Old cars, synthetic oil

[Dave WM]

the project farm guy is really great, both informative and entertaining... lets find out...

[AK260]

that's an interesting oil filter cooler, can you tell the diff in the pressure with it on vs off? that is once you get to sustained operating temps? I like the idea of the alum oil pan, just don't like the $$$ for it.

 

 

Not really chap. It just makes me feel better knowing some heat is being lost through the heat sink.

 

On my car the oil pressure at startup goes to over 3/4 and once warmed up it sits anywhere from 1/3 at idle to 3/4 while pressing on. But the oil pressure definitely drops as the car warms up.

 

I totally hear you on the aluminium pan costs! For that sort of money you may as well add an oil cooler.

 

[jonbill]

what oil temps are you getting Ali? mine doesn't normally get over 90°c

[AK260]

what oil temps are you getting Ali? mine doesn't normally get over 90°c

I don’t know, that’s why I NEEEED an oil temp sensor! ;)

[w3wilkes]

With a manual transmission and one of the Champion radiators with ATF cooling ports could one use that for an oil cooler?

[jonbill]

2 hours ago, w3wilkes said:

With a manual transmission and one of the Champion radiators with ATF cooling ports could one use that for an oil cooler?

I believe the oil pressure in the engine is an order of magnitude greater than an auto box, so the rad may not be able to take it. 

[w3wilkes]

2 minutes ago, jonbill said:

I believe the oil pressure in the engine is an order of magnitude greater than an auto box, so the rad may not be able to take it. 

Thanks, I guess I'll leave that alone then.

[Zed Head]

22 hours ago, w3wilkes said:

Thanks, I guess I'll leave that alone then.

Seems like a good idea except for the pressure concern.  I wonder if a person could plumb in an electric pump and just circulate oil from the sump/pan.  Of course, the oil will only be cooled to the coolant temperature level.  I think it gets their anyway as it travels through the pump, block and oil filter.

Oil coolers really seem more like extensions of coolant coolers.  The oil should equilibrate to the temperature of the metal it passes by which is equilibrating to the coolant temperature.

Where would a person place the oil temperature sensor?  In the pan/sump?  How do you know what a proper temperature is?  When does it need extra cooling?

[Racer X]

 

My race Z has an oil cooler. The oil is passed to it from an adapter on the oil filter boss on the engine, through an Oberg oil screen, then to the cooler and back to the adapter and the engine oil passages. 

There is an oil temp sensor in the oil pan, and during a race the oil runs about 200 to 210 degrees f. The gauge reads from 140 to around 300. I hung some plates on it and took it for a drive to town once, and the oil temp barely made it to 150. When not running at full song, for sustained periods, the engine doesn't make enough waste heat to get the oil hot, so a thermostatic diverter valve would be needed if the car was driven casually more than in racing conditions.

Sure, the oil gets hot enough to be felt on the oil filter, on a street driven Z. In addition to lubricating the engine, it also absorbs some of the waste heat the coolant doesn't get, and it is dissipated somewhat through the oil pan. I bet if you took a non contact pyrometer and meqsured, the oil pan and filter housing might read around 160 to 170. Certainly not too hot  considering the oil is changed frequently, i.e. every 5,000 miles or once yearly on a car driven infrequently.

 

As for the oil, I run 20-50 in the race car, and change it after every race meet. In my street Z 10-30 is fine, I'm only driving around town, not trying to be the first guy to the next stoplight. My 48 Ford 8N tractor gets the same 20-50 the race car gets, at 72 years old the flathead four engine still works hard. The Cummins diesel in my pickup, the diesel in my Kubota tractor and the Kubota mower all get Shell Rotella or Chevron Delo 15-40, oil formulated for diesel engines. My 2005 Subaru Legacy wagon calls for 5-30. Mrs. Racer has a 2012 Toyota Corolla, and it gets 0-10 oil, stuff is like water.

I don't get too fussy about brands, although Kendall GT1 is what I use in the race car.

And I never use additives. The oil manufacturers spend a lot of money and time figuring out the perfect addative package for each oil specification, and after it is consumed or otherwise altered from use, it is time to replace it.

Oil is cheap to insurance for expensive engines.

 

 

 

 

[AK260]

what oil temps are you getting Ali? mine doesn't normally get over 90°c

So JB, just been out thrashing the Z (it’s like spring here today!) and when I got home, I pointed the thermometer at the oil filter.

Black bits of the k&n filter at 87c

Silver fins of the heatsink at 77c (measured in various places)

Outside temp is 11 degrees and sunny!

I kept measuring as it cooled and the heat sink is consistently about 10c below the filter housing. So I guess it must be dissipating “some” heat.

As a matter of interest the top of the radiator was showing 90c. Temp gauge inside the car was sitting “just” to the right of middle! So it could yet be accurate ;) !!

[Dave WM]

going to change my oil soon, 2500 miles on VR1. Plan to use rotella T4 15-40 unless someone yells "DONT DO IT DAVE" my thinking on this is the T4 may have a better detergent package to help clean up carbon deposits that may be in my 100k+ engine. I have been using the VR1 for about 25k miles again avg about 3k between changes.

[jonbill]

similar to my experience Ali. That's not hot enough to need an oil cooler!