to 45%.. it’s never reached mid gauge even in summer heat and traffic.
My 1.5L was slower to warm up when new. After about 3k miles it got faster. Now at 14,000 it’s fine as wine.

I agree oil flow is not something you worry about as long as you use the recommended oil and with todays technology in these oils. I mean 2 bars on the temp. gauge is what over 100 degrees Fahrenheit? These things run over 200 degrees and stay above that. The primary job of the cooling system is to keep the engine from overheating.

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