430 Operating Temperature issue in cold weather

I live in a colder climate at 9,000ft elevation so when I want to break winter jail on a nice spring day I have the same cold running. It's 18.3F per notch and this is normal. In the same conditions full operating temperature for me is just after the 2nd notch so around 165F after the same amount of driving.

Oil weight also has an impact on heat soak based on how quickly it's able to circulate through the oiling system and get through the bearings. Thicker weight means higher temperatures. I've always used a 0w40 for my climate.

The dual oil coolers are very effective especially with the 10qt capacity. While the oil temperature sensor is reading 160-165F the actual temperature at the bearings is higher and closer to what we would expect for operating temperature.

When you're in the Texas heat aren't you thankful that the cooling capacity is up to the task?

When I was doing research years ago on this subject (prior and post purchase) some 360 owners have encountered the same situation in colder climates. One owner fabricated plastic block off plates with holes (and made a set that fits the F430) to place over the oil coolers in order to raise temperatures without changing out the thermostat. I purchased these but never had them installed myself.

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

First, it should not take 15 minutes for your engine to reach normal temp, especially in TX. Check your coolant level first, and .ake sure it's topped off. I don't believe these cars warn you of low coolant level. This can affect the t-stat operation. Second, is sounds like your t-stat might be bad, either partially letting coolant flow, or just stuck open (I believe they're designed to resort to the open position when they fail, as a failsafe to prevent the engine from overheating). The third thing it could be is a faulty TGK valve. This is normally accompanied by a ticking sound from behind the dash. Lastly, if all those check out, it could be the electronic control module. But, if you changed your battery recently, you may need to recalibrate the latter by following a procedure. That is, turn the ignition on without starting the engine, set temp to 72 degrees F, turn fan on full blast. Nothing should be set on auto. Wait 3 minutes and turn off.

 

I mentioned possibilities in order of cost too, in case you didn't notice.

 

For those of you driving in colder weather, what tires are you using? I have Continental Extreme Contact which you should not run when it's cold. Do you have a dedicated winter set, all seasons, or just say screw it, and run the summer tires?

 

I come from Georgia where it was not quite northern weather but got cold enough in the winter. I ran max performance summer tires year round and even took them up to the mountains when freezing. It's incredibly sketchy when at freezing temps, like driving on bricks. You definitely need to drive like you're carrying a seesaw full of Champaign glasses in the back when they tires are cold. However, once you got some heat into the tires, they were mediocre. I might have considered something more suitable if I had to deal with snow or ice.

 

That's my conundrum. I live in Maryland where we do get several months of weather where it regularly dips into the 30's. It usually gets near 40 a few days a week, even in the winter (not this year though, it has been brutal). I was just wondering if anyone ran performance all seasons and had an opinion. Thanks!