Oil temp

[markh]

Anyone know any anything about oil temp, I've recently install an oil temp gauge, on normal driving it reads 60-70 degrees but on a track the other week it shot off the scale at 120+, I know nothing about oil temps is this okay, Oh and by the way she is fitted with a 16 row oil cooler.

Mark

[v8 racing]

Hi Mark it depends on what oil you are using? mineral oil breaks down at around 100 deg, synthetic is obviously better but ester based synthetics will handle up to 150+ but i dont recomend it gets this high!!

[markh]

Hi Rob am using Mobil 1 motorsport was suprised it got that high, my garage think that my ceramic coated manifolds could be adding toe problem, could this be possible? I may try and improve the airflow to the cooler.

Mark

>> Edited by markh on Wednesday 29th March 20:56

[tahiti450]

Whilst acknowledging what V8 Racing said and given that there are many variables - not least of which being fitment of oil coolers etc, a fully warmed up engine under normal conditions on a warm day will have oil temps of typically 90-100 C. As soon as you start working the engine certainly expect 120C and under heavy loads quite a bit more - possibly up to 150C, though thats not a temp I'd be happy to thrash an engine at.
I think there is a tendency to assume that oil temps correlate in some way to water temp, since this is usually all that most people have any knowledge of. Unlike water oil doesnt boil at 100C (probably n ot even at 200C) and it works quite well across a huge range of temperatures - say 50 (or much less) to 130C so the considerations re cooling it are quite different to water cooling systems. Water temps need to be fairly tightly controlled (think: fuelling, charge temp, combustion, block and head expansion control etc etc) and have a limited range, say 75 to 90C across all conditions. Oil temps vary far more and on a different scale. Which is why you cant just take a water temp sender and gauge and turn it into a useful oil temp gauge, as soon as the engine is under load it'll go off the scale.

[number 7]

My experience, FWIW, is that, having fitted a capiliary temp gauge a few years ago in my Wedge, I typically see 70-80 when cruising, up to 100 when using more revs, and occasionally up to 130 on trackdays in Summer. I'm using Motul 300V. And you should also have an oil 'stat in the cooler system as well.

7.

[markh]

Many thanks for everyones input, perhaps I should give a bit more detail, I have a 16 row oilcooler mounted in the nose, I think the position could be improved, as it sit very low, just behind the two slots cut into the underside of the front panel, maybe I should raise it up or angle it down to get more airflow. The oil cooler has an inline stat fitted so should only open whe it gets hot enough, the gauge is a proper oil temp unit (from Greengauges) and the sender is tapped into the oil cooler sandwhich plate.

Cheers Mark

[v8 racing]

You should be looking at an oil temp of 100 deg in race conditions ie track day, i ran 2 19 row coolers on my cars and then fitted a stat to it, the closer you can get to 100 deg, the thiner the oil you can use, the more power your engine will make, and thes it is likely to detonate due to the piston is cooled by the oil splashing the underside of it,

[robertjp]

v8 racing said:

You should be looking at an oil temp of 100 deg in race conditions ie track day, i ran 2 19 row coolers on my cars and then fitted a stat to it, the closer you can get to 100 deg, the thiner the oil you can use, the more power your engine will make, and thes it is likely to detonate due to the piston is cooled by the oil splashing the underside of it,

V8..Can you recommend an Oil Temp sensor?

I know greengage was mentioned above, but i certainly dont know whats good and whats bad...

[number 7]

This is what I use:
www.raceparts.co.uk/racetech/instruments.htm

7.