Perhaps this question was discussed some time ago (couldn't find any threads). I just had oil changed at Porsche service on my 997.2 Carrera 4 (model 2010). After a first few hundred miles, oil temp gauge always came to 200 F after a warm up period (20 min) and the oil level measurement indicator showed everything was in order before shutting off the engine. Today, during another 100 miles trip, I noticed the oil gauge didn't move past 175, even after 45 minutes of driving at app. 3000 rpm, it even sat between 150-175 for most of the time. Is this something of a normal "anomaly" or should I be concerned. I don't think the oil change requires any tempering with the oil temp/level sender unit in the engine, so it may be possible that sensor could be failing by chance. I will monitor the situation. Any feedback is welcome.

 

When I had my 2011 Carrera S it also sat around 200F. Oil change doesn't require any changes or adaptations to any sensors. I was going to ask if there were any ambient temp differences, but that shouldn't have any impact. I'd likely take it out again and monitor the situation. What you're describing did happen in my Audi, on occasion.

 

On that 100 mile trip, did you try driving a few miles at, say 5000 rpm to see what that did to the oil temp.?

 

I live in south florida and unless Im sitting in stand still traffic or 4k plus (gets real smooth up there) mine won't go much above 200 driving at 3k rpm. It could be one drive was harder than the other. Two different brands of oil, or two different oil weights. Two different amounts. When I had my PPI done (09 4S) it ran a little hotter with the high end castor stuff. Had the indy do a new one with motul a year later and it ran a little cooler as a whole. It does take a little longer to get it up to temp with the motul vs the castrol. One thing I noticed in mine is when i go to work in it, I drive in a straight like for like 6 miles then make my first turn to the right. The temp always drops a few degrees after the turn. I think it has something to do with the baffles in the sump I guess. Someone will know a lot more than me and chime in.

 

see also: https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...tual-temp.html

 

Oil temp between 160-250F depending on load and ambient temp.

 

...and weather.

If it's raining or foggy, the car will run cooler as the moisture on the radiators helps the cooling process.

 

I had another go around today. The roads were dry, outside temp was 60F. After a thorough warm-up, the oil temp came to app. 180-190. I also did few accelerations in succession between 5000-6000 rpm, as I drive manual and it is easy to modulate the engine revs, the oil temp gauge came to 200F. In my original post, I did forget to mention that on a day when oil temp was dancing around 175F, it was raining quite hard and it is possible, the water spray around the drivetrain provided some additional "cooling". In any case, thank you all for valuable feedback and yes, I mainly monitor oil temp while driving, as the coolant temp gauge comes to 175F rather quickly, whereas the oil temp follows with a significant lag time, varying with the outside temperature.

 

Ignore the coolant temp gauge. It shows 175 from about 140 to 220 and is an idiot light disguised as a gauge. If it ever shows hot, you have a major issue, like you've lost all your coolant - otherwise it just sits there pointing straight up independent of actual temperature.

 

2010 C4S PDK with 145K miles ...

Rainy winter sea level freeway cruising at 70 mph and a 40F ambient nets oil temperatures of 160F ... Below what I consider a warmed up motor.

Summer spirited high altitude mountain pass driving involving low gears, low speed, high rpm, high load conditions at a dry 100F result in 250 to 275F oil temperatures. One time I saw my water temp gauge nudge a needle width above 175. I backed off on the throttle and it dropped right back to 175.

I have installed a third radiator and hope to get a solid test on that in the next couple of weeks, hoping to see oil temperatures drop a bit. But as I see it, the 997 is on its edge of cooling capability and regulation is not its strong point.

 

Wow, 250-275 would have me a bit on edge. I live in CO (thinner air = less cooling ability of the radiators) and the highest I had seen my oil temps get on my .1 C2S were around 240-245 in the driving conditions you described (mountain driving, high ambient temps, uphill, low speed, high rpm). Once I added the 3rd radiator, I have not seen my oil temps exceed 225, even under those same driving conditions. In addition, the 3rd radiator can bring down those temps quite a bit faster once you get on the highway or start taking it easy again.

I think you'll be happy with the addition of your 3rd radiator. I highly recommend it for anyone who uses their car for anything more than a cruiser/commuter car.

 

+1 on the third radiator, you'll love it! Essential for track use and beneficial for high performance driving overall. And I love that the car now remains cool even in long stretches of stop-and-go traffic..

 

Could you be more specific about the 3rd radiator-did you do it yourself or was it done by Porsche. Also, sorry if my question is naive, where is it located and how involved is the installation. Any pics would be welcome if possible.

 

The 997.1 kit also fits the 997.2 and if you have a .2 car this will save you some money. For .2 cars EMC2 makes a nice 3D printed piece (2 per kit) to smooth the air space between the new center radiator and the OEM side radiators. The car comes ready to mount and plumb the third radiator but you will need to cut a couple holes in the bottom of the bumper skin (these won't be visible unless you crawl under the car).

There have been several write ups on this Forum that the search function will help you find.

 

I don't have any pics handy, but you can do a Google search and find some of images of where it is located and how it looks. It goes in the center, so you would remove the plastic blank that resides there now if you don't have a center/3rd radiator.

I've read that it's pretty straight forward to install, but I had my shop install it when they were replacing the water pump and doing some other things, so it was worth the few hundred dollars to just have them knock it out for me.