What temp does your 3.2 run at?
 

Thanks to the numberless oil temp meter all i can say is that my stock 87 runs at the first tick mark when im in anything but stop and go traffic and ext temp is at or below say 75f. Above 75f outside ill see temps at a max of halfway between the first and second tick. This is for highway cruising, back roads with a little stop and go, not nyc traffic. No ac or condensor on the car presently. Wondering if this is normal and if one should be able to hear the fan on the oil cooler running from the cabin?

Your car runs just a bit hotter than mine. For most temps...my car will be slightly above the first tick mark, and on an extremely hot day (90+) if I'm really pushing her hard she might creep up just a bit. I don't think mine has ever reached the halfway mark that yours runs at, but you're still in a very safe zone imo. I wouldn't worry about it...

Yep i think we are similar. Might have gone too far saying halfway... Is really more like a third, and this was with sun, humidity and temps around 90.

Sounds like you are somewhere above 180 (first tick) and 210, which is safe and normal. The thermostat doesn't even open until 180 degrees.

I don't hear the oil cooler fan when running. I can here the oil in the lines occasionally though.

r-mm

The last few days here in CT my temp just peaked over the first hash mark but never into the middle ground of that space. I've never heard the fan.

storage man -- don't think our '86 carreras came with fans -- believe the fan was added in '87.

My '86 exhibits the same characteristics. Interestingly, if you peek around the edge of the temp gauge (look at it from the side), you should be able to see very small numbers indicating temp in Celsius.

I did an evening ride around (DFW). It was around 97 degrees. My 87 ran between the horizontal and slightly above at the end of an 1 hr. drive. If I run it in the AM (low 80's) it just above the first line most of the time. I think it and you are normal

I also meant to ask... This is a conceptual more than practical question... Does cooling depend more on load and rpm than speed? I owned air cooled ducatis for many years and cooling=road speed. But im guessing that the air flow on the 911 is mostly coming from the fan which is obviously rpm correlated more directly than road speed. The later probably helps draw waste heat away but the cylinders are not being heavily cooled by passing air...is that roughly correct?

I agree with everything porsche did to improve yet not spoil the air cooled 911 over the years except removing the temps from clear view. Why??

My '86 runs normally at the first tick mark. A few weeks ago, I was stuck in stop and go traffic for over an hour, and the temp crept all the way up to the second tick mark. Kinda freaked me out. But that's the hottest I've ever seen it.

My 88 (low-temp probe and elephant racing fan) runs 210 pretty consistently around downtown Denver. On the Hwy it's usually at the first tick or just above. Previously, I'd hit 240 pretty quick with the AC in and city speeds. Fan kicked in when the needle was a mm below the 2nd mark.

With the low-temp probe and a better fan, it will hold 210 at idle, 90 degrees, and AC on for about 10-15 minutes before slowly creeping to about 10 o'clock (235 degrees). This is in denver where the air is thinner, though, so less cooling efficiency.

Oil temps
 

My 87 Carrera had a euro oil temp gage, Elefant finned oil lines and a additional oil cooler in place of the washer bottle.

On a 100 plus day with the air on my oil temp ran 180-185 and in traffic it would climb to as high as 210 but would cool down as soon as I started moving. I also added a over sized finned oil line that ran from the engine to the oil tank. When I changed the oil it took 12 quarts.

If I were to buy another 1989 or earlier 911 I would do the same things.

I still have the euro gage if anyone is interested

I have the same basic system but with open light holes feeding the duel coolers.
In 100 degree heat a couple weeks ago at between 85-150mpg for 45 mins I had just a touch over 220 and went down to 200 when more sane speeds were averaged. I had more issues with egt's. I swear by this set up.
My car is turbo 3.0 and before my twin coolers and "scoops" I had issues with heat here in vegas.

Typical oil gauges......there will ALWAYS be different opinions.

External t-stats open around 180F. Coolers do NOT make an engine cooler, they make engines stay cooler, longer.

A hand pyrometer is usefull. MANY threads on the subject. Choose your opinion....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1372292162.jpg

I'm jealous! At least your Pcar engines are getting up to any temp. I won't be seeing any temps for another month or two...or three:(

I'll probably get one of those overlays soon. Just wish they also offered them in Celsius too. It just feels wrong to have a temp gauge in a German car read in Fahrenheit. Shoot, even the oil temp gauge in my '78 Scirocco read in C.

So had my first drive in actual hot weather. Drove from Denver up to Golden (slight climb) for an afternoon trail run, and it was 95 degrees out. After a 20 minute drive, and maybe 10 minutes of city driving in Golden, these were my temps (AC was on the whole time).

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrinkledpants/9146365585/" title="image by Wrinkledpants, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7364/9146365585_744a9d404e_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="image"></a>

After I drove back (AC off) and got into the parking garage, this is what it was at:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrinkledpants/9146365569/" title="image by Wrinkledpants, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7428/9146365569_0dcc3be92b_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="image"></a>

Does this seem normal for this weather? I run BP 20W-50, sender appears to function fine since my original oil temp sensor kicked the OE fan on at about 240, and the BMW sensor seems to kick the fan on at what looks like 210-ish. I guess I figured with the low-temp sensor, the elephant racing fan (figured it push more air than the OE), that I'd be OK, but maybe the thin air and hot ambients are too much for the stock cooling system?

I can verify. What's the best place to take a reading?

Oil tank, oil lines that go the front cooler....both going and coming.

Take the reading after the external t-stat opens. Gauge will reach just over 1/2 and then drop a bit.

Further reads at other areas and higher temps will give you further information.

I sometimes get that with the stock SC setup. I don't lose sleep over this , not a wink. It's just over 1/2 way after all , and Porsches are built to take it more than most.