Oil and Coolant Temp Relations
05-21-2019, 06:54 PM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Oil and Coolant Temp Relations
Just hunting for a rule of thumb I seem to think I recall, but I don't trust my memory. When you reduce oil temps, coolant should follow, though to a much lesser extent. I want to say it was something like for every 8 degrees of oil temp reduction, you got 1 degree of water temp reduction? Or am I off my rocker? My old *** CMC Camaro with an LT1 used to have an Afco with integrated oil cooler that I've hated since I got the car almost as much as the ghetto *** ducting that fed it (turns out it was actually quite functional for as turbulent as it was). Over the winter I reverted to a stock 4th gen LT1 f body Spectra radiator with a much cleaner fabbed radiator shroud that doesn't require a roll of aluminum HVAC tape to seal. For my first 2 races, ambient hasn't left the 70s and the water has stayed in the 190-200 range. Car counts have also been low, so not much chasing. Oil on the other hand has been 290+. With the Afco, if coolant was 210 oil was 270. The concern that I have is if I end up chasing and coolant creeps into the 230 range, oil will be blow the motor up hot. A decent air to air cooler stuffed behind the radiator ought to shave ~40 degrees off of the oil, I just wonder how significant an effect I should expect it to have on coolant?
05-21-2019, 10:03 PM
#2
Safety Car
If you have an external oil cooler then oil/coolant temps start to not correlate any longer IMO. You can go the Improved racing thermostat and external cooler to keep oil temps at bay and consistent and rely on the radiator for coolant temps.
When the radiator has an integrated oil passage you can only get so much heat transfer out of the two fluids in that system. If keeping the integrated system, try to get as much coolant cooling you can and oil temps SHOULD stay at bay. If not then it may be time to go with an external cooler.
When the radiator has an integrated oil passage you can only get so much heat transfer out of the two fluids in that system. If keeping the integrated system, try to get as much coolant cooling you can and oil temps SHOULD stay at bay. If not then it may be time to go with an external cooler.
05-22-2019, 07:36 AM
#3
Just hunting for a rule of thumb I seem to think I recall, but I don't trust my memory. When you reduce oil temps, coolant should follow, though to a much lesser extent. I want to say it was something like for every 8 degrees of oil temp reduction, you got 1 degree of water temp reduction? Or am I off my rocker? My old *** CMC Camaro with an LT1 used to have an Afco with integrated oil cooler that I've hated since I got the car almost as much as the ghetto *** ducting that fed it (turns out it was actually quite functional for as turbulent as it was). Over the winter I reverted to a stock 4th gen LT1 f body Spectra radiator with a much cleaner fabbed radiator shroud that doesn't require a roll of aluminum HVAC tape to seal. For my first 2 races, ambient hasn't left the 70s and the water has stayed in the 190-200 range. Car counts have also been low, so not much chasing. Oil on the other hand has been 290+. With the Afco, if coolant was 210 oil was 270. The concern that I have is if I end up chasing and coolant creeps into the 230 range, oil will be blow the motor up hot. A decent air to air cooler stuffed behind the radiator ought to shave ~40 degrees off of the oil, I just wonder how significant an effect I should expect it to have on coolant?
05-24-2019, 01:03 PM
#4
Safety Car
Thread Starter
05-24-2019, 02:31 PM
#5
05-24-2019, 11:41 PM
#6
Safety Car
Thread Starter
I have more variables at work here. I had a large radiator with integral oil cooler that I replaced with just a stock radiator. Coolant temps are in check, but oil is way out there. My question pertains to a car completely without an oil cooler, what happens when you add one? Obviously oil temps drop, but does coolant appreciable also drop? My suspicion is that the drop in water temps will be insignificant.
05-25-2019, 12:32 AM
#7
I have more variables at work here. I had a large radiator with integral oil cooler that I replaced with just a stock radiator. Coolant temps are in check, but oil is way out there. My question pertains to a car completely without an oil cooler, what happens when you add one? Obviously oil temps drop, but does coolant appreciable also drop? My suspicion is that the drop in water temps will be insignificant.