Oil Temperature
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Easthampton MA
Oil Temperature
I have an '85 L-98 4+3 with 80K miles. The oil temperature has been around 230 Deg. Far. Water temperature holds between 203 and 225, depending if I'm in traffic or on the highway. Is this oil temp too high? What is NORMAL operating temperature? :eek: Any help would be appreciated... Thanks, Jim
[Modified by chonko66, 11:44 AM 5/6/2004]
[Modified by chonko66, 11:44 AM 5/6/2004]
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,212
Likes: 0
From: OH
Re: Oil Temperature (chonko66)
completely stock that sounds about right. I remember temps around 210 at cruise, 230+ if I got into a lot of stop and go.
Now you put a 160 degree t-stat in it and temps go down ALOT. Think after my 160* cruising was 180-190F oil, and similar for the water even on hot days. Only time I would see 230 F oil and water temps was when autocrossing after a couple runs back to back.
Now you put a 160 degree t-stat in it and temps go down ALOT. Think after my 160* cruising was 180-190F oil, and similar for the water even on hot days. Only time I would see 230 F oil and water temps was when autocrossing after a couple runs back to back.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 293
Likes: 0
From: Newnan Ga
Re: Oil Temperature (rsafier)
:iagree: Yep, that's really about right. One interesting thing I found, the higher your elevation, the higher your reading will be. I took my vette in the mountains and went to a cabin that was about 3 miles of 45 degree inlcine. I watch the temp gauge go higher and higher. It got up to about 260 before we levelled off and then started down again, then the temp dropped lower and lower till it was back to normal. I know the boiling point of water is lower the higher you are, but I didn't think it would affect your engine temp that much.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,613
Likes: 0
From: Orlando FL
Re: Oil Temperature (chonko66)
sounds like we have about the same car...year, miles and tranny...i wouldn't go to the 160* t-stat...it keeps everything TOO cool...and from what i understand, that prevents the oil from getting hot enough to boil any water out of it....the solution is the 180* t-stat...i have that in mine now...the thing sits pegged at like 185* all the time, oil temp on the highway at 90MPH sits around 209*...temps climb at a stop, but i also installed a manual switch in the ash tray area to flip on the aux fan...i never see above 215* now. :thumbs:
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 62,160
Likes: 1,733
From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Re: Oil Temperature (chonko66)
the first of 35 million summer 'my car is overheating' threads
Those temps are normal. Changing to a 160 will lower your cruise temp average, and lower the average temps overall because it will take longer for the engine to get hot if the stat opens earlier. Once it gets up there though, its going to continue straight up to fan temperature (228 main, 238 aux) so the permanent fix is to wire a switch in or have the chip reprogrammed for it.
Changing to a 160 wont hurt anybody living in the South, you dont need to worry about contaminants as much if you use synthetic oil, and it doesnt have to get to 210-220 to boil them off. Its not a magic temperature, running for 20 min at 190 will accomplish the same thing.
I'm sure jfb will come in soon to raise hell about the 160, and then 15 other people will chime in with pros and cons, yadda yadda. :beatdeadhorse:
Those temps are normal. Changing to a 160 will lower your cruise temp average, and lower the average temps overall because it will take longer for the engine to get hot if the stat opens earlier. Once it gets up there though, its going to continue straight up to fan temperature (228 main, 238 aux) so the permanent fix is to wire a switch in or have the chip reprogrammed for it.
Changing to a 160 wont hurt anybody living in the South, you dont need to worry about contaminants as much if you use synthetic oil, and it doesnt have to get to 210-220 to boil them off. Its not a magic temperature, running for 20 min at 190 will accomplish the same thing.
I'm sure jfb will come in soon to raise hell about the 160, and then 15 other people will chime in with pros and cons, yadda yadda. :beatdeadhorse:
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 36,040
Likes: 4
From: All great change begins at the dinner table Ronald Reagan
Re: Oil Temperature (vader86)
You're right ... :lol:
I've noticed the same thing w/temperature. GM designed it to run @ 186, best to leave it there. It will climb to 230 or even more, but oil won't go bad until 265 +. I like the switch idea, but I won't change my thermostat - on any engine.
The front end on these cars are like vacuum cleaners, they pick up about everything in front of it! I always check the front of the radiator just to see what was on the road. However, if you're really having trouble, pull the radiator, spray it with high pressure to clean out all of the dirt between the fins that's been sucked up over time. This act alone may help, at least you'll know airflow is not being restricted.
Hope that helps!
I've noticed the same thing w/temperature. GM designed it to run @ 186, best to leave it there. It will climb to 230 or even more, but oil won't go bad until 265 +. I like the switch idea, but I won't change my thermostat - on any engine.
The front end on these cars are like vacuum cleaners, they pick up about everything in front of it! I always check the front of the radiator just to see what was on the road. However, if you're really having trouble, pull the radiator, spray it with high pressure to clean out all of the dirt between the fins that's been sucked up over time. This act alone may help, at least you'll know airflow is not being restricted.
Hope that helps!
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