You seem concerned about 250 degrees. Just out of curiousity do you know what hot is when it comes to motor oil? I have been doing this for over 30 years and I didn't know. At Bonneville with our old car we were seeing some pretty high temps and of all the guys there from many different racing backgrounds none of us really knew so I asked an oil company. Not to bust any balls here but we are concerned about oil temps and I bet no one can answer the question without first investigating it.
when the temp outside is 80 - 100 degrees,,,and im driving my 328 fast..my oil temp is a solid 210 degrees according to my oil temp gauge....at that point,,,my car is peforming at it very best.........
Mine does the same thing, stumbles for the first 30 sec, as it warms up it comes to life and the RPMs actually increase to about 1K. I beleive that this is normal for carb cars.
Hey Rifle, My 1990 Covette ZR-1 has a oil temp guage, the ECM also uses oil temp to determine when the other 8 injectors will be turned on. So thats one.
Over in the old Moto Guzzi camp a company sells an oil dipstick that has a thermometer built into the top so you can see what the oil temperature is. So the people who don't have those ride blissfully along for 100,00 miles. Those that buy this nifty little widget immediately start talking about needing an oil cooler and how to plumb one in. Now that they have a number suddenly it's an emergency. But there seem to be no hot oil related problems for those without the magic dipstick.
The 328 owners manual says that if the temp exceeds 266F to bring the car in to correct "the fault." When my 328 was running at 140+MPH out in NV/AZ in 108F outside temps, the oil temp gauge never got higher than a needle's width below the 210F mark on the gauge. IMO worrying about oil temp on a street-driven car is worrying about nothing. However, there is no law against worrying! "Those that buy this nifty little widget immediately start talking about needing an oil cooler and how to plumb one in. " This is a classic on many old motorcycle forums. I spend a lot of time on a Norton Commando Forum - same deal. The bikes didn't come with oil temp OR oil press gauges and now folks worry themselves to death over it because the engines have (always had) very low oil pressure at idle. They didn't know (or worry about it) until they installed a gauge. BUT there is NO history of these bikes having any issue with engine oiling or resulting problems related to oil press/temp. It's kind of like "Field of Dreams" ..."If you attach a gauge, you will worry."
266 degrees as a maximum was not a bad idea with the stone age oils we had in 1987 but I can assure you the oils we have can stand quite a bit more. Good thing too. A 355 being hot rodded around on a hot day will top that. If you look at Ferrari oil temp gauges over the years the max reading has gone up on newer and newer cars in response to improving oils. Any other guesses on max oil temp?
I was just quoting the 328 manual as info; I didn't really intend it as a guess re current oil temp. But I do know that some race motors hit 300+ on oil temps in a long race. Of course, that's all the oil has to do - last the race and they are using oils designed for racing. I have no idea of the sustained temp that current passenger car oils can handle. I'd look it up but I figure at some point you'll tell me (us)! FWIW, "racing oil" at the local auto parts store has nothing to do with real racing oil UNLESS it says something to the affect of "for competition only," or "For off road use only." If it doesn't say that, you're just buying regular passenger car oil in different packaging.
The oil company I asked said a rule of thumb for max allowable oil temp was 100 degrees F below the flash point. Redline lists their street oils as having a flash point between 420 and 490 depending on grade. We have seen 360 oil in the 320 range many times. I don't think it is possible to get a lower stressed motor like a 328 that high no matter what you do. The important part at that point is, can the motor maintain sufficient oil pressure? We have oil pressure gauges for that. Oil temp gauges are an intellectual exercise and a way to fill an extra hole in the dash for 99% of the cars that have them. And you are correct, if you are nearing oil temp limit it should get changed. Nothing should get stressed to the limit and just continue to be used.
getting back to the original post about whether or not to get your oil temp up to a reasonable level,,at least in a 328,,i say yes,,,dont get into higher revs until your motor oil is warmed up...no matter what your water temp is,,,the 328 loves to be warm all over,,so to speak,,,they just operate better when everythings warm...oil,,,water...gearbox....period..any other car i dont know ,,or give a care about,,,and im sure its different for a thousand other cars,,,,im telling the original poster,,,WARM YOUR CAR UP ,,BEFORE YOU EXCEED 4000 RPMS,( ive done this for twelve years .and 68k miles ),,your motor will thank you,,and in return,,,you will have 1000 s of miles of driving left,,,of course providing you service it as necessary....im sure if you ever had the chance to talk to the genius italian engine designer ,,responsible for the creation of the 3.0- 3.2 liter Ferrari 3x8 motor,,he would agree,,,,
I go along with this, as well as not idling for more than 30 seconds no matter what the temperature. My problem is that I want to be driving long before I turn the key, so any extra time between waking up on road days and pulling out of the garage is a waste.
i see what your saying about wasted time,,,but your motor will be better off....i let my car idle for apx 8 min,,,our cars have 10 quarts of oil,,,thats a lot of volume to get circulated,,just plain physics,328 s take an ungodly time to warm up oil wise,,,,,,you should let your car idle for longer than 30 seconds(your tranny syncros are screaming at you !!),,,believe me,,,,get into that practice,,im betting on reaching 200k miles,,,before having to go into my motor,,,,when i first bought my car,,,i didnt read any owners manual,,,the car just felt and seemed ., to need ., to really warm up....even the intake sound my cars makes when cold .,informs me that ..the car is saying hold on Brett....im not ready yet...!!! but as soon as everything is ready,,,my intake sound is steady and at the right idle rpm,,,its true,,i can really hear the difference in intake sound,,with the K n N filter,...between hot and cold,,its clearing its throat,,so to speak,,,remember our Ferraris,,,really have a soul,,,,,!!! i know i might sound nuts,,,but i go as far as to refrain from driving my 328 when its cold outside,,,!! lol...glad i live in so cal....
It is all about lubrication in my mind. Once the temperature of the engine is up (I use coolant temp), then you are good to go. I do not think that it matters much if you let it sit and warm or driver it gently. I prefer to drive it gently as it warms up the rest of the car. Most importantly, you need the proper oil pressure and this is strongly influenced by oil temperature. Too little or too much and you have insufficient lubrication. Enjoy the warm up and build the excitement!
