Engine temp. and oil questions

I have a few questions in regards to my cars running temperature.
First off, as long as I have had the car it seems to me that it runs a little hot. This is difficult to determine because my car does not have a calibrated temp. guage. On a Really hot day in southern Idaho, the temp. needle will rise a little above the half way point. Should I be concerned? My mechanic has suggested either removing/cleaning my oil cooler and/or replacing my fan pulley with one that would increase air flow (higher ratio). Any thoughts?

And one more thing,
About 6 months ago I had my car in the base auto hobby shop and the knuckle head that put it on the car lift crushed part of my trombone cooler line. I have not noticed an increase of running temperatures after this incident so should I be alarmed? Every once in a while when the car is running hot I can hear what sounds to be oil "girgling and Slirping" (for lack of a better discription) comming from the trombone cooler. And I noticed this sound before the oil line got crushed. Is this normal?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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Leland Pate

___79 SC Targa

Leland,

On hot days in Michigan under hard driving, my temp will sometimes creep past the halfway point. This is the exception rather than the rule. Since I think our climates are similar, I would guess that you might be running a little hot.

My wife (who is usually the passenger : ) has also noticed the gurgling noise. I have an '83, and figured that the noise was from the oil lines that run to the front of the car and back to the cooler. You might check the lines when the car is warm - one of them (I think it's the one closest to the outside of the car) should be warm. The lines run on the under side of the car on the passenger side. If the line is not warm, then the hot oil is not being cooled properly, which probably means a thermostat problem.

Not knowing what oil you're running, you might try a thicker oil. I run 20W50 in the summer. I wouldn't think that you would have to change your fan pulley to keep the engine cool with an 'SC...

Lee

Lee,
Thanks for your imput. I think my mechanic suggested the different pulley because it is cheaper and in his opinion, better than adding some aftermarket oil cooler to the car.
I agree with you, I think it runs too hot. Maybe this summer I will tackle the problem by starting with replacing the bent oil lines. I figure that is as good a place as any to start. Someone else said something about removing the alternator/fan and schroud to hose off the tops of the cylinders. I may try this as well.

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Leland Pate

___79 SC Targa

There is one thing you can check, fairly easy, there is a small, removable portion of the cooling shroud over the engine-mounted oil cooler ... take it off and check the top of that cooler for dirt, bugs, grass, leaves ... mice nest, dead mice ... anything that wasn't there when it was pristeen as it left the factory!!! A shop vac or compressed air might help clean up debris. If it is really bad, you may want to proceed with all of the rest of the cooling shroud ... cylinder heads fins & air channels can be clogged with twigs and leaves, also! Heads are much more critical than the cylinders, and much easier to clog!

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

[This message has been edited by Early_S_Man (edited 03-22-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Early_S_Man (edited 03-22-2000).]

Leland:

My car is a 1983 911SC. I also get the gurgling sound occassionaly, and it is "normal". However, if you have crushed a portion of your oil line tube(s), then you have a constriction, and less oil is flowing to the trombone. However, note that the lines are about 1" in diameter, whereas the fitting I.D.at the trombone is only about 1/2". Therefore, if the crush zone restricts to about 1/2", then all the lines and orifices are all about the same, and so you are getting maximum flow anyway.

However, I submit that the trombone cooler is inadequate for USA cars. When I picked up my car at the factory, I had them substitute the 18-tube "Turbo" cooler, and it had helped; the new 1987 Carrera radiator is even better, but hard to find.

In all respects, running the car at maximum RPM at the track makes the trombone and the Turbo coolers worthless. You should try to get a Carrera cooler, or a Turbo at the least.

By the way, half-way on you temp guage is only 210 F, which, according to Bruce and others, is not bad. Have you thought of replacing your non-numeric guage with one with the numerals? It is only approx. $40. and well worth the money. Also simple to replace; instructions are usually included.
You do have to get both the guage and the sender, but both cost only about $40...Andras

Replacing the temp gauge and the sender sounds like the right approach. My ’74 creeps past the halfway mark on a warm day when I’m “cruising” down the highway. Where can I get the calibrated gauge/sender combination? And where is the temp sender located?

Thanks!

Mike

Mike:

The temperature sensor and the guage are available at, among others, PericanParts, Automotion, Imparts, Vertex, Zims, etc. All advertisers in Excellence and Panorama.

In fact, both of these magazines seem to have many "good" advertisers in them, of course, including PelicanParts. Though some folks may complain of the plethora of such advertising, at least you now have a choice of many, which is better than being bitten by a few.

So do some calling around for price and speed of shipping (most have 800 numbers), and you should be able to find one to your liking. It's always good to know "exactly" what your temperature is......Andras