How does one know when the oil thermostat has opened? I checked some threads on it and no one has really specifically answered it from what I've read :l

 

well i,m guessing but on mine i watch the oil level indicator & the temp gauge as i set off out & as the temp goes up to the middle the oil level then goes to half/ three quarter
i guess that the oil thermostat has just done its job but then what do i know ?

 

On USA cars the passenger side door sill gets warm I think, i know my drivers side does (uk)

 

I can see the t'stat open by watching the temp gauge. Mine rises to 194F then drops noticeably when the t'stat opens and mixes in that relatively cold oil from the front oil cooler and lines.

You could also feel the oil cooler lines, but that's hard to do while driving! ;-)

 

I drive the car (depending on ambient temperature) at least 30 minutes, and pretty hard, to get the oil hot enough to open the thermostat. If the ambient temperature is cold--say, below freezing-- i might have to drive a lot more than 30 minutes. If ambient is very hot-- say, 90 degrees F--I might only have to drive 15 minutes.

In my experience, the oil temp gauge needle will rise slightly above the third mark (two very close marks at the bottom, then the third one around 8 o'clock), then the oil level gauge needle will fall back to slightly below the third mark. This indicates the thermostat has opened and allowed the hot oil to pass to the oil cooler.

Then I drive the car hard some more just to make sure the oil is good and hot. When I stop on level ground and let the car idle for 30 seconds, the oil temperature gauge needle will rise to about the 3 o'clock spot on the gauge. Then I check the oil level using the dipstick; it then usually shows the level halfway between the two notches on the dipstick. This is all good.

If the needle stays in the red, I begin to add oil slowly until the needle rises to 3 o'clock. This usually only takes a pint.

 

gotcha thanks for the quick replies

 

+1
you're doing nothing differently, then suddenly the temp gauge drops significantly and quickly

 

here is my quick guide ...
1. leave the car idling for 15 mins and watch the oil temp rise to 194F
2. watch the oil temp suddenly drop
3. wait another 15 mins and watch the oil temp rise past 194F to about 9 o'clock.
4. then do your oil level check

if it cold, i heard my mechanic mention that they place a blanket over the engine to speed things up.

be very patient.

it takes a long long time, so get a book to read.

driving the car ruins the process, it must idling with no air flow.

 

Obligatory thread pic of temp. gauge:

 

another question I see the points to jack the car up with the floor jack but where exactly do I place the jack stands?

 

https://rennlist.com/forums/964-foru...ackstands.html

 

It is open when the top of the Passengers fender is hot!

 

Exactly.

 

Thank you, and lol at Makmov

"under the jack points."

Also whats the story with flat topped jack stands, I just bought two V shaped from craftsman and two v shaped from harborfreight , the HF's are a bit shorter then the craftsman could this possibly be a problem?

 

where else would you put them

I know you are probably thinking how am I going to get a stand under there if I am jacking there?

Well you have to be creative and if you use the rear jack point to jack the car up you can get the stands under the front points and then jack up the engine to get the rear stands under.

I would get the rubber jack pad tool, and the Porsche 964 special jack adapter for your jack.

The flat top ones will not distroy the jack pads under the car.

What I would do is get a matching set of harborfreight stands and get the rubber pads for them. It will help protect the points under the car and make a good anti-slip stand.