vpnwiz Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 This weekend at Putnam Park my oil temps were climbing into the ~245 degree range. I was running close to redline (sometimes over ) and the ambient temps were between 90-95 degrees. I don't know exactly what the track temps were but it was F-ing HOT. Normally she is around the 220-235 range. It's a 92 Miata with s/c and I am running Mobil 1 10w30 full syn. I have no idea if my regular oil temps are normal, colder or hotter than they should be though. Any advice? Thanks, Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renntag Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 My oil gets hotter than that. Check with Mobil, what temps are within the safe range for the oil? Do you have an oil cooler? You should if your force feeding it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
latapx Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 My Civic (1.6l SOHC N/A) was seeing close to 300 without an oil cooler and lived. I was winding it to 7500RPM and would have to back off of the RPM limit for a few laps for it to settle back down. Once I installed an oil cooler the temps have come down to a max of 240 at Sebring during a 35 minute race never shifting below 7400RPM, in JULY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renntag Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I have also just recently installed an oil cooler for my motor oil and power steering fluid. Temps are significantly lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vpnwiz Posted October 11, 2007 Author Share Posted October 11, 2007 I do have an oil cooler, but it is behind a solid portion of the front nose and I was worried it is not functioning well. Looks like it is though. I also have a remote oil filter setup too. Thanks for letting me know what temps you are getting. The Mobil 1 web site says their full syn is good for "up to" 400 degrees. I tried looking for specifics on the 10w30 but couldn't interpret the science specs. Even if they are overstating, just over half of that temp should be no problem! It looks like I am very safe, especially since most of the time I'm running in the 220's. Regards, Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryancohn Posted October 19, 2007 Share Posted October 19, 2007 Take this for what your paying for it: Oil temps over 220 deg in general start to break down oil, regardless of whether they are dinosauer squeezings or synthentic. Any time you see high numbers its time for an oil change. In my race car, if I see anything over 240 deg I change the oil at the end of the session. Oil is cheaper than a motor! This comes from my engine builder and field experience. Each engine type is different so your needs might be different. Most likey the combination of high ambient temps, high humidity and high rpm's caused the temp to jump. Look into an water/oil cooler or heat exchanger. It works by bringing the oil up to temp and them the water keeps the oil at a more stable temp. Has little effect on water temp as a side note. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falcon Posted October 20, 2007 Share Posted October 20, 2007 This weekend at Putnam Park my oil temps were climbing into the ~245 degree range. I was running close to redline (sometimes over ) and the ambient temps were between 90-95 degrees. I don't know exactly what the track temps were but it was F-ing HOT. Normally she is around the 220-235 range. It's a 92 Miata with s/c and I am running Mobil 1 10w30 full syn. I have no idea if my regular oil temps are normal, colder or hotter than they should be though. Any advice? Thanks, Patrick In 1992 the Corvette factory went to Mobile 1 as the factory fill because they could eliminate an oil cooler. From what I've read Mobile 1 can stand much higher temperatures (up to 300*) than previous oils thereby leading to Corvette's decision. I've seen C5's (both the LS1 and the LS6) run all day at HPDE's at 300* and nothing bad happened. What that does to the longevity of the motor, I can't say, but they do hold together. I put a oil cooler on my C5's just because I think 250-260 oil temp is better than 300*. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAC Posted October 20, 2007 Share Posted October 20, 2007 I have my warning set at 260F. With our custom oil cooler and radiator setup, I haven't seen much over 240 even at 105 deg. ambient. Change your oil often as has been said, but try to keep the temps from skyrocketing toward 300. That's far too much heat. Bearings start to get damaged at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted October 20, 2007 Share Posted October 20, 2007 I see +300 deg. temps by lap 2 on every session. ...and I have since 2004 when I started racing. I researched oils at that time and the only one that had a data sheet claiming it could withstand these temperatures was Red Line 20w50. I have used it exclusively since my second event in 2004 and the engine still makes power on the dyno in impound. (BTW - I have an oil cooler that is 21" across, too.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingDog Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Mobil gives the HTHS spec for Mobil 1 products at 150*C/302*F. If that spec is good enough for your motor, the oil is still doing its job. I would be more worried that if the oil is that hot, what else could be too hot. Also, 10W30 is probably the worst Mobil 1 motor oil on paper. 5W30 actually has better HTHS numbers. I have no idea whether that indicates that it's better in reality or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanrome Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 It isn't unusual for me to see 280-300* within a few laps. I just change my oil frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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