SHINOBI-X

i currently installed a B&M hi-tek oil cooler on my Z51 84'.reason for replacement was because of leaking from oil cooler itself not the connection between fittings.the temperature is around 35-75f in winter time here in central california and my oil temps bearly reach 160 in normal driving!well at night in cold weather on the freeway it wont' get past LO on the gauge sometimes for 15 minutes or more! i have a 180stat and 200f switch and that doesnt' seem to be the problem of oil not heating up.i think its due to the 28,000lbs rated oil cooler and winter time here.should i just plug the lines for winter and re-connect for summer time or what guys? engine damage is gonna occur with temps that low for sustained periods of time.

Unriced

The oil needs to heat up so it can rid itself of moisture (#1) and
other impurities and also so it can be most efficient temp wise.
Also, the engine needs to heat up as these engines were
designed to run hot. I would disconnect the oil cooler and change the
oil/filter. I don't know why everyone is scared of anything above 185.
I live in the northeast and when the temps get below 60, my Vette w/
a stock 195 thermo, will run at 185 or below with an oil temp of
195-200.. Dont be afraid of the heat, it's good for you.. Now if you're
racing it, then ya, that stuff is great to keep it cooler for performance
sake, but for everyday driving, more harm than good...My 2 cents..

Good luck

ztrips

Oil needs to get up to at least 180 to reach the proper viscosity and burn off impurities. I would look for a thermostatic oil cooler bypass....

SilverBeast

Wrap the oil cooler in plastic for the winter. That should bring the temperature back to normal.

CFI-EFI

I'm uncomfortable when my oil temps are below 200*. Water boils at 212*. The warmer the oil, below 250*, the better. I would use any of the suggestions to keep it from working until you need it.

RACE ON!!!

xs650

Yup, 180F is good minimum sump temp. The oil gets hotter in other parts of the engine so moisture gets driven out.

ztrips

Check out the "remote oil thermostat" towards the bottom of the page... Opens at 180.

http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/filtmt.htm

SHINOBI-X

thanx a million guys.that thermostatic control is the ticket.i will for now disconnect and cap off the lines and wait until im ready to put on this new piece.thanx again for the info and the link! MIKE

BrianCunningham

I talked with Exotic Muscle about running a thermostat on an oil cooler. They said not too, most just restrict the flow too much.

What to do in the winter? Block it off.

SHINOBI-X

caught me just in time Brian,i'll just cap off and use the b&m cooler for my other car as a tranny cooler after i clean it out properly.thanx again!

ztrips

Unless you are running high RPM's all the time, there is no reason not to run one. Besides, with the size cooler you have a little restriction isn't going to hurt...

Nathan Plemons

Just run a good synthetic oil and ditch the cooler. I've considered one for my car but realized that I really don't do enough high RPM driving for it to matter. Now if I was into road racing or just speeding a lot I might install one.

ztrips

I would be careful with just capping the lines. You'll need to loop them or you might risk losing oil flow in the rest of the system. Really depends how you are setup.

But... I would suggest keeping the cooler and putting on a thermostat. Unless you are running synthetic >230 oil temps can be BAD...

Corvette0096

CFI-EFI

Baloney! I regularly see 235* on dino oil. No problems. Extended use over 250* on dino can be a problem, but even brief to uasage at 270* isnt disasterous.

RACE ON!!!

ztrips

I hope you change your oil often....

CFI-EFI

Once a year, whether is needs it it not. With over 160,000 miles on the untouched long block, it keeps running quicker 1/4 mile times. The inside of the engine is CLEAN. There are more problems, on this forum, with engines that don't get hot enough, for long enough, through improper thermostat application and usage, than those that run too hot. 250* is NOT too hot for dino oil. Do some research.

RACE ON!!!

#70SM2

Sounds like your cooler is to big. I've always had a cooler, no problem reaching 212 degrees, normal driving. I've reached as high as 270, right off the course in 105 degree California Speedway heat! But cools right down. Usually runs around 225-240 after some hot laps. I can check with Wendal and see what cooler he put on, works great.

ztrips

Sure (2 minutes on google):

Perma Industries "Oil that exceeds 220°F rapidly loses its ability to lubricate and cool causing accerlerated fatigue and premature component failure."

Exxon "Typically, you should operate you oil at 180-185 F. Maximum Oil temperature is usually 245 F."

Personally, I would spend $35 on a thermostat for an oil cooler instead of just crossing my fingers and thinking that just because my engine hasn't toasted yet or my idiot lights aren't on, I have nothing to worry about. Hot oil is BAD. If it wasn't there would be no market in synthetics or coolers and we would all use the same viscosity. There is no reason arguing over how hot is hot, what bad really means, or the definition of "is"...

CFI-EFI

My reference in that quote was to the coolant thermostat. MY car has no engine oil cooler.

RACE ON!!!