Oil type and temp Questions (houston area)
 

I bought the 09 370z yesterday. This is my first "real" car after driving handed down 4x4 suvs and farm trucks.

I understand the oil temp issue, knew going in. I'm a recreational driver, not planning on taking the car to a track for anything serious or at all. Just enjoying the car on the streets. I'm seeing oil temps from 220-240 just driving around town and highway with ambient 60-70. Oil cooler is the top of the list, right up there with a radar detector to hopefully keep from paying the christmas bonuses for the troopers.

Questions- as a decidedly NOT diy kinda gal, anyone have a suggestions for where I could get an oil cooler installed in the Houston/College Station area? I'm leaning toward the smaller Stillen. Also- after seeing single digit days last winter, should I be putting in a sandwich plate even though this is a warm climate most of the year? Would that answer change if I were to move to a more temperate or cold climate?

Oil type-- Car was purchased used (25k miles). At that point is it a poor choice to change oil type? If not, what oil should I be running in it?

Also--- apologies if my clueless blonde shows through here, when getting an oil change how mindful should I be post-cooler install about a dealer or shop putting the correct amount of oil in it? Do I need to be more mindful of where I have my oil done? Good mechanic vs dealer vs jiffy lube and the like?

Apologies if this has been answered before, wasn't at all successful in searching.

Thanks in advance!

check out Z1 motorsports. they have a 19, 25, and 34 row Setrab coolers in a kit that you can customize.

sounds like you need at least a 25 row.

oil, ohhh man/woman....... thats a can o' worms you dont want to open. for me i used either Nissan ester or Redline ester oil for the first 20k miles. if you dont change it every 3k miles MAX it breaks down bad. im now using pennzoils new full synthetic oil. after 5k miles the differance im seeing is negligable and might be related to this gosh awful heat here in texas.


yes your search skills arnt very good. :P

oil cooler install...... hmmm if i HAD to pay someone else to do it id go to baker nissan and be done with it. but ill save my money and do it myself.

:iagree: with the Z1. I have installed a 25 row cooler w the thermal adapter and have not seen temps over 220. It's a little high but well worth the money!

I live here in cali and i see similar heat that you do and i can tell you that 220-240 is what i had before my cooler. The z1 kit is legit and the 25 row probably would be good without a thermo plate. I got a 34 from nissan north america and witht he ambient temp 63 outside my oil temp dropped to almost 155. I got the thermostatic plate and fittings on order so it will consistantly run at 180 at night. It won't affect it during the day as far as the thermostatic adapter plate. Definitely be more mindful of where and what type of oil you are throwing into this car. I use mobil 1 full synthetic and can tell the difference from that oil to nissans ester based. Not sure what im goin to do yet but from seeing 3k religious oil changes kinda frustrating. Oil cooler will help with the life of you oil, depending on how much you "get on" the throttle and toy around.

I always reccommend a 34R but if your sure your only doing recreational driving go for the 25R at least and get it from Z1. Great customer service. Also get the heat shrink sheaths they offer to protect the lines and even then you will want to buy some heater hose to wrap the lines even more in areas that lay directly on metal (crash beam, sub frame).

Baker Nissan huh? They tell me they don't do such things. (install or service involving aftermarket)

Which would be a shame since they were really good with my suv.

You can do it yourself it's really easy.

Can you elaborate? As I am in vegas we had 20 plus straight days of 100 or higher temps, z spent some days in the garage. However, winter is right around the corner. I have been debating between 34 and 25 but really haven't read enough. Any feedback is appreciated.

I'd get the oil changed first and then check what sort of temperatures you are reaching in normal driving conditions before springing for an oil cooler -- especially since you don't plan to track it or anything. Just changing the oil dropped my oil temps down from ~235 to just under 220 on my commute home (around 15 miles 1/2 highway) with temperatures in the triple digits. Note this was also a switch from regular oil to Mobil 1, but I'm guessing the lowered temperatures have more to do with the fresh oil then switching oil types ...

In general, I'd only really be concerned about 220-240 if I needed to go more than 3-4k between changes.

I have the Stillen 19 Row Oil Cooler installed. I will not be tracking the car, just like yourself. I enjoy spirited driving, but not racing on the track - too much liability to take on myself without my Insurance Company backing me up. but I digress...

I live in Covington, Louisiana - a suburb of New Orleans (North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain), and right now in the morning, I am seeing ambients of 56 degrees. I drive about 7 miles to work, and that is NOT enough for my oil temps to climb to at least 180°F. I actually have to idle the car, and then drive in 4th or 5th gear just to keep the revs up to get the temps up... In my honest opinion, a 19 Row is more than you will need. I am already considering blanking the cooler up with some sort of plate so as to get my temps up in the cold weather. The "Sandwich plate" will come standard with the kit, so you'll have to install it anyways. I did not see an option for a thermostatic plate where I ordered mine, so getting one on your car may help in cold weather to get the temps up. That was a mistake I made and will have to live with it.

Oil - Change it at a reputable Mechanic shop, do not use the Quick Lube/Jiffy Lube, etc. I have heard and seen enough horror stories, I am sure you have as well. Use synthetic oil, and change every three months or 3000 miles with a good filter - a FRAM or a PureOne. That is cheap insurance. I really dont care to stretch the oil to its fullest. That's like burning a wire to save a fuse. I use 10w30 Valvoline Synthetic - about $29 for 5 Quarts at Walmart. The filter is about $6 or $7. Again, that is cheap insurance.

Hope this helps.

As much as this is a simple thing, I do not have the space, tools, time or knowledge to actually do this. I'm not comfortable taking apart the front end of my car and putting it back together.

I know cars, understand how they work and I can drive them. As a fairly small girl this isn't something I'm willing to tackle myself. I'm fully capable of changing oil or, in theory, a flat, but that's where hands on ends for this chick. Considering I'd have to jump on the wrench to stand a chance of getting a lug off my truck and you'd probably not even break a sweat... easy is relative.

Much prefer to take car+part to someone who knows what they're doing and spend a little extra to have it done.

I would contact nissan consumer affairs and see if they can help you with the dealership doing the install and what not. Or ante up the 650 for the cooler and pay some shop around there to install. Whatever it is that you decide to do make sure you get the mocal thermostatic adapter because it keeps your baseline oil temp at 180 REGUARDLESS of fresh oil or type of oil. Some people think synthetic oil runs cooler than mineral but that is not the case being that there is no way to cool the oil. My temps were 220-240 and now are 190-160. Waiting on my fittings and time to install the mocal adapter plate. I "stood" on the throttle for 30 minutes of mountain driving and my car only got up to 225 and it was 105 that day. So yeah hope this info helps. :tiphat:

if your oil cooler is too big, you are going to overcool the oil. a thermostat isnt going to help. sludge forms easier below 200f, there is a reason why most modern cars have the operating temperature higher.

Then why do they sell them at z1? Why do they sell them at gtm? sludge forms when oil gets too hot also. :shakes head:

To make money and make a living?

You might want to take some chem classes and see how oil works before you preach about how great a giant oil cooler is for a street driven car. :tiphat: