new car, oil temp problem ??
 

i recently bought a new 2014 touring sport 6mt.
got mobil 1 synenthic oil change from nissan at 1k miles like recommended by my nissan dealer.
car has now 1500 miles

when driving it stays around 180-190 which is normal but as soon as the car is standing still, not moving for like 5-10 min, oil temp increases and gets close to 220 ??. 2 of my friends got the same year / make / model as me and they never hit 200 or 220 even with aggressive driving ?? (NY weather, outside temp 20-30 degrees)

I'm going to bring it to nissan, this shouldn't be normal, i know we have oil temp problems with our cars but I'm not even driving aggressively ??

I'm going to fight with nissan cause my car is stock and under warranty.

Sounds normal to me ..........

Get an oil cooler kit, high oil temps are a VQ37 signature

:iagree: get an oil cooler...

Dont kill yourself over this. This is normal!
Remember On stand still your Z is not getting cool air compared when you are running. So it gets hotter when not running.
This is normal for it to go 200-220 temp which is actually the norm operating range.
Get a oil cooler if this bothers you.

So hold your horses with warranty and declaring war to Nissan otherwise they will just laugh at you and say "Thank you for enjoying your Z as it runs very good when driven and not on stand still!:tup:

Lots of posts on this subject already.

I thought 2014s should come with factory oil cooler already?

Lol...13+ has factory oil warmer

oil temp
 

Its normal. These engines can and do run hotter also hit the highway it will cool down.

The VQ runs between 220-240 under mildly spirited driving in normal weather. Limp mode kicks on between 270 n 280

If your car is just sitting its gonna heat the oil up cause there is no air flow until the cooling fans turn on to cool it . now i dont know if the newer ones have the same thing mine does where the ecu pulls power the hotter it gets . but 220 is not bad temp wise for the oil . when mine gets that hot i feel a noticable diff in power .

How did you not notice the exact same thing, which is normal, in your previous Z?

I have the largest Setrab Oil Cooler, temp is usually just below 180, if in traffic for a little while, it will get up to around 195-200. Once I get going again, it drops right down. It is also possible that the fact that your friends drive faster, help keep the the temp lower due to the added air. Now, if you are driving hard (track use) that is a whole different scenario.

So even if you get an oil cooler, you will see a somewhat similar episode, it's normal. Nissan will say it's normal and send you away

That sounds normal for the 2012 and up cars with the factory oil cooler/heater. They are cooled by coolant so in the summer that provides some cooling and in the winter it will heat the oil.

really? I have the 12. and I never hit 220 unless even when I drive spirited. I live in NYC same as OP.

I have a 2012 too and it would run around 195-220. When pushed it saw 230.

Yeap, sounds normal to hit 220. If you get over 230, then it should be in high heat/spirited driving conditions.

i had a 2013 touring sports automatic in the summer and my temps never went to 220 unless aggressively diving, now i have a 2014 touring sports 6mt and its winter time so you sound about right. it heats up quicker.

thanks guys, i guess it is normal, i just got paranoid that something was up with my car. when the car is rolling the temp goes down, so it sounds about right. 25 row oil cooler should be good ? i live in ny. its my daily driver except blizzards. i don't track / no intention of force induction at all. i drive regularly and sometimes aggressively i mean who dosent with a Z lol.

For what you are describing, a cooler shouldn't be necessary. As long as you keep your oil temp below 240-250 F you will be OK. Most oils nowadays are good up to ~300, short-term, but they break down faster at higher temps. If you spend much time above 240, you may want to change your oil a little more often.

never been above 220 when i drive aggressively , went to 200 then back down. only 220 when car is standing still for a long period of time and you guys are right, oil gets hot and when car is rolling it cools back down.

I have a 19 row Stillen Oil cooler, and I live in Louisiana where summer ambient temps reach 100F easily. However, I found that I had to block off all but the top 3 rows in order to keep my oil temps at 180F in the winter when ambient temps run in the lower40'sF, and in the summer, even with the blocking plate still in place, I run max temps of 230F under moderately aggressive driving with an ambient of 100F.

Moral of the story is that you need a minimum of an oil cooling system if you are not planning on aggressive or track driving. Oil temps have to reach 220F or thereabouts when entering the oil cooler so that any water condensation scavenged by the oil from the internal combustion reaction when the engine is cold can evaporate out of the oil otherwise it will remain as a contaminant which reduces the lubrication and protection effectiveness of the oil . Given that the z's engine is a high revving engine, this reduced effectiveness can and will cause damage.

Normal. Your (pressurized) coolant temp is probably around 220 - 250* F when fully warmed up. Modern oils can run quite a bit hotter than that without shearing.

Add some cool fins to the bottom of the oil pan by ARC to drop temps about 10-15 degrees if you wish -- search, it does actually work as promised.

Unless you start seeing temps creeping up over 240* F in normal driving, I wouldn't be concerned. Over 300 F* at sustained high load is risky (but no guarantee of failure), and the car goes into "limp mode" at 260*, so really, unless you are tracking it, it is highly unlikely you need to purchase an oil cooler.

So I'm told, the ECU does pull a bit of timing over 205*F, but 220* F is hardly anything to lose sleep over.

A good rule of thumb is not to flog the car hard at all until between 160 - 175* F, and take it easy over 280*, a value the ECU will not allow you to reach at full tilt. Both these values mean less and less and modern synthetics become better engineered to provide excellent lubrication within a wide temperature range.

Normal.. Mine usually stays around 210-220 after being on the expressway for a bit

I have a 13 with the stock oil cooler. I hit 220 everyday and have been since I got it in Oct 2012. I live in Los Angeles, and see the same temps in the city, wether it is summer or winter. Nothing to worry about, and no adverse effects on performance. Just drive it and enjoy it for the beauty that the car is.

In the summer, if I am in stop and go it get's over 230. If I am driving down the interstate or back road I am at 220. This is just normal driving, nothing spirited at all.

Actually, since the oil cooler probably shares coolant lines with the radiator, the oil probably gets up to optimal temps about as quickly as the water does, and then hovers close to or below water temps in normal driving.

It probably is only nominal at best for the track (probably more of an oil warmer than a cooler under those circumstances), but for a DD it sounds like its doing its job perfectly :tup:

That it is. I only DD my car and do the occasional on/off ramp freeway pulls (with full tank of gas ofcorse:shakes head: ) and never see above 220, so like you said, it is doing fine for a DD:tup:

Does the factory oil cooler for the later model actually help with the temp? I am also in LA with an early model w/o oil cooler and it is always around 210 -220 also.

from the read, yes.

but then again, my 09 uses no oil cooler and my temps dont get that high at all from my spirited driving.

From what others have posted about pre 13 cars and a little research, there doesn't seem to be much of an improvement in lower oil temps with the 13+ stcok oil coolers. I am sure it was a just an attempted band aid by Nissan with all the complaints of high oil temps in the pre 13s.

nissan should've just removed the gauge all together so that novices on the streets dont see it and start worrying about nothing.

or put a green background up to 250F with indigo 'SAFE!' or some stupid shitt like that.

Or they should have put an oil cooler in the car....

It's 12+ stock oil cooler. They work OK for what they are. In the south, they leave something to be desired. Like it for the winter though.

Band aid implied there are real issues, but are there any documented issues related to the oil temp under normal driving condition (non-track)?

This particular engine is in other Nissan cars such as the G37's which doesn't have an oil temp gauge. As other poster stated, is it just an over-reaction or there are real oil temp issues.

Personally, I think 210-220 is perfectly fine because the oil needs to reach about 210 to get rid of the condensation in the oil.

You sir are correct on both accounts! It works fine for me in SoCal as I never track or race the car. Sorry for the brain fart on the oil cooler models.

I called it a band aid, as to me that is what it is. Something to appease the masses (even though it doesn't really do much) who have complained about the "high" oil temps they think they had on the streets.

I agree that it is not a problem hitting 220 and nothing to get spun up about.

Ive hit 240-250 after really driving the car. Im not concerned because itll quickly drop back down to 220 with normal driving, just use a quality oil. Keep in mind that the stock 'oil cooler' on the 12+ are also 'oil warmers' in cold climates.

I might have looked at that gauge like once...

I would've much rather had the oil pressure gauge from the the 350z

I would rather have pretty much ANYTHING other than the clock up on that prime real estate.