Quote:
Originally Posted by semtex
No no, no ownage.  I think what Zsteve is trying to say is that he wants to go with a smaller than normal cooler to avoid having issues with bringing the oil up to temp in the winter, and Lou is saying it's not necessary.
If I'm reading this right, then I agree with Lou. Zsteve, I was really worried this winter because of how long it'd take my oil to come up to temp. In fact, some mornings it'd never come up to 180 because I was short-tripping. The big worry is hydrolysis, which means water in the oil. That's what happens when your oil fails to run at a high enough temperature. Water in the oil can cause internal corrosion, etc. Well, I was running Redline, and I recently did an oil change and sent it off for UOA. The UOA came back reporting 0.0% water. So I think you can run a normal-sized cooler and not have to worry about hydrolysis -- as long as you're using a good quality synthetic like Redline. If you're using a conventional oil, then the risk of hydrolysis due to low oil temp is probably significantly higher. |
Maybe you need an oil "heater" for the winter season. Read this:
""Some experts estimate that the wear on the rings of an internal combustion engine is as high as 0.001" per 1000 miles of operation when the oil temperature is below 170 degrees F. If the maximum allowable wear is 0.006", how long can you run your engine when the oil temperature is below 170 degrees before you wear it out?" (A 6-to-1 engine-to-wheel reduction ratio, an average running speed of 3000 rpm, and 14-inch wheels 28 inches in diameter are assumed.)"
Anyway, oil temperature is not consistent throughout the engine. I would guess the oil draining/flung back from the underside of the pistons (this engine has piston cooling) is a lot hotter than 280 deg. Also, oil draining back from the surface of the block is no lower than say the temperture of the engine coolant of say 190-200 deg. That said, it's obvious the oil drains back to the base pan where the different temperatures mix to reach a resultant temperature before being pulled into the oil pump. Anyone know the exact location of the oil temp sensor? Maybe it's located in an area where there is hotter oil?