Sugarbear,

Oil temp lags behind coolant temp a good bit at first warmup. From there on, RPM has a great impact on it.

I had an 83 GTI with an oil temp guage. It would turn 4K at 70. The oil temp went to 120*C at highway speed i the summer. I have a Ford conversion van ( E150) with a 351 V8 and 3.55 gears. After a highway run - if I check the oil it is VERY hot. Hotter than a typical car. Around town it is just average, but with those gears the engine is spinning a bit.

So I would suggest a short-ish run up to operating temp (coolant) and to warm up the oil. My guess might be a couple to 5 miles. I know many of the diesels have 8 quart pans and would take longer, not sure about the size of the pans in gas engines. If they are that large I would add mileage.

Other opinions?

Chuck