Oil Temperature and Engine Life

Why is proper temperature so important?

http://www.elephantracing.com/techto...emperature.htm



No affiliations -- just sharing the info.

 

I'm curious cab83_750 - do you find that you are consistently running around 210˚ or below? As I mentioned in another thread, I find that I'm nearly always closer to 225˚ unless i'm driving it like a Prius, (which is only when the S.O. gets all up in my ears for trying to enjoy my life once in a while. )

- Dan

 

Not anymore!

My C4S "was" always between 215-225. Also, after turning off the engine, the fan was always turning on after stop-and-go or semi-spirited driving. I figured that if the computer was trying to cool off the engine after shutdown, I needed to lower the temp.

I came from the Porsche oil-cooled world and I have somewhat my own opinion about temps and oil. So, I decided to install the 3rd radiator and the low thermostat. After the thermo and 3rd radiator, I am always below 200 (I think 190) without traffic; I also have not exceeded 215 ever since. I sometimes hit 215 when I do spirited driving or when there's traffic. Oh, and the fan has not activated after engine shutdown post 3rd radiator and thermo upgrade.

There will be others who will disagree with lowering the factory temp settings; I, on the other hand, like the traditional <210 temp.

 

That's interesting - So with the new lower temps, what temp do you consider to be 'warmed up' enough to take your revs up to 5 & 6k?

Are you still using 0w40 ?

I've always been interested in the 3rd radiator option, but it doesn't really get too hot up here by the coast, except for maybe a few weeks at a time out of the year, and my car spends most of its time blasting along the coast or in the mountains beside the coast, so the water temps tend to stay pretty steady / centered on 175˚ - Common sense tells me that there is a good argument for keeping the temps down, but I'm no engineer, (not even an armchair one) so I definitely defer to experts.

This is a very interesting topic to me. Thanks for sharing the link.

- Dan

 

180 deg is my guide. I use this temp for my '83SC and the 997. At 180, it's full blast for me.

Oh, don't trust the water temp. We all believe that it's engineered to actually stay at 175. There's a lot of writeup about the water temp gauge on 6speed.

 

I understand our 997's are water-cooled.

However, here is a little history (and some disclaimers) even though it talks about oil-cooled. (heck, they are still talking about Porsches.)


http://www.pca-palooza.com/articles/oil_cooler.pdf

 

I always thought oil temps at 212 were OK since at that temp any condensate/moisture would boil off.

 

One does not need to reach the boiling point of water to drive off moisture. Just being hot/warm will do the job. Above 212F it will drive the mositure off more quickly but not necessary.

I am not sure about the downside of a cooler engine. Perhaps combustion/efficiency issues?

 

This data point makes me more likely to install the 3rd radiator in my 4s.2 although I too don't feel it is necessary for my current driving use. However one day (soon & again!) this vehicle may find itself being enjoyed elsewhere on the planet.

In that case I'd consider this an upgrade if I was searching to purchase this vintage; long term engine health is good although I do not have the Carerra oil cooler in my '80SC and I've never seen >210 for the last couple of hundred k miles (no track or hot weather, top-end rebuilt once proactively).

 

One item that I believe has not been discussed and questioned is:

Do the S-models run a little bit hotter compared to the non-S model? I would think they do given the extra horses.

 

212 degrees is fine. Looking at several people's comments that have installed a third radiator, I don't think is necessary unless you track the vehicle. I live in Miami and my car has never reached 250 degrees, even after spirited drives.

 

Mine runs a typically at 200 but as soon as it hits 80 degrees and I sit in traffic even moderately it will run up to 225. Not sure I should be worried but have seen it several times so far this year even though it's just starting to get warm here in philly

Is that an issue? Dealer doesn't think so but I always kinda worry

 

I hit 225 when I drive it hard.
2011 C4S

 

Is your car an "S"?

Since some do hit over 225, I am still trying to determine if the "S" owners are the ones that run hotter.

 

Are you running synthetic? Is your car a DD? Are you planning on keeping your car for a while?

I tend to keep my cars forever. Heck, my '83SC Cab has been with me for almost 20 years. When I "worry" about something, I just look at the price/cost, then amortize it over 10 years.

Assuming that a 3rd radiator and thermostat is $1,000.00, hell that is $100.00/year or <$90.00/month. I like peace of mind!

One thing that we all tend to forget is that the plastic and rubber parts inside the engine bay are also subjected to higher temperature resulting to shorter life. Yes, I understand they are engineered to withstand harsh environment; but I think logic will tell us that less heat is better overall.

Again, we all have our opinions. I am just sharing my opinions --- and in the end, we are all correct.