oil temp debate

MacCool

Best way to manage concerns about high oil temps is to put a piece of duct tape over the oil temperature gauge.

EVOnomore

Just did that!No more staring at the Temp Gauge.

V8Killer

My buddy just installed my stillen 19row oil cooler and said it doesn't go above 180. That is in normal driving no hard driving yet, I will test that out when I get home.

__________________
"Punch"

Too much to list and a baby shot of nitrous....

wstar

I have the Stillen 19-row too, with a thermo plate. It's still possible to get just under 240 on an SCCA course, and I've seen as high as 210-220-ish in very aggressive street conditions. In both cases we're talking about in extreme Texas summer heat though. I'll be out at MSR tomorrow for their Red Meat and Race Fuel thing on a real road course, I'm sure it will be enlightening. I expect I'll be able to reach 260 if I try. If that's the case, I'll probably invest in a bigger cooler install sometime this winter, for next summer. Not enough track opportunities left in this year's heat to bother really.

I *really* hope that AM Performance does some kind of consumer release of their oil:water cooling solution, that would be even better than a larger Setrab.

__________________
7AT Track Car!
Journal thread / Car setup details

V8Killer

Hey now this Thermo plate you are talking about mind sending me a pm on that? Not sure what that is and what it is for if I need it or not.

__________________
"Punch"

Too much to list and a baby shot of nitrous....

moto_italia

From Z1's Web Site:
You may choose between the Standard Non-Thermostatic Mocal Sandwich Plate adapter and a Thermostatic model. It is highly recommended that a Thermostatic sandwich plate adapter be purchased when installing an oil cooler onto a street driven 370Z. As important as it is to keep high oil temperatures under control, it is just as important to maintain the proper temperature to ensure the highest possible lubrication.
Z1 Motorsports 370Z Oil Cooler Kit

Basically, the Thermostatic Plate Adapter allows you to use a thermostat to bypass the oil cooler in winter months on the street so that your oil can heat up to the proper operating temperature.

__________________
Kevin

V8Killer

Hmm so 180 is too low? Will the thermostatic adapter work with my stillen oil cooler?

__________________
"Punch"

Too much to list and a baby shot of nitrous....

Pelican170

180 - 200F is optimal i would say. Think of the thermostatic as an air conditioner for your oil, only kicks on when it reaches a certain temp...

wstar

Yeah 180+ is fine on temps. The thermo plate helps mostly with two things: street driving in cooler weather, and warmup times. Without a thermo, it takes significantly longer to bring the oil up to temp from overnight cold, and highway drives in cool weather can suck oil temps down to 160 or lower (probably much lower, if you live in a state that has a real winter).

Another alternative is to velcro a block-off plate over the cooler in cold weather conditions on the street.

__________________
7AT Track Car!
Journal thread / Car setup details

Red__Zed

Where do you guys get your info?


I wouldn't be comfortable seeing 180 as my cruising temp. Anything under 190 at cruising speeds is a problem.

V8Killer

My buddy who installed my oil cooler, I asked him this and he said 180 is good.

__________________
"Punch"

Too much to list and a baby shot of nitrous....

wstar

Well for that matter, 180 is what the standard Mocal thermo plate centers on, so that's what it will tend to stabilize on unless there's enough heat or cooling to push you away from that (with our cars, there's often enough heat to be considerably higher).

__________________
7AT Track Car!
Journal thread / Car setup details

jay4500

can the ecm be reprogram to raise the limp home mode temp, so that it can reduce engine horse power at a higher temp

moto_italia

Call me old school (or just old), but I was always told that unless oil temperatures periodically exceeded 212 degrees (F), water inside the engine from sources such as condensation would fail to evaporate, and ultimately cause problems. So, I always smile when I see 215 degrees on my oil temperature gauge. :-)

Here's a little article about what sludge is, and how sludge forms in an engine, sometimes as a result of failure of the oil to ever exceed 212 degrees:

Sludge in gasoline engines is usually black emulsion of water and other combustion by-products, and oil formed primarily during low-temperature engine operation. Sludge is typically soft, but can polymerize to very hard substance. It plugs oil lines and screens, and accelerates wear of engine parts. Sludge deposits can be controlled with a dispersant additive that keeps the sludge constituents finely suspended in the oil.
"Black Sludge" is defined as thick to solid material with low water content, of dark color, light oil insolubles, and typically found in rocker cover, cylinder head, timing chain cover, oil sump, oil pump screen, and oil rings in variable quantities.
Sludge in diesel engines, is soot combined with other combustion by-products which can thicken the oil to gel like sludge. This sludge is typically soft, but can also polymerize to very hard substance. It plugs oil filters, oil lines and screens, and accelerates wear of engine parts.

What causes "sludge"?
Sludge formation is the result of one or more of these factors:
- severe service driving with improper drain intervals

- mechanical malfunctions

- inadequate engine maintenance


Severe Service Driving:
The term “severe service” refers to:


1.) Short Trips - Engine Coolant and Engine Oil never reach the "normal" operating temperatures (170º F to 190º F for coolant and over 212º F for motor oil)
2.) Stop & Go Driving

 - Slow driving speeds and long idling periods lead to high under hood temperatures due to limited air flow
- The "average" miles per hour run time is low and engines accumulate many engine run hours for the relatively low number of miles driven, thus typically exceeding the safe number of hours for which particular motor oil was designed to operate ( Typically service life of premium motor oils is not more than 212 hours )

3.) Extended Idling

- sitting in traffic

- delivery truck operation
- The "average" miles per hour run time is low and engines accumulate many engine run hours for the relatively low number of miles driven, thus typically exceeding the safe number of hours for which particular motor oil was designed to operate ( Typically service life of premium motor oils is not more than 212 hours )

4.) High temperature operation
- driving at high ambient temperatures
- towing
- driving at maximum engine power output (high speeds or up hill)


5.) Extreme Cold
- starting engine below 0º F
- Engine Coolant and Engine Oil never reach "normal" operating temperatures 
 (170º F to 190º F for coolant and over 212º F for motor oil)

6.) Heavy Loads

 - operating in hilly regions

 - trailer Towing
- oxidation rate of conventional motor oils doubles for every increase of 15º F to 18º F, therefore motor oil that is fine for thoushands of miles at "normal" operating temperature can fail in just few hours if it is overheated to over 300 F.

__________________
Kevin

Red__Zed

Hitting195 or so is usually sufficient to boil the water out, since the water is usually hitting 212 at that point... It's lubrication is also better there-- usually ideal from 200-235 or so.