Originally Posted by Splitpin

^+1, excellent post. It's the sudden and unexpected drops in pressure that are usually the clearest telltale signs of problems. And, as a minor side point, while that dual LCD temperature/pressure gauge is neat, the one advantage analog gauges have is that the typical driver is more likely to notice sudden fluctuations on a needle than changing numbers on a small LCD screen in the corner of the eye.



Yeah that's fine, just drive the thing. If as you say it's "jerky" when not allowed some time to idle, that suggests an issue with the engine's mapping (i.e. cold start parameters), or, possibly, a dodgy coolant temperature sensor that could/should be addressed.



Short answer: get some gauges! Long answer: None of us knows how long your particular car takes to warm up, especially without knowing whether it has the standard modine/etc. or not. It's also an obvious fact that it'll warm up a hell of a lot quicker on a day like today, with 23-25C ambient temperatures, than it would have when there was snow on the floor in January/February.

Assuming you have a standard oil system, you are likely to find in practice that the coolant temp gauge is as good a guide as you'll need. As that needle reaches its normal running position, your coolant is in the 80-85 bracket, likelihood is that your oil temp won't be more than 10 degrees or so behind. Waiting half an hour before driving the car fully is more than a little cautious.

There's also no need to stick religiously to 3000rpm until your engine is fully "hot". The OE temp gauge on the dash on most cars doesn't start to move until the temperature's above something like 50C. As such, when you see the coolant needle start to move, you can regard the engine as "warming" and progressively give it a bit more until it's settled in normal run position.

Baly: That's an interesting find, wonder where it connects. Biggest issue with someone trying that in the UK or Europe though would be that it's a 115 volt device and so would need a transformer. Unless of course Subaru do a 220/230 volt version as well.

Originally Posted by Splitpin

https://www.scoobynet.com/showpost.p...&postcount=174

^ Post #172.



If you're up to some simple auto electrics and have the simple tools you'll need to do it properly, almost certainly. If you're not sure, probably better left to someone who is.

Originally Posted by eggy790

ok no worries, so a question for those with guages as i dont have any, how long does it usually take a on a normal british day to get to full operating temperature? i normally wait for 30mins/10miles.. is that too long?

Originally Posted by merlin24

The heater fits in place of the 36mm coolant gallery blank on the left hand block half

Originally Posted by Splitpin

Muchas gracias