Ellsworth Wente

I've been driving my car daily since March and started to notice that the oil temp was getting up to 250 occasionally.
After reading the past threads I decided to do a little test this evening. I started the car cold with the ac on and idled it for about 20min while detailing it ;-) The temp ran all the way up to the 250 mark! The aux cooler fan kicked on at around 220-230 and I touched the oil lines up front and burned my finger. About 2k miles ago I had the alternator out and found that all the fins where very clean. I have no oil leaks. The underside is nice and clean. Is it normal for an idling car to reach 250? What should I check next? Additionally, it has about 118k and has never been rebuilt. Oil consumption is about 1qt/600mi. Running 20w50 and the ambient temp is never above 80 around here. live at 6200ft.... oh, and I drove it about 2mi and did not see any temp drop...
thanks in advance!

JeremyW964

I wouldn't idle it for that long - Porsche recommends against it - engine - and exhaust temps get way too hot and can cause problems...

SPIKES

does the car "feel" hot. maybe your temp guage is playing up. obvious question...is the oil level correct?

reading your post again i missed the part that it burnt your fingers..hmmmm

SPIKES

another point...does it run as hot with a/c off?

john d 81SC

When else does it climb to 250 besides when you let it idle for 20 minutes? On the way to the Glen last summer, I pulled over when I saw a fellow PCAer stopped by the side of the road. I left my car idling, and when I went to drive away about 15 mins later, noticed my temp up around 250. Took some interstate driving to cool it back down to 'normal' (for last Aug about 210). What type of driving are you doing when it hits 250?

Ellsworth Wente

As far as the oil level goes, it's midway at full temp. haven't tried it with no ac... I have never idled it like that, usually just jump in and drive (below 3000rpm until it's warm.) But it seems odd that it would get that hot just sitting still.

Sadly, I just put it up on the stands and found that the rear wheel rubber dust cover that protects the universal where the drive shaft joins the wheel is split in half. looks recent... nonetheless, I won't be driving it any furthur than the local wrench now, so I guess I'll have him evaluate the temp issues as well. I've done all my own repairs for two years, but that one looks like a bigger PITA than I want to get into. Anyone know of a good wrench up in the Aspen/Glenwood Springs area???

Ellsworth Wente

John d: It has been getting up to about 240 or so when driving a steady 65.... it only got this hot once last summer on a really hot 85-90degree day... it's been doing it for a couple of weeks now...

Ellsworth Wente

Well I decided to do the axle work myself so I drove it today for about 10mi w/o ac and it stayed cool... hit about 200.... so I'm just going to keep an eye on it. Decided it wouldn't hurt to drive for the next week, since I'm going to just buy a complete axle with cv's. figure the cv joints have 118k on them, so I might as well just put in new parts. the fun never ends!

SPIKES

i would check the a/c compressor is not putting too much strain on the motor....maybe the pulley is binding up a bit??? is there a marked difference in idling when the a/c is switched on/off (rougth...lower idling) only a suggestion though.

k9handler

sounds like you just need to keep an eye on the temps...don't idle like that! Start the car and go, the engine needs airflow to stay cool and the fan speed is not enough at idle.
With my 3.6 I am only using a Mocal fender mounted cooler, and I am able to run at a consistant 110 mph with the temp in the 210 range. If I push it up to 120+ mph the temps will start to rise...and of course at 140 mph+ I can't stay there very long before the temps hit 240+. To cool the car down all I have to do is slow down to about 80 or so and she will cool down fairly quick and once at 210 I can resume speeds of the 100 mph range.

Ellsworth Wente

think I found it this morning! the aux cooler fan wasn't running when I pulled into work today and I was hitting about 230 degrees. So I'll be digging into the electrical tonight. Something is failing intermittently... probably a relay/thermostat/fan motor issue.

CrossT

Unless it has been modified, the aux fan comes on at somewhere between 240 deg and 250 deg. This is too hot -- leading some people to install a switch to allow you to turn the fan on at a lower temp.

todd
86cpe in need of aux cooler fan

ned

Ellsworth,
It is quite easy to install a switch across the relay so that you can energise the cooler fan when you want to. Alternatively install a lower temperature switch on the cooler. Pelican carries them.
Before doing anything like this however,try running with the a/c drive belt disconnected and check the effect on temperature.
Ned

scupper

It's easier to keep the engine running cool than to cool off a hot engine. For that reason, I installed a manual switch on my oil cooler fan, (An 83 SC with 87 cooler and fan). In addition, I installed one of those oil cooler scoops, (available from Pelican) that replace the right side running light to get a bit more cooling air to the fan when driving over 40 or 50 mph. As soon as my oil temps hit 200, I would flip on the fan. On the hotest of days, with the AC running, temp would rise to about 220 max. I never worried about the temps again, except on the track in the summer.

Chuck
Now driving a 93 C2

john d 81SC

scupper,

Have any idea how much cooling the scoop added - i.e., what temps you were running before you added it? I'm heading down to Summit/Jeff Circ on Thus, and if the temps are what they are here (90's), I'm in for some short runs on the track! (SC w/ 28 tube brass cooler; no fan; would prefer to avoid the front oil cooler installation; and have heard all the 'urban legend' anecdotes about the 'cool collar'! *G*)