jox

This might be a stupid question but this is the first summer with the car so I'm a bit worried.

Thanks to the heat wave we've had lately and thanks to construction zones popping up all over the city, I've been stuck in pretty heavy traffic a few times over the past few weeks.

Every time I get stuck, the engine temp almost climbs up to the red, even with the spoiler up. But luckily the traffic starts flowing again just before it reaches the danger zone. Have I just been lucky so far, or is this usually the limit of how hot the engine becomes sitting in traffic at relatively high summer temps (~86)?

DaveK

Mine has never got much above about 9 o'clock - which is quite a long way from the red.

Marc Shaw

It should be able to sit in traffic just fine - are you sure your thermostat and oil cooler is working?

Marc

dfinnegan

Your temp gauge should not go that high. I rarely get above the 8 o'clock position here in NY and regularly see temps in the 90's.

Does your right front fender get hot? - it should when the thermostat opens at just below 8 o'clock on the temp guage

Does the fan on the oil cooler run? - it should around 9 o'clock on the gauge and you can feel it if you put your hand under the fender in front of the left front wheel. The fan should then run at high speed when you get up around 10 o'clock on the gauge.

Some times the oil cooler, itself, needs to be cleaned. Again, under the right front fender.

cwrm4

What type/grade/brand of oil are you using?

If you have something very thin (for the Swedish winters...) that could be part of the problem.

The worst I've seen the needle go while stuck in traffic in Houston, which is REALLY HOT right now, is the 10 o'clock position.

Porscheholic

I just had the exact same problem, and as already stated above, it was a combination of the thermostat not working (it sends the oil to the oil cooler once it reaches a certain temperature), and the fans for the oil cooler were not working. So could have one or both problems, but not a huge deal to get fixed. Do the warm fender test that has been extensively written about in this forum - once your oil temperature gauge gets anywhere near the 9 o'clock position feel the right front fender just above/behind the wheel - it should be noticeably warm/hot - the left fender will feel cool by comparison. If the right fender does not feel warm, the thermostat is not sending the hot oil to the cooler. If the right fender is warm, then chances are your oil cooler fans are not working properly. The thermostat could also be only working intermittently, in which case it still needs to be replaced.

But not to worry - these are relatively easy fixes.

dfinnegan

This link will also help . . .

TR6

Definitely something wrong. Mine has endured sitting in temps above 100 degrees F in Texas and has only gone slightly above 9 o'clock.

springer3

May be correct, but I don't understand how. Thick oil is not as good a coolant because the boundry layer in the heat exchanger thickens up and that slows the heat transfer. Also, thin oil flows faster, so you get more volume through the heat exchanger. I may be missing something, and just curious about your comment.

I run in Atlanta traffic in mid-summer with the AC keeping the cabin very nice. I never see alarming oil temperature, and very seldom does it rise as high as 10 o'clock. My fan and thermostat obviously work fine, and I have cleaned both the oil and the AC heat exchangers in the front fenders.

Bull

Agree with others...something is wrong with the system in your car.

cwrm4

You are probably correct but my thought was that if the oil became too thin, you could actually flow too fast through the oil cooler circuit and not provide enough time for the needed heat transfer. Also, if the oil is some sort of extreme cold grade, at high temperature you have excessive flash-off and get vapors in the system. Probably unlikely given the degree to which these cars are engineered, are generally operated, but you never know.

In this case, that could be a contributing factor, but I also believe that there is also a mechanical problem (fan or t-stat) or blockage with the car's oil system.

springer3

Actually faster flow through a heat exchanger results in better cooling. Think about it this way: the average temperature in the heat exchanger will actually be higher, and therefore more total heat is rejected. Low flow is low cooling, and zero flow is zero cooling, even though oil in the heat exchanger will be stone cold.

Until you get into extreme viscosity differences, the temperature difference is not enough to make a practical difference. I think the case is made that the poster has a mechanical problem causing high oil temperature.

amfp

In addition to above to check, take off your engine shield pan, if it is still on. I would not continue running your car if it is at 10 area. Remember the the hash that seems to be in the middle is really at 8 o'clock. - not 9 o'clock.

Duck

I have installed the high speed oil cooler fan switch and have no issues with temp. on 95 degree days. It was the cheap way since I assume that the resistor at oil cooler is needing replacement.

springer3

Worn out topic, and to each his own. I seriously doubt the pan restricts cooling at idle. Mine stays on, and there are no issues with cooling. I run the AC in traffic on 100° F 100% RH days.