Low Oil Temperature

[Violet Elizabeth]

Wondering if my BEC oil temperature is a little low at 55c ?

 

It does warm up, as the oil pressure comes down after a while both at idle and pressing on.

 

Have an oil cooler in front of the rad, a pretty big sump tank, and the oil temp/pressure is being read from the front of the DS pan.

 

Water temperature is also about 50c all the time in this weather too.

 

Seems a bit low for road use, particularly as this set up was based on the RGB race engine set up. Is this likely to be a problem.

 

Thinking about blanking the oil cooler off ? What do you do this with ?

 

Any other suggestions welcome. Thanks

[SLR No.77]

Move to Spain 😬

 

Stu.

[Violet Elizabeth]

Thanks for that

[SLR No.77]

You did say any other suggestions welcome

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

I blank off one third or two thirds of the nosecone opening (depending on the air temp) using some black closed cell foam slipped between the 7 and mesh grilles. I also lag the Apollo tank with a wrap of the same stuff.

[SJD]

Do you have an oil stat in the feed to the oil cooler? I believe mine only opens at 82C.

[Garth]

My understanding is that the oil should spend most of its time at a temperature between about 80 and 100 degC. I would experiment with blocking off some of the oil cooler as you suggest and also make sure the oil you are using is not to 'heavy'/'thick' as this can give good oil pressure readings, but reduce the oil flow!? Not sure how to compensate for the different locations of temp senders? Mine is in an oil filter sandwich plate - but may be a bit cooler in the dry sump? Garth

 

Edited by - Garth on 3 Dec 2013 19:23:16

[Violet Elizabeth]

Quoting SM25T: 

I blank off one third or two thirds of the nosecone opening (depending on the air temp) using some black closed cell foam slipped between the 7 and mesh grilles. I also lag the Apollo tank with a wrap of the same stuff.

 

Thanks, do you use fire resistant foam ? I think the normal stuff goes to about 90c so should be ok ?

[Violet Elizabeth]

Quoting sjd: 

Do you have an oil stat in the feed to the oil cooler? I believe mine only opens at 82C.

 

Probably not, as I say this set up was straight from an RGB race car, so never really tested on normal roads in winter

[Molecular--Bob]

Do you know if you still have a water stat as well? lots of race bikes run without them, might explain the inability to raise water temperature. Also, do you have the bike rad or a Caterham one? The car core may be over-sized for your use?

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Quoting Violet Elizabeth: 

Quoting SM25T: 

I blank off one third or two thirds of the nosecone opening (depending on the air temp) using some black closed cell foam slipped between the 7 and mesh grilles. I also lag the Apollo tank with a wrap of the same stuff.

 

Thanks, do you use fire resistant foam ? I think the normal stuff goes to about 90c so should be ok ?

I don't think it is anything special. I tried heating it with a hot air gun and recall it was pretty resistant.

[Jason Plato]

why do you need fire resistant ?.

 

Its surrounded by rubber hoses and a glass fibre nose cone ... 😬

 

fit a stat, blank 30% of the lower radiator, blank off the oil cooler even if it has a stat as the stat in the oil line will bleed a significant % passed even when "closed".

 

low water temps may increase fueling via the compensation map, so more then 75C is realy needed. Also make sure that the actual water and oil sensors are insulated as the actual sensor body used to cool down on my dry sump tank and give a false low reading.

[Violet Elizabeth]

Quoting Violet Elizabeth: 

and the oil temp/pressure is being read from the front of the DS pan.

 

 

Just checked, and it is only pressure in the sump pan. Oil temp is at the bottom if the DS Tank. Which is at the opposite end of the engine bay from the oil cooler. So maybe engine oil temp is actually ok.

[Violet Elizabeth]

Quoting Molecular--Bob: 

Do you know if you still have a water stat as well? lots of race bikes run without them, might explain the inability to raise water temperature. Also, do you have the bike rad or a Caterham one? The car core may be over-sized for your use?

 

Yes and no. Standard Caterham ali rad. VW auxiliary water pump (no control, always on).

 

The stat is in there, and is working it seems, as when cold there is no coolant going via the large diameter stat feed (there is also the the interesting "Water Bypass no 2" feed which also goes from the Stat to rad on the bike).

 

So the pump is working, coolant is flowing from the top of the block via a narrow feed....into the top of the coolant tank. Which then goes from there to the top of the rad, and out of the bottom back via the pump back into the block lower down.

 

So no matter what the coolant temp it will always be going via the rad I think, rather than back into a t-piece before the pump.

[Richard Price]

Quoting Violet Elizabeth: 

Oil temp is at the bottom if the DS Tank. Which is at the opposite end of the engine bay from the oil cooler. So maybe engine oil temp is actually ok.

 

The oil is constantly being circulated. whatever the temperature is at the bottom of the tank, is the temperature of the oil going back into the engine.

If there is no temperature control of the oil, then its possible that the temperature of the cool oil is helping to hold the coolant temperature down.

 

Along with the oil cooler, the DS tank will also have significant surface area to sink heat out of the oil.

I'd completely blank off the oil cooler and insulate the DS tank, as well as blanking off part of the radiator.

[Violet Elizabeth]

Quoting Richard Price: 

Quoting Violet Elizabeth: 

I'd completely blank off the oil cooler and insulate the DS tank, as well as blanking off part of the radiator.

 

In hand Will report back.

[Delbert]

I know my stack under reads by 10 degrees , could it be as simple as,that?

[Violet Elizabeth]

Quoting Delbert: 

I know my stack under reads by 10 degrees , could it be as simple as,that?

 

To be honest, it is all pretty cool in there. So I don't disbelieve the reading.

[Violet Elizabeth]

Quoting Violet Elizabeth: 

Wondering if my BEC oil temperature is a little low at 55c ?

 

Water temperature is also about 50c all the time in this weather too.

 

Oil cooler blanked off, and most of the rad too.

 

Fairly chilly this morning at 7am.

 

Water is now 75C and Oil 62C (on entry to engine) - that was going fairly steadily as it was all a bit slippy.

 

Water seems more normal, and it certainly got up to temperature much quicker, as did the oil (still took a few miles).

 

Given this is oil that has been round the system, I think engine oil temperature should be OK ?

 

 

[bluenose]

Noger

 

My Blackbird has trouble getting over 60c oil temp in cold weather but fine throughout the summer and on track. I have an oil cooler and a Blackbird radiator and this keeps the engine at the correct temperature unless it is in traffic were I needed to add an additional radiator fan to keep it cool. It may be that the radiator you have is cooling the engine a bit too much, I know of another Blackbird that had a car radiator and the temperatures were very low compared to mine. The standard Blackbird runs fairly hot and the radiator fan does not cut in until 105 degrees. Mine cuts in at 88 degrees using a Subaru switch. Unless it is really cold my car normally runs at 80 degrees.

 

Nick

 

 

 

Nick

[Violet Elizabeth]

Thanks.

 

Yes, it is almost certainly over-cooled. Although the Caterham rad fitted is smaller than the Polo rad that was specced - as it wouldn't fit under the nose.

 

I don't think 75 is too bad considering.