Is my car overcooled?

Brotok · 01-07-2009, 01:56 PM

The car is a '79 SC with a recently rebuilt motor and a front mounted B&B oil cooler that was installed because the old engine overheated when pushed.

Now, during normal driving the temperature needle stays pretty much at the very top of the white box and does not leave the box.

I also recently did an oil change immediately after driving and the oil was cool enough that I could keep my hand in it without it feeling objectionably hot.

What are your opinions?

Thanks for reading.

ja78911sc · 01-07-2009, 02:05 PM

Temp. gauge at 8:00, 9:00 or 10:00 (using a clock as your reference)?

ja78911sc · 01-07-2009, 02:22 PM

This photo will give you an idea what temps you are running. I would be thrilled with your temps.

jeffrey2 · jeffrey2's Garage

Subscribing as mine never goes above the 8:00 under SoCal heat.

Brotok · 01-07-2009, 02:33 PM

Just checked the side of the gauge with a flashlight. Looks like my oil stays around 60 degrees - can't even make tea with it...

old man neri · 01-07-2009, 02:34 PM

When I drive mine the real cold it just slightly hovers over the thick bottom white mark in 'style b' and I too was also wondering if this was too cold. Was considering blocking off part of the rear grill with cardboard.

Bill Verburg · Bill Verburg's Garage

The calibration #s are located over at the edge of the guages, you can see them in the above pics but not read them. So go to your car and you should be able to read those, us older guys would want a lit magnifying glass to do so.

I wouldn't be concerned at the top of the white box as in style A above. That should be ~180*F. The B&B front mounts are so efficient that they keep the engine at the opening temp of the T-stat. Even my 3.8RS ran at that temp during normal street use an 90*F days.

If you track the car the temps will go somewhat higher but that is normal as long as the temps stay under ~220F, which they likely will.

The only down side of running at ~180*F or so is that the oil should be changed a little more frequently, I was comfortable w/ once a year, ~2500mi.

Brotok · 01-07-2009, 02:44 PM

My gauge is like in style A and I looked at the edge of the gauge with a flashlight and it seems that I am operating at around 60 degrees Celsius, or 140 Fahrenheit.

Is that too cold?

Thanks to everyone for posting and for those great images of gauges.

Gogar · 01-07-2009, 03:08 PM

Is it possible the t-stat for your front cooler is stuck OPEN?

CliffBrown · 01-07-2009, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brotok

I am operating at around 60 degrees Celsius, or 140 Fahrenheit.

Is that too cold?

It's my understanding that oil should be heated to a bit over 212 F so the water in the system is boiled off.

Water enters the motor & oil system on most mornings (we see it as dew), unless the car never leaves a heated garage.

MindtrapX · MindtrapX's Garage

I have been curious about this as well. My gauge is style B and the highest my temp gauge gets is the top of the large bottom marker, same as neri. I have white gauges, and never noticed an actual temp reading on it. I'll have to take a look when I get back in town on Friday...

db_cooper · db_cooper's Garage

The oil temp needs to get up to 212* to burn off H2O. The good news is even though your gauge is reading low, the piston and rings are very hot. So once up to your low operating temps, oil on the cylinder wall and pistons is very hot and burning off H2O and other undesirables in the oil.

The only problem you must drive the car for 30 or 40 minutes to get the oil completely circulated.

gsmith660 · 01-07-2009, 03:52 PM

My oil temp dosen't seem to come off the bottom peg but if I take the oil filler cap off after a drive I can see vapor coming out when I check the oil level. My gauge worked fine before the big oil cooler because it told me I had just hosed my motor by overheating it.

J P Stein · 01-07-2009, 04:23 PM

The temp doesn't have to get to 212F to evaporate water/fuel. Mine sits at 80C except on very hot days where I have seen just over 100C....2 drivers at an AX.
A mag case motor will "love you long time" for that.

Bill Verburg · Bill Verburg's Garage

water does NOT need to be heated to 212F to evaporate, What non sense.

It's true that the hotter it is the quicker the evaporation process goes and it's true that water boils at 212F at STP but it is evaporating away even at room temp.

RarlyL8 · RarlyL8's Garage

Good point Bill. An extreme example is sublimation - the physical change from ice to vapor as you see when ice patches on an asphalt road slowly vaporize on a very sunny winter day.

FrinkFrog · FrinkFrog's Garage

As in fog?

Bmxrams80sc · 01-07-2009, 08:39 PM

Im running a single cooler right now (rear engine mount one) and my temps are super low in the cooler weather. I have to make some lines for the front cooler by summer though

awdbandito · 01-14-2009, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bmxrams80sc

Im running a single cooler right now (rear engine mount one) and my temps are super low in the cooler weather. I have to make some lines for the front cooler by summer though

This wouldn't happen to be a blue euro SC is it? If so, I'm the guy in the white '77 carrera 3 that you've met at autocross. I can't remember your name, sorry.