Oil Cooler/Temperature Question
08-25-2005, 12:13 PM
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Oil Cooler/Temperature Question
I have been searching through the archives and it appears that based on information in the archives my oil temperature is a bit on the high side. My 97 C2 seems to hover a bit over 9 o'clock when i am driving pretty agressively around town. I believe this is right around the temp at which the low speed fan kicks in, so it kind of makes sense that it stops at that temp. I have verified that the fan is working as i can feel it when the temp is high and i am idling. When i get on the highway, the temp drops way down to around 8 o'clock. A quick inspection of the oil cooler itself (just taking a peek through the grill) reveals that it looks pretty clean. At least no obvious buildup of any kind on the intake side of the oil cooler.
It's 70F outside with low humidity, and i was still able to get it up to this temp on the ride into work. Are my temps really higher than what others are seeing without any modifications? Any there other things that could be wrong that are causing the high temps. I still have the engine cover on BTW, so that's one thing i could try. There are certainly other things i could do to lower the oil temp, but i am just trying to figure out if something is currently "wrong" (broken).
Thanks.
-Steve
It's 70F outside with low humidity, and i was still able to get it up to this temp on the ride into work. Are my temps really higher than what others are seeing without any modifications? Any there other things that could be wrong that are causing the high temps. I still have the engine cover on BTW, so that's one thing i could try. There are certainly other things i could do to lower the oil temp, but i am just trying to figure out if something is currently "wrong" (broken).
Thanks.
-Steve
08-25-2005, 01:05 PM
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Steve,
First order, take the cover tray off and find a nice place for it to rest. You don't want it on the car. I doubt you'll see any difference in operating temps with it off, but for engine longevity, just do it.
Sounds like your fan operates as it should, there are mod's you can do to turn it on /off at will. If I had to commute in heavy stop and go traffic, I would mod. Also, if I tracked the car, I would be looking at supplemental cooling.
Otherwise, your car sounds "normal" to me. I would be concerned about sustained operations beyond the 9 o'clock position, which you don't describe.
Lots of opinions on this; your description matches my car. Be mindful of the temps and enjoy the car.
Jeff N
First order, take the cover tray off and find a nice place for it to rest. You don't want it on the car. I doubt you'll see any difference in operating temps with it off, but for engine longevity, just do it.
Sounds like your fan operates as it should, there are mod's you can do to turn it on /off at will. If I had to commute in heavy stop and go traffic, I would mod. Also, if I tracked the car, I would be looking at supplemental cooling.
Otherwise, your car sounds "normal" to me. I would be concerned about sustained operations beyond the 9 o'clock position, which you don't describe.
Lots of opinions on this; your description matches my car. Be mindful of the temps and enjoy the car.
Jeff N
08-25-2005, 01:10 PM
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08-25-2005, 01:20 PM
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Have you verified that the low-speed fan speed works? There's an easy DIY test described on p-car.com. The low speed resistor is famous for failing. Or what does the gage read when you have heard the fan come on? I know my low speed fan works and it doesn't kick on until the gage needle is noticably above 9:00( maybe 9:30??)
08-25-2005, 01:51 PM
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Steve,
The oil temps and readings you describe are similar to mine. Spirited driving around town in warm summer wx will result in temps around the 9:00 position. Once I get on any type of open road the temps fall quickly to around 8:00 (ish). Slightly above 9:00 is where the oil cooler fan comes on in low speed and that is correct and coincides with my experience.
If the oil cooler fan operates, as you mentioned, in low speed, there is no need to replace the ballast resistor. If you have the bumper cover off sometime, you may replace it (and the A/C fan resistor as well) as a precaution. They are easier to replace with the bumper cover removed.
If you haven't done so already, take Jeff's advice re removing the engine tray. My car is spring, summer and fall use only and I haven't had they tray on since I bought the car four years ago. Also, Jeff's advice on high speed fan ops is good - skip this unless you track the car or operate it in bumper to bumper commuting traffic every day.
The oil temps and readings you describe are similar to mine. Spirited driving around town in warm summer wx will result in temps around the 9:00 position. Once I get on any type of open road the temps fall quickly to around 8:00 (ish). Slightly above 9:00 is where the oil cooler fan comes on in low speed and that is correct and coincides with my experience.
If the oil cooler fan operates, as you mentioned, in low speed, there is no need to replace the ballast resistor. If you have the bumper cover off sometime, you may replace it (and the A/C fan resistor as well) as a precaution. They are easier to replace with the bumper cover removed.
If you haven't done so already, take Jeff's advice re removing the engine tray. My car is spring, summer and fall use only and I haven't had they tray on since I bought the car four years ago. Also, Jeff's advice on high speed fan ops is good - skip this unless you track the car or operate it in bumper to bumper commuting traffic every day.
08-25-2005, 01:59 PM
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Thanks Guys. From reading through the archives you would get the impression that everone's oil temps never get above 8 o'clock. I've been thinking about doing both the engine cover and the fan override (gee the list starts to pretty long pretty quickly 
. I just wanted to make sure that my oil cooler wasn't toast, and that my oil temps weren't outrageously high.
-Steve
. I just wanted to make sure that my oil cooler wasn't toast, and that my oil temps weren't outrageously high.-Steve
08-25-2005, 02:53 PM
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Originally Posted by sojglenn
Thanks Guys. From reading through the archives you would get the impression that everone's oil temps never get above 8 o'clock. I've been thinking about doing both the engine cover and the fan override (gee the list starts to pretty long pretty quickly . I just wanted to make sure that my oil cooler wasn't toast, and that my oil temps weren't outrageously high.
-Steve
. I just wanted to make sure that my oil cooler wasn't toast, and that my oil temps weren't outrageously high.-Steve
If you do nothing else, remove the engine tray. Takes about 15 minutes, including getting the ***-end up in the air a little bit. An air/oil cooled engine needs all the air-flow it can get over and between the cyclinder heads. The tray inhibits this air-flow.
