Has decreased power output ever been verified on a dyno as oil temp. rises?
 

I've seen several references on this site to the ECU decreasing the engine power ouput as the oil temperature rises.

Has anyone ever actually taken a 370Z, put it on a dyno and measured the power output at different oil temperatures?

You'd think by now someone would have done this (especially oil cooler kit vendors???) and posted the results in order to verify or dismiss the rumors about the ECU decreasing the power output.

Well the hotter an engine gets you will have natural loss.
The system has built in controls to limit RPMs at a certain point, which I believe is an oil temp of 280? (I could be wrong, it might be 260).

The ECU doesn't really "decrease" the engine output power. But yes, the lower the temperature that the engine is running (to a point), the higher the horse power (output). I know with my dyno results, they are probably a little skewed to the high side. I didn't realize at the time; that I should have closed the hood and not let the heat escape while doing my pulls.

I'm talking about OIL TEMPERATURE read by the ECU being used as a basis for limiting engine power output in some way.

I'm not talking about intake air temperature (IAT) or engine coolant temperature (ECT). Yes, lower IATs will generate more power & vice versa, and there's a range of optimum ECTs too.

I guess what I'm trying to get at, is that we have people on this site stating that when engine oil temperature rises above a certain point, that the ECU will start limiting power output in order to protect the engine. What I'm trying to find out is if there's any documented proof (such as dyno runs at different oil temperatures??) to back those claims up?

What they are refer to is limp mode.

Ok, let's talk about limp mode.

Does anyone know for sure at what oil temperature the engine goes into limp mode? Some have said that it's a gradual change as the oil temp. increases and not a sudden, all at once change at a set oil temp..

Do we even know for sure if it is even the oil temperature that the ECU uses to put the engine in limp mode? Has Nissan actually put this information out, or is it just a big educated guess that it's the oil temp??

I'm a relatively new 370Z owner trying to learn the FACTS about these cars, and it's sometimes confusing to read posts on this site that sound less like actual known facts, but more like hearsay. There's too much contradicting information posted about the alleged high oil temp. issue that I don't know what to believe. Therefore I'm trying to just find the actual facts.

The 2010 manual states when it hits 280 it goes into limp mode.

Limp mode is 5k at 280F and 3 or 3.5k at 300F. The comments about power loss at oil temps over 220F are PERCEIVED power drops. It feels like bogging.

You have natural power losses due to higher than optimum oil temperatures (240-280). In this case the redline does not decrease from it's 7.6k limit.

Over 280F (according to the manual), not only are you naturally losing power due to heat, but also due to limp mode activation since it limits your RPM limit down to 5K or whatever Nissan set it at.