Jump to content
SAU Community

Engine Oil Too Cold

dan.1337

By dan.1337,
in General Maintenance

 Share

Recommended Posts

dan.1337 Proficient

dan.1337

Posted
Posted

I have a Greddy/Grex thermostatic oil block adapter hooked up to a Mishimoto 19 row oil cooler in my R33 GTS-T.

The oil cooler is located in the drivers wheel well with ventilation cut into the splash guard to pull air through it.

The issue I'm finding is that my oil temps are very low. On track they sit at 85-90C (previously 120-130C), and on the road in winter they are sitting anywhere between 20-40C (previously 80-90C) with ambient air temps of 8-10C.

I paid extra for a thermostatic adapter so I wouldn't have these issues, but have a feeling it could be stuck open.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get my oil temps higher or test the adapter? I don't want to make covers for the cooler as the adapter should be doing this job.

12061794176_ee81768035_c.jpg

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/445486-engine-oil-too-cold/
Share on other sites
Jazzadub Enthusiast

Jazzadub

Posted
Posted

You could run 0-30W? It would be at the right viscosity at the track, and wouldn't be too thick at 20C to be a problem but definitely not ideal.

I think you have already tested that the thermostatic valve isn't working, otherwise your oil temperatures should sit at around the opening temperature when idling, just like how a coolant thermostat affects the water temperature.

It may be possible that the lines are not connected properly, ie the cooler is not actually connected to the thermostat ports on the sandwich block?

MrStabby Grand Master

MrStabby

Posted
Posted

AFAIK oil pressure the key thing, but yeah 20-40 seems too cold. My HKS kit, which has a thermostat, sits at just above 70 degrees on the stock gauge all the time except at the track. To test coolant thermostats you just put them in a saucepan of tap water on the stove with a thermometer and check the temperature when you see it open. No idea if you could do similar with your oil thermostat, but if its stuck open you should be able to see that when you pull it out.

Agree with double checking the plumbing too.

GTRPSI Mentor

GTRPSI

Posted
Posted

Are you still running the factory water/oil heat exchanger? If not I suggest you do as it keeps the oil temp in line with the water temp.

This is a very important thing, not only does it pull heat out when hot but it also speeds up getting oil temps higher when cold.

Key point being you want oil and water temps about even.

Im surprised by the amount of people who remove them and just run a external cooler, with or without a thermostate, the factory heat exchanger will help warm up the oil quicker.

One cheap way to know if the thermostate bypass is open is to feel the feed hose to the cooler on a cold day, if its warm and the return pipe is cold, you know its stuck open.

Dose Pipe Sutututu Grand Master

Dose Pipe Sutututu

Posted
Posted

^ yep I cringe when I hear/see people doing it to their built motors!

Then they will say "well just baby it till it gets to the right temp" during that time most of the west and tear is happening but each to their own right?

scotty nm35 Grand Master

scotty nm35

Posted
Posted

Oil thermostats are designed to 'Leak' oil to the cooler, they never seal completely so the cooler remains warm, to reduce thermal shock when the thermostat does open.

I would be leaving the water to oil cooler in place as has been mentioned.

dan.1337 Proficient

dan.1337

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for the feedback so far. Pulled out the thermostat to have a look last night and couldn't find anything wrong. The pin inside isn't stuck (was able to move it with a flat screwdriver).

I was using a 10w-50 oil but have just put Penrite 10w-40 racing in, so hopefully it's a bit thinner at lower operating temps than the 50 weight.

Still using the factory oil/water exchanger as I didn't want to tinker with this and run a pure oil cooler setup. Water temps are around 90C on track but can't remember what they are on street, I think around 80-90C according the the PFC hand controller.

Some pics of the adapter I took yesterday:

2jb8e86.jpg

3ftoo.jpg

GTRPSI Mentor

GTRPSI

Posted
Posted (edited)

What brand is it?

I think mine was closed when i tested it, if slightly cracked open it could be a air bleed function so you dont end up having it open and a buch of air enter your motor when you needed oil. :)

I might get it out tomorrow and take another look, its packed in a box somewhere....

Edited by GTRPSI
Piggaz Grand Master

Piggaz

Posted
Posted

^ yep I cringe when I hear/see people doing it to their built motors!

Then they will say "well just baby it till it gets to the right temp" during that time most of the west and tear is happening but each to their own right?

RB 20's don't have a heat exchanger like the 26's do. They seem to be going ok for the last 25 years.
scotty nm35 Grand Master

scotty nm35

Posted
Posted

Does your oil temp run cool on cold days even through that small gap?

I have a 30 row oil cooler with a 14 inch thermo that switches in automatically at 80c, I also run the stock water to oil cooler.

Most of the time my oil sits around 70 - 80c, even in winter, but I still got the oil up to 140 odd at Sandown on a 30 degree day, after only 3 laps. The water was at 145 though, I probably should have turned the boost down. :P

Dose Pipe Sutututu Grand Master

Dose Pipe Sutututu

Posted
Posted

I am about to install a grex thermostatic oil cooler on my 34gtt,

Where is this stock water-oil heat exchange? Want to be sure I don't remove/alter it

it's where the oil filter sits on.. you'll see water hoses going in/out of it :)

  • Like 1
Chris32 Veteran

Chris32

Posted
Posted

Interesting, I can't see how your oil can get that cold. My car runs a similar sized cooler in the same location without a thermostat and my oil gets up to around 70 in a few kms and settles at 80 for the rest of the drive / until you give it a sustained bootful. Running the Penrite Racing 10 too.

What sort of gauge are you running and where is the temp sensor located?

Dose Pipe Sutututu Grand Master

Dose Pipe Sutututu

Posted
Posted

Interesting, I can't see how your oil can get that cold. My car runs a similar sized cooler in the same location without a thermostat and my oil gets up to around 70 in a few kms and settles at 80 for the rest of the drive / until you give it a sustained bootful. Running the Penrite Racing 10 too.

What sort of gauge are you running and where is the temp sensor located?

It's because you're still running your stock water/oil heat exchanger :)

My oil temp probe is in the sandwich/thermostat plate

If you ever see guys with RB20s with massive oil cooler without thermostats - their oil takes ages to heat up.... (I for one did the same thing on my RB20 back a decade ago, ran an oil cooler without a thermostat - very silly).

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • TurboTapin
      boost source Size Garrett gt28 gen2

      By TurboTapin · Posted

      You just need to remove the compressor housing, not the entire turbo. I would not be drilling and tapping anything with the housing still on anyways. 
    • Kinkstaah
      Mistakes were made, my R34 Story

      By Kinkstaah · Posted

      So, I put my boat on a boat. First of all, I'm going to come out and say it. Why is Tasmania not considered a holy goal, an apex that all road-legal modified cars go to, to experience? This place is an absolute wonderland of titanic proportions. If people are already getting club runs for once in a lifetime 30 person cruises to Tassy then I've never seemed to see it. It is like someone replaced the entire place with an idyllic wonderland for cars, and all of the people living there with paid actors who are kind, humble, and friendly. Dear god. After doing a lap of almost all of the place I've found that it's a great way to find out all of the little things that the car isn't doing quite right and a great way to figure it all out. All in all, I drove for 4 hours a day for a week and nothing broke. I didn't even need to open the engine bay. This is by all means a great success, but it has left me with a list of things to potentially address. I also now have a 3D printed wheel fitment tool which annoyingly hasn't got any threads in it to actually assemble it. I might be able to tape it together to check the sizing I actually want to use, but it'll likely involving pulling the shocks out to properly measure travel at least at the front, and probably raise the car while I'm at it, at least in the rear. I scraped on quite a few things and I'm not sure how else to go about it. I was taking anything with a bump at what felt like 89 degree angles. And address those 10 other tasks. And wash the car. God damn it is dirty. And somehow, the weather was perfect the entire time - And because I was on the top of Mt Wellington it turns out it was very much about to freeze up there. I did something I typically never do and took some photos up there in what must have been -10 and the foggy felt like suspended ice, rather than mere fog. If you own a car in Australia, you owe it to yourself to do it.
    • QB6SAGR
      Battle of the broken skylines

      By QB6SAGR · Posted

      Damn that was hilarious, and a bit embarrassing for skylines in general 😂 vintage car life ey. That R33 really stomped. Pretty entertaining stuff
    • cosline
      R32 gtr transmission strength, billet plate

      By cosline · Posted

      Hi, I have a r32 gtr transmission. Does any of you guys have an idea how much power it will hold with the billet center plate and stock gearset? At what power level and use did yours brake with or without billet plate? Thanks, Oystein Lovik
    • Rezz
      Spotted on the street....

      By Rezz · Posted

      Saw this replica police car based on a Mitsubishi Starion XX parked next to a 'police box' (it's literally a box) in Hirohata, Himeji City in Hyogo prefecture the other day. It's owned by Morii-san who is a local Mitsubishi Starion enthusiast. According to a local radio station blog post, he always wanted to make a police car himself based on ones he saw in his favourite Manga comics.  As it's illegal to modify a car to look like a police car and drive on the road, Morii-san tried many times to get permission from Aboshi police station headquarters nearby. They refused initially by after they got tired of that they granted him permission. However, the car can only be displayed on private property and obviously can't be registered as long as the police livery is present. The car was completed at a cost of 1.5 million yen (US$ 10,000) in addition to the car cost. A location was chosen outside Hirohata Police box where the car can easily been seen from the street. Morii-san has two other Starion road cars, both widebody GSR-VRs.
×
×
  • Create New...