oil cooling question for ya'all

[coachk]

Hey
76 w/2.7. just got. has fender mounted oil cooler. hoses have yet to get hot indicating. at wat temp does the thermosts open. the hottest i've seen the guage get is 210. engine runs great. i know the old addage don't fix what ain't broke but i would like to know if thethermo works. also when i change the oil, does all the oil and the cooler stay put. i ssume so. it would be nice to get it circulating before i change it. ideas or thoughts?
thanks:

[Rot 911]

the thermostat should be opening around 180-200 degrees. As for oil changes, you are correct the oil stays in the lines.

[GrindingGears]

-welcome to the board!

-so when you run the car for over 15 mins and touch the fender t-bone cooler it is dead cold?

-most say get the oil hot before an oil change

-if you're seeing max temps of 210, you have nooooo worries.

[Grady Clay]

Hey to you also.

First, where do you live? There is a big difference between Murmansk and Fairbanks compared to Phoenix and Cairo.

Tell us more about your 911. Does it have the OE Factory front cooler system? Does it still have the 5-blade fan? What is its history?

You will need to measure the actual temperatures with some independent means (not just the engine temp ga.) in order to fairly see if there is a problem at all.

Feel free to ask questions. The only dumb question is the one not asked.

Best,
Grady

[Emission]

Welcome to the board!

Where do you live (it helps us diagnose your problem - like Grady mentioned)?

Yes, you've got a few quarts of oil (if not more) that hangs out in the hoses and cooler even if you've removed both drain plugs.

[coachk]

Thanks for the replys.
I live in the washinton dc area. gets fairly hot and muggy round here. Had a couple of 90 degree days so far. What is the best way to get an accurate reading? Is there a way to pop the thermo out and drop it in water ala water cooled thermo?
thanks for any and all responses.

[vash]

coachk. i found that i could verify oil temps before the external tstat with either the thermoprobe from my sears multimeter, or my infrared thermometer (point and shoot) from work. i know sears sells a really nicely priced unit for around 45 one dollar bills. i may pick up one to test cooking oil temps, omlette pan temps....etc..... you will be surprised how non-hot your oil can be. i was blown away, with my 75 car.

[Emission]

If you use your IR thermometer (I've got one too) and "shoot" the lines or oil cooler, you'll see much cooler temps that those on the dial. Keep that in mind as your temp sender is in the block.

[Randy Webb]

That can be due to any number of problems -- IR thermometers are susceptible to problems with curvature and with view factors. My guess is that they rarely give accurate readings except whn used by highly trained people.

Your IR thermometer tidbit for the day: James Veghte, is the first person known to have used one to measure the surface temperatures of animals. He was a USAF (Colonel?) who took one they had (and its flatbed truck that carried it around) and trained it on a deer as I recall. The things have come a long way...

[becky'sdroptop]

My paying job deals with all kinds of tools - IR thermometers included. Curved surfaces and shiny (reflective) surfaces are not the best to test IR temps on. The side of your barbeque grill will be somewhat close to actual temps but a curved oil cooler line is likely to be a little more than a little off on the reading. Just be aware that YMMV and that an IR gun reading is not gospel.

That said, it is a good indicator of tire temps, bearing housing temps (trailer hubs being a good example), and drum brake temps. Disc brakes may read close to actual but they do tend to be a little more reflective.

[Jdub]

Find the time to take the car out and drive it a length of time until the "to cooler" hose does begin to get hot. You want to know at what point on the gauge the oil begins to circulate. You want to know that the thermostat is opening!

John

[Randy Webb]

Some other ideas for anyone measuring temperatures on small diameter or other odd items:

- type K thermocouples can be plugged into many multimeters. They are best are rel. high temperatures.

- crayons that melt at predetermined temps. are available. These are very cheap but only tell you "at some time, it was hotter than, or not as hot as xx"

- Omega Instruments is the main source for temperature measurement (and other things in process control & etc.)

And, remember, when your measure a temperature you are measuring the temperature of the _sensor_ NOT NECESSARILY the temperature of the thing you want ot measure. So consider gluing or taping the sensor to the the item. Good luck, and don't blow your cool.