512 TR Oil Temp low

Hello everyone. I recently bought my first Ferrari, a 512 TR. I live in the UK, it’s a 92 RHD and has covered 74k miles. It’s got every stamp in the book, been well maintained but has been enjoyed. It’s got some areas to be improved that i can work on myself, part of the attraction.

I’ve done about 700 miles so checked the oil and topped it up. I’d warmed it up first by ticking it over for several minutes. The oil temp gauge did not budge, not even getting to the min 140 oF on the scale. That got me thinking about the oil gauge or sensor having an issue.

I took it for a 30 minute blast after the top up and the oil temp gauge moved up to around 150 oF, IRO 66 oC. Photo attached.

My question is, is the is expected since the thermistor is at the bottom of the oil tank on this dry sump car? Does the gauge not show the oil being at 210 oF / 100 oC even though it is?

Since the car is new to me, i would like to make sure that the temp gauges and sensors are working as expected. I’d have expected to see the oil temp gauge reflect around 210 oF / 100 oC. I plan to test the oil gauge tonight by following Steve Magnusson’s tips but don’t want to £125 British Pounds on a new thermistor if the gauge doesn’t reflect the expected oil operating temp.

Thanks,

Craig.
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would be great if you could introduce yourself a little

when I drive with my competition "normal" then the oil never gets more then 65 °C
there is no thermostat in the oil line like for the water coolant and the oil always goes thrugh the oil cooler
drive a little uphill and then you will see how the gauge will go to 90-100°C

 

Hi, be careful topping it up. You need to check the level immediately after a decent length drive when everything is fully warmed up. Only letting it idle for a while will probably result in a low reading. Too much oil is not a good idea.

As for the oil temperature, my car gets used in a hot climate. Even after 5 minutes of idling while I lock up the garage and get ready to leave and another 20 km of highway driving, it is just barely registering oil temperature, and even then at the low end of the scale.

 

Thank you turbo-joe and JohnMH - great info. I’ll worry not about my oil temp gauge as it stands and appreciate the top up tip.

By way of intro, I started life in Leeds. Got into cars from a young age, around the time of the Lotus Esprit JPS Special and the 911 Turbo in Martini livery, circa ‘77. Garnets of Guiseley for Lotus and JCT 600 for Porsche were down the road. My first car was a 77 Ford Fiesta 1.1. Went onto a Karmann Ghia, rebuilding the engine, but that’s about as experienced as i get with mechanics. I moved to London in ‘92, currently in charge of technology for an equities agency broker. More recently i had Maseratis - first a late 3200, then a 2008 QP GTS 4.2, then a 2010 QP GTS 4.7. I’d fancied a Ferrari for about 6 years but a couple of obstacles, kids and money. I had the money for a TR in my piggy bank, not a 512 TR. Although i love driving in Italy and France, I live in the UK so wanted a RHD. I found a TR and asked the opinion of Elias who owns the garage I’ve been going to for about 12 years, Autofficina in Ewell, Surrey. They are exceptional by the way. Elias said he knew a customer who might sell his 512. The rest is history.

I now have a reasonably faint buzz / whining from the engine bay when the ignition is on setting 2. So this week I bought myself a second jack and new axle stands. I’ve read on here about the risk of cracking the rear screen so my job tonight is to raise it carefully, little by little, side by side and try and identify where the noise is coming from. The sound seems persists when i drive. Things like this i’m keen to learn from and do bits that i can myself. Maybe it’s a fan, maybe it’s a pump. When i pinpoint the noise i’ll have a search on here and maybe ask for more help. Would be great to have more time to spare on it but the day job gets in the way.

I will be using this iconic car as much as i can though, rain or shine. For me, it would be a crime for it to just sit in the garage and look pretty.

 

thank you for introducing yourself a little. so it seems then you can do nearly the work at the TR by yourself.
please not lift the car side by side at the rear- lift it in the middle and put jacks under left and right same height
this wining comes from where? I only have know this from the BB and BBi

 

Buzzing may be from the fuel pump as it primes the system. Does it shut off after a bit?

As for lifting it, get a small carpenter’s level at the hardware store and put it on your rear bumper. Keep the bubble near the centre as you slowly lift each side.

 

Apologies for my tardy response. I went for a drive to the North coast of Scotland. Thought I'd bet make sure all was well so did around 2k miles. The NC500 has some reasonable roads and scenery. The noise shuts off after around 5 mins. I think it's the warm start so i'm used to it now.

For getting the car in the air I took your advice. I built ramps out of hard wood to lift the car by 2-3 inches. Then I hunted down a bar / attachment for a 3 tonne jack, UK outfir SGS Engineering sold the extension bar but no longer the jack, so I found the jack on ebay. I could then lift the car centrally and get it onto stands.

Thanks again for your advice.
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Joe, is the 512 tr as much of a problem lifting it side by side as the testarossa. It has a much more ridged chassis?

 

the 512 TR is stronger because of one piece frame, but nevertheless I would not lift it only at one side. the rear window is too expensive and not so easy to change. better be on the safe side