In recent months, we’ve seemingly focused on everything but the drivetrain in our LS1-swapped Nissan 350Z time trials car. But just because we’ve been focused on suspension and aerodynamics doesn’t mean we’re finished with the engine: Let’s take a detour and talk about oil temperatures.
Oil Temperatures and You
Before we dive into the details, let’s talk about the …
How hot is too hot? A good rule of thumb is that 250F+ is too hot. Also most of the oil cooler thermostats available open at 180F~190F, but it's best to keep your oil temperature above 200F, even a 220F opening temperature can work well.
If 250F+ is too hot, than my old LSx swapped 951 failed that miserably. Even with an oil cooler I'd regularly peg my oil temp guage at 280F. All the CMC camaro drivers had the same oil temps, my friend in his C5 Z06 without an oil cooler would see 320F.
So I guess don't drive up at altitude in the summer time if you're going to stop at 250F....
Glad to hear the window is what I expected as well, the hottest I have seen is 248F so my system must be up to snuff, it usually hangs around 230-240 range while on stage but depends how hot the coolant gets up to.
docwyte said:If 250F+ is too hot, than my old LSx swapped 951 failed that miserably. Even with an oil cooler I'd regularly peg my oil temp guage at 280F. All the CMC camaro drivers had the same oil temps, my friend in his C5 Z06 without an oil cooler would see 320F.
So I guess don't drive up at altitude in the summer time if you're going to stop at 250F....
The LS corvette's have a high oil temp warning in the computer and it clicks on at 320. With an oil cooler on my completely stock LS3 my car typically reached 280 at the end of a 20 minute session. I ran 5w-50 oil last season which likely raises the temp but also keeps oil pressure in the middle of the gauge when the car is under load.
Depends on what oil you run. On my race cars I ran mostly dinosaur oil so if I saw more than 240 F or so I tended to get a bit antsy and wondered why. I finally fitted an oil cooler that had way more cooling than I would need (out of a Mazda rotary, which uses oil spray on the rotors as part of their engine cooling) and taped off some of it until I got the right level of cooling. I always ran an oil temp gauge in the race cars.
Modern cars that run synthetic aren't as big a concern.
GameboyRMH said:How hot is too hot? A good rule of thumb is that 250F+ is too hot. Also most of the oil cooler thermostats available open at 180F~190F, but it's best to keep your oil temperature above 200F, even a 220F opening temperature can work well.
I'm sure it was for emissions/efficiency, but the stock oil cooler thermostat on my 135i didn't open until just under 250.
I think most vehicles don't go into limp mode until oil is around 300 or more.
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