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Hi

I have an 02 D9 rapier saloon 1.8 petrol and when I'm driving around especially on 50mph+ roads the oil temp rises to about 120 - 130. I checked my oil and when I pulled the dipstick out just the plastic but came off, it looks lick the bottom price of the plastic handle has crumbled away as fell down the tube that the dipstick goes into. The metal rod section of the dipstick was hard to get out and when I managed to remove it it looked like it was all rust and full of dirt. Could this be the problem or is it something else??

Cheers
JD

Mine looked the same way, all dirty and nasty, before the handle broke and I bought a new one. The oil filter will have caught any rust and dirt, so don't worry about it.

It's perfectly normal for the oil temperature to rise a bit when you're putting heavier loads on the engine, such as extended motorway driving or 'spirited motoring'. It's not supposed to stand straight up all the time. On long motorway drives, mine hovers around 120 probably, about halfway between straight up and 140. As long as it doesn't hit 140 or above, it's within normal operating temperature.

Perhaps you've just never noticed it before?

120.c Does seam very high for a 50 mph cruise, my own 110 hdi runs at bang on 90.c untill you start pressing on i.e 3000rpm-4000rpm for sustained periods then it rises to 120.c max no more. I used to own a 2.0 16v citroen zx from new so I new the car well & that was prety much the same. But that used to rev to 7500rpm & go no more than 120.c