I suspect not... I've had all that stuff off since day 1, hasn't seemed to help

My Oil Cooler DIY now in the Tech section..

http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-d...ttsa-pics.html

You are right. Still hit 240 degrees just going down the freeway.

I've been hitting 260 pretty often when driving here. I called my dealership and they told me that was normal..geez :shakes head:

well if 'normal' means that it is the norm, then guess they're right... doesn't mean it is acceptable...

As a posted on the other thread i was driving yesterday in heavy traffic for about 90 miles with jack rabbit acceleration when traffic clears up at times and my car stayed at 220 all the way. The other night was different when I was going around town with my gear just between 2nd and 3rd with rpm's over 5k all the time in which my temp went up to 280 but with a very very hard driving though.

no surprise there. heat buildup follows fuel calorie consumption, and the engine consumes the greatest calories/sec at peak horsepower, which is of course at higher rpms... if you operate at peak HP long enough, you WILL overheat the oil cooling system and set off limp mode

"Originally Posted by gpa7pk
Taking the suggestion from this thread I called Nissan customer affairs at 1.800.647.7261 this Tuesday. I talked with Jennifer Irwin, extension 41622, and voiced my concern about the high oil temperature issue. I also told her I was thinking about cancelling my 370Z order due in July because of the very hot summers we get in Texas. She open up file #6479687. I got a call back from her this morning. According to her supervisor, Nissan is aware of the problem and that their engineering is currently working on an oil cooler kit that is to be available in two to three weeks. Of course doubting this I asked if she was sure and she said that it was a fact and she had been authorized to tell me about the kit.

We shall see....."

So, what's the verdict on this? Has anyone had a definitive response from Nissan yet? I know another member was meeting with a midwest rep named Bill, I believe, who was supposed to get to the bottom of this. The comment above was dated 04/30/09, and referenced 2 weeks. It is now 05/17/09. This is starting to remind me of the dreaded 2006 oil consumption issue. I want a swift assessment and resolution from Nissan, not a stick your head in the sand and only address those that persist position. Summer heat is upon us!

John

I’ve read through the posts thus far and have come to a few conclusions. First, I question that there is an ‘issue’ with oil temperature. The Owner’s Manual, page 2-7, states that if the oil temp reaches 280F, slow the engine down to reduce the temp of the oil. The Nissan engineers must feel confident that the engine oil temps below 280F are safe for the engine to operate when using the recommended oil, API SM and not driving the car in ‘off road’ mode e.g. pushing the car to its limits on the track. Warranty does not cover your engine for off road use as most of you are aware. The warranty will cover you if your engine fails under ‘normal’ use provided you didn’t keep driving while the oil temp was above 280F. So, where does this figure of 280F come from? No doubt through extensive testing of the engine under conditions that none of us will experience in ‘normal’ use. What are the specs for API SM oil and how is that determined? SWRI is a company I did some brief reading about and found that it has a standard for testing oils and I assume for determining the standards for API approved oil specs. Without going into too much detail, one of the tests they performed using API SM oil was running a GM 3.8L engine for 100 hours with an oil temp kept at a constant temp of 300F. What does this tell me? To me, it says that the Nissan engineers know what they are doing. They know the engine will operate satisfactorily for the spikes in oil temp up to 280F under ‘normal’ driving conditions. Above that, they have incorporated a limp mode to reduce engine speed to protect the engine’s integrity. Will failures happen at oil temps below 280F? Most certainly but perhaps only a very, very few. Will it be due to the oil or its temp? Who knows? Not every component manufactured in a mass produced engine will be 100% perfect 100% of the time. If you don’t trust the Nissan engineers in stating that anything below 280F is a safe temp using the recommended oil and choose to believe that even 260F is an unsafe temp, then you might also be suspect of the engineers who designed the next bridge you cross. I don’t second guess mechanical engineers or any other engineer who holds a professional designation if I am not a professional mechanical engineer myself. I will still be buying my 370Z this week and will have fun driving it. If the oil temp consistently reaches 280F as stated in the manual vice 260F, I will have an ‘issue’ but not until that happens. Any mechanical engineers in this forum willing to come forward and challenge the 280F oil temp as determined by the Nissan engineers and state that 260F is indeed an issue?

IDZRVIT:

As you noted, 280 is the line you're not supposed to cross, even according to the service manual. We're not complaining about being able to reach 260 at all, we're complaining about how relatively easy it is to reach 260, and how it obviously keeps on rising well past that if pushed. If flogging this car on the track or street resulted in temps that barely spiked to 260 but never went over, there would be no issue (although some would want to run a cooler anyways just to keep the oil colder, more on that later).

But as it stands, it's clear that track conditions will push a stock car smack into 300F and limp mode, and even aggressive street driving can walk right past the 260 mark if you let it, which means 280 will happen if you're not paying attention and/or driving in hotter weather (or on a mountain road, etc).

Even given the 280F standard of the service manual, the car's oil temp performance is at best subpar, and shouldn't be on a car that's advertised heavily to and supposedly built for enthusiasts, and touted at Nissan press events where they track the car and try to convince everyone that it's trackable.

Back on the point of temps though, just because keeping it under 280 keeps you within Nissan's acceptable range and keeps your warranty fine, that doesn't mean it's optimal for the engine. As oil temps go up, regardless of engine design the oil itself suffers. The hotter the car gets, the shorter your drain intervals need to be, and the less effectively the oil will be able to do its job. From the perspective of maximizing the health and longevity of your engine, 'anything under 280 is fine' isn't really acceptable. The math works out fine for Nissan, as very few drivers will do it enough to break the engine before the warranty runs out, and the few that do can probably be denied for one reason or another, but that doesn't make it ok for us from an individual perspective.

Edit: in case anyone's wondering whether I have a split personality... I do this with everything in life. It's not uncommon for me to argue both sides of a debate back and forth :)

IDZRVIT:

With respect, you are placing far too much faith in Nissan's willingness to own up if there is a problem with their VQ engines.

For example, owners of several MY06 350z's will know very well that Nissan only acknowledged that there was an oil consumption problem if the oil was virtually falling through the bottom of the sump. Apparently losing 1 entire quart of oil per 1,000 miles was acceptable, when most Z's use no oil at all. You needed to be using a massive 2 quarts per 1k miles for them to take any notice. Unfortunately for some poor owners the oil ran out before they noticed, bang went the engine and Nissan just said, "You should have checked the oil, sir."

I've accepted that here IS an overheating problem with the 370z, as have most people.

If you distrust Nissan, why buy their product?

IDZRVIT:

Please note that Nissan's warranty period is for 5 years or 60,000 miles for powetrain issues (and that is a limited warranty at that). Most of the folks here are concerned about high temps leading to engine longevity issues.

Does anyone on this list want to foot the cost of a full rebuild at 100,000 miles or less because the oil gets to damn hot? Highly doubtful.

Timing belts, spark plugs and oil changes are maintenance. Engine rebuilds are not...and that's why I won't buy a 370Z until a factory certified oil cooler is made available at a reasonable cost...

spmcpa

Will it last to 100,000
 

Nissan is only interested in making the engine last to the end of the warranty period. Then they are off the hook. Many here and myself included want to keep the car longer then the "limited" warranty. The comment about the oil consumption issue of the '06 is a valid point. No, I do not trust the engineers just bacause they work for Nissan. They are building a product to come in below a certain price and must make concessions. I don't want one of these concessions to be my engine which may be out of warranty by the time the high oil temps finally kill it. Nissan has advertised this car as a sports car and show it running hard. They need to step up and protect the engine with a cooler.

Just as a point of reference, other cars in the class (or similar class) do not have this problem. You can take a base model Corvette and flog it at the track all day and the oil temp will never go over 230. Similarly an RX-8 or STi will run without issue in the same conditions.

The hypocrisy is that the car can't handle what it is marketed as. Nissan knew this which is why the press cars were fitted with oil coolers, I bet the production protoype's were as well. Somewhere in Nissan an engineering bean counter (probably against their better judgment) cut the part to meet a budget as they calculated that 90% of the people were never going to experience a problem. I think they shot themselves in the foot as the problem is now affecting sales, ironically most of the buyers that are holding off would never experience a problem but they read about it and get scared.

Your loss (and everyone else who has expressed the same sentiment). Don't cut your nose off to spite your face. ..... In the grand scheme of things this may boil down to a bad batch of senders. I've been unable to push my car beyond 245 degrees despite trying really hard. There is a lot of inconsistant reporting on this issue. Regardless, I mounted a cooler (for a whopping $270) and will never have to worry about this again, real or imagined.... I can barely get it to 200 degrees now...
http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-d...ttsa-pics.html

Well I think if we all do, what we suppose to do. Call Nissan and address this issue with proof to Nissan, they have to do something. Theres a few threads already about this topic and we are all calling their respective Nissan Area and the Dealer, opening a case Number and bring the car.

We need to build evidence so Nissan at least think of doing something. So join the club and call Nissan, then take your car to the dealer. We need to get this fix somehow.

Do you have a real problem or are you just subscribing to the Hysteria surrounding this issue as many here are? I'm betting that 99% of the people who take their cars into the dealership complaining are gonna get the "perfectly Normal" response. Think about it....tens of thousands of Z's have been sold worldwide. How many complainers here? How many real problems of a car hitting limp mode?.....30? 50? This is not enough to get Nissan to spend big bucks on a universal retrofit..

I am one of those '06 oil consumption guys. I can attest to the attitude, and what it took to get any action. They want to make profits!

John

The though did cross my mind, what if this was a bad batch of sending units.............. but them equiping all the magazine test cars with coolers does make you raise an eyebrow... :rolleyes:

John

Yeah..The numbers have been so varied, even under, what would appear to be, similar ambient temps and conditions. Makes one wonder...

Well a big part of that variance, aside from weather, is probably driving habits. Even when we try, it's hard to accurately convey exactly how we're driving, in terms of time spent at what RPMs under what kind of throttle, etc. Unless we all started doing datalogs of our daily driving to go with the temp reporting, that's going to account for a lot of the unknown factor.

I do understand guys what ur saying. This will not be the first time I have to deal with dealership BS. I also do know that under normal circumtances the car wont heat up to the point of shutting down rpms. And like u guys said it all depend of the driving conditions, but hey it wont cost me anything to try and get their feed back. I will be prepared anyways, Im not just gona show up there and thats it. Im gona do print out from this website, from Motor trend, Edmunds, I will copy videos on CD's from professional driving testing the car and complaining about the oil temp as well.

The worst thing can happen is that they tell me, everything is fine which will get me to the same spot I am right now. So I dont lose anything :D

I hit 240 degree oil temps with the cruise control set at 70mph in 6th gear for 20 minutes.

Im collecting information and will create a document that I will hand to the Manager at the dealer. I called Nissan and they want me to go to dealer 1st. But I wait until next week, I have to drive to south FL, Sat, which is a 2 1/2 hour driving. I will drive during daytime, first without Crusie control and second with it. Will take pics and everything so I can take everything to the dealer. So if anyone else are experiencing problems, please post it so I can print it out.

How was the weather? You're in AZ, so I assume 'hot'. Around here even on an 85-90 degree day, a highway cruise locked at 90 in 7th (my 7 is a bit higher than your 6, but the speed diff is going to make up the revs and then some I think), I can pretty much run a straight line down the highway indefinitely and never see over about 225-230. I'd still be much happier if it stayed lower than that under such undemanding conditions though :)

Not to take anything away from import111, but in AZ it's been over 100F peak for like 5 days straight! In MAY !!!

Hey Manny, re your request for people to post... Do you realize you're on a 34 page thread! :) Be sure to check out the oil temp survey for hard data

Yea, it has been high 90's to around 100 here in Tucson. Even still, my old STi on track days never got the oil that hot.

Well u guys have here like 4 threads opened with the same topic, I just want to be sure that we help each other here :D

But yes I just print out the Survey so I can take it to the dealer, next week. Also copying all the information I can, so I can hand it to the Mananager.

I have a small request for all of you. Please RESPECT everyone's input/opinion here in this thread. Just because someone DO NOT see this as a problem or do not feel that Nissan should fix this, please don't make them feel(or their post) unwelcome, stupid etc. This is a public forum and everyone can voice their opinion. But when someone is attacked or harassed because of their post(s), then I'm obligated to step in since it's against the forum rules. I am NOT implying that it has happened (you guys have been pretty mature about it) but I'm just throwing out a warning. Also, keep in mind that normal "street driving" for one member can be "spirited driving" for another. So, please respect everyone's opinion.

I will ask Nissan and see what's their plan on this issue.

Okay folks. Just got off the phone with someone a step up from my Midwest Regional CS Manager. First, this person races cars for fun. He races street cars. His favorite track is Road America in Wisconsin. This guy knows his stuff. He's not a kid and has been doing this a long time. 250 to 280 to him is optimal engine oil temperature for high performance driving, and he urged anyone to just look it up from reputable sources. Also, I must say, this person could not have been nicer. They're motto right now is "prove it on the street." The racetrack is a different story. This we should completely understand. This oil cooler kit is coming out for all of the people complaining for an issue that most of us have never had. (I got to the 260-280, after a 'spirited driving' session, but it never cut itself off or limited anything.)

If it's not cutting off, it's running just fine. He said those of you trying to race your cars around at the much much cooler temperatures (ie. 180-200) are the ones actually not doing the engine any favors. This is some more VERY important information.

You hit 300, you're in a bit of trouble, but that's where the engine will automatically limit itself. It's not the complete end of the earth nor the engine. He said if you are racing, they will have your ultimate oil cooler kit that is thermostatically controlled. That's nice. It's just about out, and wait for it. Would it have been nice to have this option earlier this year? Of course. He stressed over and over, your oil should be between 250 to 280 for its best protection of the engine in high performance driving. If you're not hitting the cut-off, the engine is by no means in danger.

Should you choose to buy the Nissan Motorsports Oil Cooler kit, which I'm sure most of us are, get it done at the Nissan dealer. He said that will keep your full powertrain warranty in tact.

This should start putting this to rest. I believe him completely. He was very, very nice. I want you all to read what I have posted above a couple of times. 250-280 is good for a motor being run hard. You have to be well above this range for it to break down. He also said the Nissan Ester oil is perfect in this range. He said if you're on a track and are experiencing this, your fix is coming, but otherwise if your engine doesn't go into a full limp mode, it's doing fine. He said they've pounded the piss out of these cars, and know it takes an awful lot to have the motor go into limp mode. I agree. He even urged me to take him out on our roads in "A spirited way." He races street legal race cars on tracks people, and personally had a hand in R&D. Do you know these have been out testing for almost three years before they came out? He said they flogged the hell out of them. Up mountains, in the Arizona desert, and never had these problems. He said if you are racing them, well, your oil cooler is just about out. He said just to make sure, the thermostat will keep the temps in this "hot" optimal range.

Almost all of our cars are just fine and are not compromised in any way. If you race them on a track for quite a while, all out, he said they understand. Your temperature controlled coolers are coming out.

I had a minor feeling it was 'designed' this way, being as the 200 mark is in the middle of the clock.

but. I used to work for a Grand American Rolex DP team, and we where up in Arizona, practice in the car, the oil temp it 250-260 and it lose of seals, oil all over the place, and some fuel hoses melted. That is the only reason I am concerned.

Well, that's all very, very nice, but look at what Nissan Japan is stating about the GT-R service intervals: Nissan Japan Lowers the Cost of GT-R Maintenance. Granted this is the GT-R engine, but at 266 F Nissan is stating to change your oil "As soon as possible." Sorry, not buying the Midwest Regional CS Manager's position (and it is not from Japan proper), but I am stating this in a nice way. If our engine goes deep six without an oil cooler as this appears to be an "option" and we are using our Z only as a daily driver, then Nissan shall be obligated to replace my engine under warranty.

Yeah, that's why he said, "Run our ester oil, and you'll be problem free. It was designed for those temperatures. We know it does it. That's what it's supposed to do unless you are on a racetrack. That's why we're coming out with our fully warranted oil cooling kit." I actually liked how he said this... "If you're going to flog it, get it hot first. That's what we designed it to do so you guys don't damage any componentry." I'm afraid to say it, but I believe he's right.

And SoCal, I think he made it clear that we will be okay, no matter what your temps. He asked us to have confidence in their product. They know what it should and shoudn't do. I say this respectfully to you, hearing your side. (Personally, I think these motors are going to run forever, no matter what temps we're running. Okay, not forever, but ya know what I mean. ;) Let's enjoy our cars and have some faith in the company. I love mine to death!

Sorry, this is not from Japan so I place little credence on it. I appreciate your post, but if Nissan is now saying—and contradicting their own 370Z owners manual regarding the oil that can be used—then they should have done so as a full disclosure on the Monroney, in their owners manual, and at the time of closing—all in writing. I can also assure you that the person you spoke with has no authority in said matters, unless it has officially been handed-down from Corporate Japan; in such case there will be a document with their recommendation.

I already distrust him. There is a science to oil and if he is above said science then he'd better have developed newer lubricants that will tolerate "any temperatures."

:iagree: One man's "opinion" does not make it so....

http://images50.fotki.com/v1512/phot...ture400-vi.gif

i highly agree with SoCal 370Z.

Logicly none of it is making sence. Its like saying nissan figured out getting your oil to run 300degree makes for a better race car and everybody else is stupid who trys to keep there oil coiler.

I do understand where Nissan is coming from. They are just telling you that unless you are beating the hell out of the car, you will not get into the limb mode or shutdown, but if you do then you need to get the Oil Cooler. In othe words if you dont want your car to shutdown, drive it sloooowwwwllly!

I know when I talk to the Manager at the dealer he will tell me the same thing, but I already got an answer. Why will I get a Z, or GTR, or Corvette, etc if I cannot drive it as a sport car, if this is the reasoning behind the people who make the cars, then they should stop making sport cars, and that will force me to get a Prius, or Fusion, or a Hybrid car.

I still think, like everyone else, they should included the Oil Cooler, they made a Sport car, they should have more protection other than just ECU controlled. But thats my Opinion

I am a computer business man, is like if you want me to build you a gaming computer, and after heating problems I tell you "yea, you can play games, but no more than 2 hours, you need to let the computer rest, shut it down, wait an hour, then play for 2 more hours" o_O

Nissan's official statement regarding overheating: Trailer queen.