Oil temps?
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 10,399
Likes: 25
From: Austin Texas
Oil temps?
I have an '08 A6 Z51 and am curious about my oil temps. They are within 2-3 degrees of coolant temp with city driving. Just checked again; coolant @ 214° and oil @ 212° after a 10 mile drive with one stop with 70° ambient temp..
The reason I'm asking is I just added engine cap covers in heavy aluminum and the oil fill cap gets too hot to touch in day to day city driving. The heavy aluminum seems to act like a heat sink.
The reason I'm asking is I just added engine cap covers in heavy aluminum and the oil fill cap gets too hot to touch in day to day city driving. The heavy aluminum seems to act like a heat sink.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,042
Likes: 15
From: Western Kentucky
I missed the question in your post. What do the caps have to do with the oil temperature? The caps get hot because they absorb the heat from the engine and air trapped under the hood.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 10,399
Likes: 25
From: Austin Texas
The question is about other peoples oil temps. Are my nearly equal oil and coolant temps normal?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 14,949
Likes: 263
From: St. Louis, MO
St. Jude Donor '08
Well...at least it is on the manual. Not sure about the auto z51.
But to answer your question mine run about the same too.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,042
Likes: 15
From: Western Kentucky
I haven't payed close enough attention to mine to say for certain but hazard a guess and say yes and here is why. The radiator/coolant main function is cooling the engine. Temperatures stabilize based on conditions. Oil circulates through the engine and also picks up engine heat. The temperature sending units are located in different locations so there will be differences but probably not much.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 14,999
Likes: 199
From: Bay Area Ca.
Oil temp seems in line with what I would see. I have the 160 degree stat. so I would not see anything over 195 coolant temp. with your scenario. On the open road the coolant would come down to 180 with the oil staying about the same as before 210ish.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 5,078
Likes: 19
From: Cumming, GA
And yes the oil temps generally are within a couple of deg of the coolant temps under that type of driving.
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Pro
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 539
Likes: 1
From: Edmond, OK
This does not sound normal to me fellas. For me to see 21x temps it has to be 90+deg and stop-n-go traffic for 10mins plus with the a/c on. The OP said he stopped once in 10miles during 70deg weather. There is no reason he should see that high over 200deg in those conditions. I don't even see mid 190's under those conditions.
And yes the oil temps generally are within a couple of deg of the coolant temps under that type of driving.
And yes the oil temps generally are within a couple of deg of the coolant temps under that type of driving.
but I am recovering from a stomach virus.Let us know if this ends up being a problem.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 975
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From: Pleasant Hill Ca.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 265
Likes: 3
From: Metamora, IL
The oil inside your engine serves two purposes. 1) To lubricate the internal components of the engine 2) To cool the engine and it's components. I agree that your oil seems to heat up a bit more quickly than normal, but I would not worry about it. If you had your oil changed and did not complete the work yourself, are you sure you got the recommended synthetic oil and viscosity? Both could affect oil temperature. Overall, your engine oil temperature should run within 15 ~ 20 degrees of your coolant temperature once the engine has been at operating temperature for 30 minutes or so. Of course, driving conditions will have more influence than anything. Are you just driving in town, long road trips at a steady speed, or racing? I would not expect the heavy aluminum covers to have any effect on oil temperature.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 40,999
Likes: 9,764
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
There is nothing wrong with your engine oil or coolant temps. Those readings can be perfectly normal. Your oil temp could be that level especially since the coolant temp is at 214. How hard were you running the engine just before you took the temp readings? As you run the engine harder (more power) or run it easy at high revs (buzzing the engine) the oil temp will climb. With the EOC in your car if you were tracking it and running at WOT for 20 minutes or more your oil temp would climb to about 260 with coolant temps running over 220.
Bill
Bill
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 24,964
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From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
Cruising along the interstate on a mild day after everything is warmed up, my 2009 A6 Z51 will have coolant at 196-200, and oil at 210-220. Hot day, oil goes to 225 but coolant stays the same.
Driving moderately in traffic, coolant will get warmer but oil changes very little.
2008 & later A6 do not have an oil cooler, not sure about earlier.
Driving moderately in traffic, coolant will get warmer but oil changes very little.
2008 & later A6 do not have an oil cooler, not sure about earlier.
