Oil Overheat
 

i just recently hit 1200 miles on my 2012 sport package Z. is my first Z also my first MT car.
last sunday i drove the entire day, literally a whole gas tank plus another half was driven. i also was pushing the hell out of the car. i noticed my oil gauged was above 220F. i read that that oil temperature should be around 180-200F.

i would like to know if is normal for the oil temperature to be above 220F.
what can happen to the car if oil is overheating?

Yes if ambient temp is warm or If you're going to be driving it spiritedly

270-280? is when you should get concerned at which Limp mode will kick in

Most opt for an oil cooler to keep under 220 driving it spiritedly.

Use the search function, And you'll find plenty of info on this Subject has been discussed many times already.

what is "limp mode"?
yeah i am shopping for a not so expensive and reliable oil cooler.
neeeh, i don't wanna do a research on it. i wanna ask my own questions and get my own answers. but thanx for the advice. i honestly appreciate it.

The rpm's are limited to 5,500rpm?

Once the Oil temp has dropped it will de-activate the Limp mode

It's a way to protect the engine. Most won't see this without really pushing the Car.

I've adjusted the activation temps in my prior post.

Mr. BoyDiddy -- as a precaution you you check your oil level also. Check it after the engine has been off for at least 1/2 hour and the car is on level ground. It should read betwee the L and H marks -- close to the H.
.
Also, 220 degrees is not a problem.

I hit 220 for the first time today. I had to redline it numerous times before that happened though

i know i don't have no oil problems. I've checked my oil a few times. i did it today as well, just to make sure and the oil reads btw L and H. i haven't driven the car all day today, since yesterday 4pm actually.
the day my oil reader was above 220F i was driving the entire day literally. speeding almost the whole day as well. i turned off the car for maybe 4-6 hours only but the rest of the day hours i was driving and driving it.
when i do my daily drives from home to work and school it never goes over 220F, doesn't even reaches 200F.
so im wondering if thats normal to be extremely hot since i drove it a lot.
also what can be caused by oil overheating.

The car just runs hot on oil.....plain and simple. I take 3 runs down the dragstrip and my car is @ 220 or higher. People that don't have a new 2012+ with an oil cooler will be @ 220+ after the first run. Nothing you can do other then get a new oil cooler with more rows. Its been a known problem for the car since the car was released.

Combustion, friction and external temperature all drive oil temperatures. The 370Z runs hot. An oil cooler helps a great deal, but if you drive your car normally, there should not be a problem.

i do have the 2012. and i am looking for an oil cooler. this crap so expensive. do i need more rows the 16 to help it to keep it cool?

What are your goals and what kind of driving do you plan to do? Just drag strip? AutoX? Or just spirited driving on the streets?

I don't plan on going crazy. Exhaust. Intake. Spacers. Rims. Coilovers.
It is my daily driver car so I don't od with it, however some days I'm feeling real good and I speed, some days I just wanna spend time with my Z so I drive a lot. Be out with the boys. MAYBE just MAYBE I may get it tuned and do more with it.
But no I don't be speeding everyday I don't bring it to the track.
But I wanna make sure everything is cool with my car so I don't mess it up the days that I be speeding and driving all day

I thought the 2012s came with an oil cooler. :confused:

Limp mode= which means that the engine won't rev beyond a pre-programmed speed, you can't accelerate very fast, or you may indeed be speed-restricted to 40 mph or similar.

BTW, you say that this is your first MT, that might be one of the reason of oil overheating. Driving in low gears will be a factor.

thank you bro.
no i definitely don't drive in low gears. i know how to switch them and i usually switch them every 2500-3000 rpm. but on that day specifically i was switching them around 5000-6000 rpm

A 25 row oil cooler should be more then enough for what you've stated so far and what seems to be your driving habits. IF you want to be safe since you still seem a bit unsure for future plans, get a 34 row cooler now with thermostat sandwhich plate. The plate will make it so that your oil still reaches minimum oil temps needed to function right but doesnt open till it reaches a certain point where it needs cooling. Do the 34 row without the plate and your oil temps may not ever reach minimum oil temps causing it to not reach the correct viscosity and protecting and lubricating the motor as it should.

P.S. The '12s do come with an oil cooler........its just a tiny little sandwhich plate that runs the coolant past the filter to help cool oil but its still no where near enough for anything extra. It'll get you through normal daily driving and very minor spirited driving. Extended periods of spirited driving and it still overheats. Just takes a little longer. I know........i have a '12 too lol and yes diddy, you can run the oem cooler with an aftermarket!

Hot oil = good!

P.S. The '12s do come with an oil cooler........its just a tiny little sandwhich plate that runs the coolant past the filter to help cool oil but its still no where near enough for anything extra. It'll get you through normal daily driving and very minor spirited driving. Extended periods of spirited driving and it still overheats. Just takes a little longer. I know........i have a '12 too lol and yes diddy, you can run the oem cooler with an aftermarket![/QUOTE]

Like that idea....
I think I'm go for the 19" rows by Z1 motorsport with non thermostatic.
Is rare that i get too crazy with my car, so i was wondering whenever i do my oil still may overheat but it will take longer to overheat than the usual. and I'm fine with that. i just don't want any problems with my motor later on.
uughh

I see you live in NYC, but the temp here in Houston, TX is completely different & gets a lot hotter here in the summer due to the humidity. In the end it really just depends on how you are going to drive your car. Yes if one was to drive all effen day & drive hard & go through 1 1/2 full tanks of gas, then your oil temp will get high, but not over heat like a SOB. If your oil temp was to get in the high 200's or low 300's, then I would worry. I can drive for about 40 mins on the highway & be in 6th gear & my oil temp is b/w 180-190 due to the crazy humidity here in Houston.

yeah like i said, the oil temp is always ok around 180s-200sF. but that one day i drove the entire day, high revs and even raced on the highway. i looked at the oil gauge and noticed the needle all the way up there so i worried. summer is right around the corner so that thing will explode if i do not take care, i guess lol.
i think i drive crazy like i did that one day at least once a week. but i will want to do a few mods to the car (nothing too crazy) and i figure it will help to raise the oil temp. I'm guessing an oil cooler would be a good investment.

I can see where your coming from & I think most people would be in the same boat as you. It is not going to explode. Once you start to worry, then stop to realize how you as an individual was driving today & how long. If this happens once in a very blue moon, then I personally wouldn't worry about it.

220 has been the highest I've been able to get to (2012 AT in manual mode) with 8+ hours on non-stop spirited driving through the hill country of central TX. Once it reaches that, it soon drops back down to 190-200 on the straightaways @ lower rpms. The stock OC in the '12s works just fine. Like others have said, start to worry when you get up to 260+. Other than that, have fun with your car!

I got a 12 as well and tracked it about 7 times from nov-march without an oil cooler. Even when pushing hard up to 80deg out, oil temp never went over 250's. I installed a 34 row from Z1 motorsports, now on a hot day at the track around 90's, engine oil temp will still reach 250s due to heat. On highway driving, oil never gets past 150ish unless traffic.

You do not need another oil cooler unless you are tracking. Driving the car hard, canyon driving etc, should not get your oil past 250's. Just remember after 2-3 track days hitting 250's, the oil is very dirty and will need to be changed OFTEN. So even if you stick with the stock cooler and u do hard runs, change your oil often.

plain and simple, everyone has different thoughts and what not. None are necessarily right or wrong. i PERSONALLY do not like my oil temp goin over 220. Just something that i am use to coming from turbo hondas and what not. Some people are fine with 250's but i am not one of those even though it technically may be ok. But anyways Diddy, you will be fine with the 19 row with your driving and what you plan for now. You don't need an thermostat plate for a 19 row since you have the o.e.m cooler that will get our temps to where we need without overheating it or running too cool. Nice thing about havin the oem cooler is that our temps are more constant due to the coolant. :happydance:

Sounds like the 2012 oil cooler works pretty good. 1st day I had my Z, sitting in traffic on a 90 degree day and it went straight to 260. During the winter it's been sitting between 200 and 220. Mellew (2nd gear, 3000-4500 RPM) drive up a mountain road on a 60 degree rainy day brought it back up to 260. Working on my own take on an oil cooler that does not leave 1 qt of dirty oil in the engine every oil change. I really hope it works... LOL

I am waiting for engine blowups due to hot oil. Dang it, I want to see blown engines!

Yet another example on why they should just remove the oil temp gauge.

Don't jinx yourself lol, yours will be the first to blow.

Then I can tell people how useless oil cooler is as cars will blpw with or wo it

+1....... :icon18: No love from cossie1600. I wouldn't want that to happen to someone else. All of these vehicles are pretty much NA. Yeah if vehicle is heavily modified (TT, supercharger, NOS & etc.....), then you have a high risk of something happening. In the end to each is own on what they would like to have their oil temp at & it also depends on where exactly you live do to the effen weather/humidity.

True...... You can say whatever you want. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen eventually at some point in time to your ride. Now if you take care of it & do not drive it through hell & back & change things when your suppose to, then your ride should last you a very long time.

Lol. Lol. Lol.

Well, I was reading an articles which stated the Z shouldn't be sped until the oil reaches 180F and should worry once is up to 250F or above.
I guess I am going to invest on an oil cooler soon I'll be more comfortable knowing my car will get heated up but not heated up as quick as it would without that oil cooler.

I am just saying for every posts about hot oil, I still haven't read about any engine failures from it. I just think there are more urgent issues with the car than the stupid oil temperature (see the steering lock and fuel starvation/fuel gauge problems)

+1....... I completely agree. Oil temperature is the very least of my concern b/c I do not go to the track, or drive like a bad out of hell. Yeah if once in a blue moon you want to drive crazy that is fine, but you are not going to overheat your oil.

I concur with you but the reason why I began the thread was because I did overheat my oil. On the very first day and only of driving like a kid straight out of hell.
The gas starvation? ... Ain't much I not anyone can do anything about it I'm guessing. Is a sports car so it will drink a lot especially if you drive like a maniac. I'm sure if anyone was looking to save gas here they would had purchased a Prius lol.

Go do a google search on thermal breakdown, oil dont break down at 240.

Ah, youthful exhuberance ...

However, you might want to know that street racing on NY roads carries VERY severe penalties. I mention this because in post 19 you indicated you were pushing your car hard and even racing on the highway.

If caught, you WILL do jail time, they confiscate and sell your car.

See this thread: http://www.the370z.com/north-east-re...-new-york.html.

Spirited driving is one thing, racing is a whole 'nother matter.

Just thought you might want to be aware of this...

WOW.... That would really sucks if the police think you were racing, you go to jail & your car goes up for sale at a police auction. I did not know that & this is the first that I have heard this. I would not want to act stupid on the roads of NY.

So where would you want to act stupid? ;)

Seriously though, I've heard law enforcement is cracking down on this behavior everywhere. I'm glad actually. Good to have some fun in the car but anything serious needs to be done at a track.

As for oil temps, I see 195-200 on a normal commute. With a lot of traffic on a warm day 210-220 is normal. Traffic in hot weather I can count on 220-230 degrees. Driving up in the mountains (spirited, by no means racing) 240 is easy to reach for my car but I haven't been above 250 degrees that I can remember.

I'm not terrbily worried about it. Piston powered airplanes are generally fine with oil temps at 220 degrees continuous and those are mostly air/oil cooled engines so there is a higher degree of concern for oil temps.

I don't...... I may once in a blue moon open her up, but never race anybody b/c it is not really worth it. If I wanted to get really crazy, then I will take it to the track, but I do not have any intentions on doing so. It is definitely a good thing that law enforcement is cracking down b/c I know I wouldn't want to be a static for some other idiot on the road.

Your temps sound really good. Glad to hear that you are not worried either.