Method for managing a power train of a motor vehicle, which is provided with an engine and an estimator of a temperature at a specific location of the engine, characterized in that it comprises a step of initialization of the estimator which is carried out when the power train starts, the initialization step comprising the following steps: - determining (E1-1) a stop time of an element of the power train, - determining (E1-2) at least one value which is representative of the temperature of the ambient air, - evaluating (E1-3) a thermal parameter of the engine in accordance with the stop time determined and the determined value which is representative of the temperature of the ambient air, the thermal parameter evaluated is an evaluated temperature of the specific location of the engine belonging to a meltable zone of a cylinder head of the engine, the step (E1-3) of evaluating the thermal parameter comprises a step of determining at least one temperature of the engine at the time at which the stop time of the element of the power train begins, and a step of determining at least one value which is representative of the temperature of the ambient air at the time at which the stop time of the element of the drive train begins, the step (E1-3) of evaluating the thermal parameter of the engine comprises a step of simulating the development of the temperature of the engine during the stop time, the simulation step taking into account a thermal flow which is supplied to the engine via its operation at zero value, and determining a dissipated thermal flow of the engine via the cooling thereof, the simulation step comprising a step of determining the development of the temperature of the ambient air during the stop time which development is approximated exponentially not only from the ambient temperature at the start of the stop time but also from the ambient temperature at the end of the stop time, - initializing (E1-4) the estimator based on the thermal parameter evaluated, and in that the method implements, following on from the initialization step, a step of estimating the temperature of the specific location of the engine belonging to a meltable zone of a cylinder head of the engine using the initialized estimator, and a step of controlling the cooling circuit which is configured so as to limit the cooling of the specific location of the engine if the estimated temperature of the specific location is below a predetermined threshold. - determining (E1-1) a stop time of an element of the power train, - determining (E1-2) at least one value which is representative of the temperature of the ambient air, - evaluating (E1-3) a thermal parameter of the engine in accordance with the stop time determined and the determined value which is representative of the temperature of the ambient air, the thermal parameter evaluated is an evaluated temperature of the specific location of the engine belonging to a meltable zone of a cylinder head of the engine, the step (E1-3) of evaluating the thermal parameter comprises a step of determining at least one temperature of the engine at the time at which the stop time of the element of the power train begins, and a step of determining at least one value which is representative of the temperature of the ambient air at the time at which the stop time of the element of the drive train begins, the step (E1-3) of evaluating the thermal parameter of the engine comprises a step of simulating the development of the temperature of the engine during the stop time, the simulation step taking into account a thermal flow which is supplied to the engine via its operation at zero value, and determining a dissipated thermal flow of the engine via the cooling thereof, the simulation step comprising a step of determining the development of the temperature of the ambient air during the stop time which development is approximated exponentially not only from the ambient temperature at the start of the stop time but also from the ambient temperature at the end of the stop time, - initializing (E1-4) the estimator based on the thermal parameter evaluated,