I never saw temps above 230 with out a cooler, and with one , I have seen temps above 215.

I won't link to the article itself because it's on a competing blog and it's against the rules, but I did just go find it and I'll quote the relevant passages here for you guys to read.

Understand that I'm not necessarily vouching for the accuracy of this information. I'm just sharing it with you guys in case you haven't read it before.

Oops. I missed a couple of additional paragraphs.

I agree with Semtex. I read that article awhile back and it really got me thinking about the oil temperatures in my car. To be honest I never see my oil temperature go above 220-230(but I haven't driven it hard in hotter weather yet). But, if I see temperatures substantially higher, but still not in limp mode. I may consider an oil cooler without being on the track just for the sake of ease of mind.

The biggest thing that makes no sense to me is. I'd say a VAST majority of members on this forum mod their cars. So why complain about an oil temperature problem with this car if an oil cooler is one of the cheapest mods that can be done to the car? Stop complaining and fix the problem. I'm sure the 350z had this same problem. But without an oil temperature gauge or limp mode ignorance is bliss.

the kits are not exactly cheap now. unless you do the DIY kit they are about $400+

I don't know about you, but after spending $30K on a car spending >500 on an oil cooler seems like a pretty cheap mod. I plan on my car keeping value rather then imploding over that fraction of money. Especially when Exhaust systems are 3-5 times the price(some a lot more)

$400.00 - Oil Cooler
$10,000.00 Engine

Exactly

I think one of the issues with an oil cooler is that Nissan doesn't like us installing them. While I mod my exhaust and cats, Nissan shouldn't have any issues with something happening to my engine. If I install an oil cooler, I'm not sure of the results.

Right, but that brings you back to square one. If you're afraid to put the oil cooler in your car then don't drive it until it overheats. More or less what Nissan has said to its drivers, on the street no cooler, on the track cooler.

well I will do the DIY and save some money. $240 for all the parts and I can use the post car care center to put it on. Its on order as we speak, I went with a 12 row cooler as I dont want to have the issue some are having with it not warming up enough in the winter and they have to block some of the cooler, so I went with 12 rows and that should prevent that and still keep my temps down for spirited street use.

Honestly I don't think a 12 row is necessary

You mean not necessary to go that small? Because 12 is pretty small. The 'regular' size is 19 row.

:owned:

yea I didnt want to go 19 cuz some guys in the winter have to cover part of the cooler so as to let the oil get hot so I figured a little smaller and I wont have to do that and it will still keep the temps down to a respectable level as I will never run on a track other than a 1/4 mile once or twice.

No no, no ownage. :) I think what Zsteve is trying to say is that he wants to go with a smaller than normal cooler to avoid having issues with bringing the oil up to temp in the winter, and Lou is saying it's not necessary.

If I'm reading this right, then I agree with Lou. Zsteve, I was really worried this winter because of how long it'd take my oil to come up to temp. In fact, some mornings it'd never come up to 180 because I was short-tripping. The big worry is hydrolysis, which means water in the oil. That's what happens when your oil fails to run at a high enough temperature. Water in the oil can cause internal corrosion, etc. Well, I was running Redline, and I recently did an oil change and sent it off for UOA. The UOA came back reporting 0.0% water. So I think you can run a normal-sized cooler and not have to worry about hydrolysis -- as long as you're using a good quality synthetic like Redline. If you're using a conventional oil, then the risk of hydrolysis due to low oil temp is probably significantly higher.

Here's a link to my UOA if you're interested. http://www.the370z.com/members/semte...0-uoa-9000.jpg

But the smaller one should still be good enough to keep the temps down right?

Well, even with my 19-row I can get it up to 200-210 if I hit stop and go traffic. That's in GA, and I haven't experienced Summer with my oil cooler yet (I only put it on in Oct.). Once Summer hits, I wouldn't be surprised to see 230 if I start driving hard or get stuck in traffic. And you're in Texas. It gets even hotter there than in GA, if I'm not mistaken. Honestly, I'd just go with the regular 19-row if I were in your position.

I think you'll be fine...I blanked off mine this winter leaving 12-13 rows clear and it was just fine in temps from 30 to 65+. A 12 row will just take the edge off in the summer which is all you are looking for..

DOH... disregard.. just found this.

http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-d...an-spacer.html


What about an oil pan spacer. Wouldn't that help with cooling somewhat? Has anyone installed one yet on their 370z?

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-15342291949654_2099_949296

2009+ Nissan 370z VQ37VHR JWT Oil Pan Spacer Kit

Yes, just use the search function.

Interesting information about the bearings and I suspect it is fairly accurate - I can attest to the incredible durability of the L series engines.

Its important to keep a few things in perspective. Nissan is excellent at engineering performance cars - the Z car is the most sucessful sports car line in the world due to the price/perfomance that Nissan has established. When it wasn't viable they stoped producing sports cars.

Motor oils - like pretty much any engineered product - has a tolerance or range at which it can be opperated under. Synthetic oils are typically good up to around 300F but check with your manufacture before you start freaking out.

From what I've heard there hasn't been any issues with previous Nissan engines and their bearings..... even those with "green" bearings.

Its this simple. The 370Z is designed as a high performance sports car. It is capable in every way for daily use and there are very few if anyone who has heating issues driving the car normally around town. If you do I'm pretty sure Nissan will resolve the issue with your engine if its abnormally overheating.

If you choose to push your vehicle beyond normal daily use (which it is more than capable of) your car has been engineered to provide protection to the engine by detecting higher than normal temperatures. You never have to second guess if the car was over heating or how long an abnormal temperature was before you detected it. Its a fantastic feature.

If you want to take your car to a race track (unlikely it will overheat in a short course like an auto-x) you simply need to add an oil cooler. This is a modern engine which sprays oil on the bottom of the pistons to increase cooling because of the high compression in these engines. Oil not only acts as a lubricant but also as a coolant. Very few owners push their cars to these limits so Nissan wisely decided to spend the money on the performance, reliability and capability of the car in other areas that would benifit everyone - not just the track enthusiest.

Some will say well I'd happily pay $500 for the extra performance out of the box. Then go for it - there is no need to whine about it. Those who don't need it (the vast majority) just saved themselves $500+. The VQ has been out for over 20 years - the closer cousin to the VQ37 the VQ35 for at least seven and even our engine has been out for almost three years. Haven't heard of any recalls or other major issues - in fact surprisingly few.

The only real issue here is a lack of Nissan coming up to the plate and saying there will be no warranty issues if you install your own oil cooler but on the other hand if they can't prove that the oil cooler caused the problem then they are obligated to upholding the warranty.

Maybe you need an oil "heater" for the winter season. Read this:

""Some experts estimate that the wear on the rings of an internal combustion engine is as high as 0.001" per 1000 miles of operation when the oil temperature is below 170 degrees F. If the maximum allowable wear is 0.006", how long can you run your engine when the oil temperature is below 170 degrees before you wear it out?" (A 6-to-1 engine-to-wheel reduction ratio, an average running speed of 3000 rpm, and 14-inch wheels 28 inches in diameter are assumed.)"

Anyway, oil temperature is not consistent throughout the engine. I would guess the oil draining/flung back from the underside of the pistons (this engine has piston cooling) is a lot hotter than 280 deg. Also, oil draining back from the surface of the block is no lower than say the temperture of the engine coolant of say 190-200 deg. That said, it's obvious the oil drains back to the base pan where the different temperatures mix to reach a resultant temperature before being pulled into the oil pump. Anyone know the exact location of the oil temp sensor? Maybe it's located in an area where there is hotter oil?

Answer:

"The engine would be technically worn out after just 144 hours of cold operation. Realistically though, those 144 hours represent an awful lot of cold starts."

Yes. Look it up in the service manual and you'll know too.

From the service manual:

http://i618.photobucket.com/albums/t...9-102739AM.jpg

It's item number 10.

You can also see it in this pic (where the brass fitting is):

http://www.the370z.com/members/semte...2-p1000856.jpg

The oil temp sensor is located by the oil pump. Thanks Semtex. The oil temp should be near uniform in the base pan. Therefore, the oil is entering the pump at say 260F for arguments sake. Before the oil reaches critical components such as journal bearings, does the oil gain heat, lose heat or remain constant while flowing through the oil galleries prior to entering the journals?

i imagine there has to be further heat gain on the way up

is it possible there is another oil temp sensor in the upper block?

Thanks travisjb. I will check them out.

Very well said FricFrac and I couldn't agree with you more. BTW for a 19 row Nissan Motorsports cooler + installation at the dealer (Nissan can’t complain about warranty issues if it is a Nissan part installed by a Nissan trained mechanic) will run you around $1000 bucks. I will find out the total cost in 2 weeks after i get mine installed.

it would be nice if nissan recommends the oil cooler for hard or hot driving as their previous email suggested, and that if you use the nissan (nismo) part and it is installed by the dealer, that it would be covered by the full warranty. as it stands, with it being specifically disclaimed, they are making a very bad decision in my opinion. i would not paying for it as a dealer installed option, but it should be part of the warranty. terrible.

has anyone else noticed that the oil temps stay significantly lower when you have the AC on? I was driving the other day through the city with the AC off and temps rose to 225 and stayed there. Parked, got out, ran some errands, got back in, twas hotter now of course, turned the AC on, drove around for about 45 minutes and temps stayed at 200 the rest of the time. Anyone know why this is?

Yes, this has been known for quite some time. I can't remember the reason though.

Found it. http://www.the370z.com/nissan-370z-g...html#post57403

Speculation is that turning on the AC turns on an additional radiator fan. Keep in mind that the oil is water-cooled, so it kinda makes sense.

The electric fan is almost always controlled by the AC switch. Same switch as the compressor. Used to have to keep mine on even when my compressor clutch was out on my old Dodge Spirit (I had the Spirit!). If it was off I stood a much larger chance of overheating.

That said, then the oil will cool prior to flowing to the critical components as the water temp is about 190-ish. Maybe the oil temp issue wasn't?

pretty cool really, but the parasitic power loss is IMMENSELY noticeable with the AC on.

Yeah it is. That's probably the biggest thing I noticed after installing a UD pulley. It drastically reduced the impact of turning the AC on.

You can always cut the power to the A/C compressor or wire a second switch to the 2nd fan if you're fanatical about lower temperatures, but 225 is pretty normal.