mgordon18

At the risk of starting yet another oil thread...

My oil temp got up to 280 in high 70s air temp at a DE at Watkins Glen last week. I'm running Mobil 1 0W-40. This oil has 5 track days and about 2600 mostly street miles on it.

2 questions:

1. Do I need to do an oil change before my next event?
2. Should I put in 5W-40 instead?

Thanks in advance.

T&T Racing

What is the car model. The engine oil cooling capacity could be inadequate for tracking the car What does the owners manual say?

Matt Romanowski

What car and where is it measured?

mgordon18

991.1 4S. Completely stock. No idea where it's measured.

I was on your track walk with Zone 1 last week, Matt!

Hella-Buggin'

You probably need an oil change for sure and might look at something with a higher shear temp. I've read that you can add about 60 degrees at the bearings to the OE gauge reading.
How was the oil pressure looking? The 991 oil pressure system is pretty robust.

mgordon18

Didn't notice the oil pressure. But the car ran like a champ for the whole session.

mdrums

You definitely need an oil change.....with out getting into an oil brand weight thread and oil war...do some searching here and on the GT3 forums about oil and you'll find lots of theories and suggestions.

Bill Lehman

Looks like a cooling issue, not an oil issue. Does the car have a "Sport" mode?

mgordon18

I does. Two, in fact. I was in Sport Plus at all times. That's supposed to increase cooling.

This car does seem to run a bit warm. Even on the street, if it's warm outside, It'll go sometimes above 210 or 220.

BFT3.2

Mike! Good to see ya.. Missed each other in the panic to beat the storm home on Sunday afternoon. Not sure if we talked temps and of course our cars have nothing in common aside from being Porsches but here's a data reference.

'98 Spec Boxster with center radiator, low temp thermostat and Boxster S oil cooler running Motul 5w-50 Sport on that same day: Oil was 230 (measured at cam cover), Coolant never got above 215F.

I know nothing about modern 911's or their oil weight recommendations but I'd imagine a 5w-50 might serve you better with temps like that. I usually change oil after 5-6 track days and my Blackstone reports always seem to be good.

See ya soon!

-Bill

mgordon18

Hey Bill! I looked for you before I took off, but you weren't around... See you next time.

I'm going to do an oil change tomorrow and put in 5w50. Going out tonight to see if I can find some.

BFT3.2

The only 5w-50 I know of that can be "easily" found is Mobil, I get my Motul 5w-50 Sport on eBay from dealers.

Matt Romanowski

I hope you liked the walk. They are really fun. Even more when we have the time to walk the whole place!

My 914 is a different motor, but I've worked on oil with a two different companies/engineers on oil and temps since I have so much data. Neither are afraid of the temps you posted assuming that is not the coolest spot. As a reference, my alarms start at 250F in the oil tank and 305F just out of the motor. This is based on their advice and oil analysis.

If you are in doubt, an oil change is cheap(ish) insurance and piece of mind. The only downside to an early oil change is the expense.

alexaqui

Great seeing you at the event. My 997.2 4S also saw very high oil temps at the track. The car routinely in the 280 range, just like yours, in all weather temps. I was told not to worry about it until it goes over 300. If you are worried about it, change the oil more frequently and/or use a higher quality oil that is less likely to shear. I believe the 0-40 you put in your car is considered one of the better anti-shearing ones, even though it is cheap and can be bought at Wally World. Suggest looking at the 300V Motul as well.

My car didn't go over 207 the entire weekend.

Matt, great track walk. Thank you very much for the AIM support.

Jabs1542

Do you have a center radiator? If not, get one!

Change your oil every 5 (or less) track days to keep it fresh and ensure good shear.

I have had oil heat issues with my 991.1, several posts here on RL. I discovered some things talking to others:
- the center radiator makes a big difference;
- if you can get an OBD reader you should watch your coolant temps (we all know the coolant gauge lies - don’t we?), you will be surprised when you see the real data;
- there is speculation about the pickup point for the temp sensor, regardless anything approaching 300 degrees is scary; check into racing oils, oils that claim they survive higher temps (I was using Motul and am now on LiquiMoly);
- the MOST IMPORTANT indicator is how quickly the oil temp drops during the cool down lap, I will see 270+ drop down to under 230 within the cool down lap, this means everything is working as it should.