Yesterday coming back from Supercar Sunday I got stuck in traffic and my oil temp slowly crept up to just under 100 degrees celcious, I could tell that the car was very hot, the clutch didnt feel right and I was getting some puffs of blue smoke out of the exhaust whilst idling. My question is, what temperature is the oil safe to climb to in my 300zx tt?

 

Cheers, Dan

Yesterday coming back from Supercar Sunday I got stuck in traffic and my oil temp slowly crept up to just under 100 degrees celcious, I could tell that the car was very hot, the clutch didnt feel right and I was getting some puffs of blue smoke out of the exhaust whilst idling. My question is, what temperature is the oil safe to climb to in my 300zx tt?

 

Cheers, Dan

 

I think its something like 120 oC mate, so i wouldn't worry to much

My old car used to hover around 95 to 98 degrees for oil temp on a normal run, on a speedy run it would peek at 110. (love the LED read out gauges)

Cheers guys!! :pint:

Be aware though, around 130c I think it is, it starts turning to jelly, at which point you can't just drain it out and put new stuff in, lol. Keep a close eye on that temperature gauge. Unless the oil is getting particularly old, it should stay below or around 110 ideally, any higher than that, it may be time for flush and replace.

The oil temp will depend on the oil you are running..... IE, mineral, semi synthectic or fully synthetic. Mineral has a very low viscosity index, semi is slightly higher, and fully is higher still. As a rule of thumb, (rough figures here...lol) mineral VI=95-97 degrees, semi VI=100-103, and fully=120-135.

This is just a guide to oil operating temperatures...... (and no.... not from wiki!!!!)

 

Alz.

So using your rough guide above what if it's lower as mine bairly goes above 80 on a long drive !

With low operating oil temperature the oil will become thick and the lubrication properties will start to dwindle. I am not 100% sure of these values.

The viscosity index relates to when the oil starts to break down due to high temperatures.

 

My 300 runs at approx 80 degrees too, on a normal drive..... reaches 90-95 in traffic, and 85-90 in full throttle.

 

86.5 degrees rings a bell for a medium to which an oil performs at its best.

 

For the best oil advice, "opie" is the daddy.... :)

 

Alz.

Edited June 27, 201114 yr by AlanZ

All good advice there Al, I used to know my viscosities, but then I found I didn't really need to, so long as I had a rough idea about just how high the temperature should get before I cut the engine off on the track :D