Engine Temperature

It is possible to over cool the engine oil, perhaps a bypass installed in the lines would moderate the oil temperature.

Oil needs to get hot enough to boil out the moisture created from combustion. Water boils at 212 F (100 C) so I think a bypass valve would be the smart way to go if planning on an oil cooler.

Some other oil cooler suppliers:

Oil Coolers & Accessories
www.batinc.net/mocal-central.htm
www.holley.com/types/Temp-A-Cure%20Oil%20Coolers.asp

I read that's how a lot of engine damage occurs: if the engine runs a while but doesn't get hot enough to disperse the water, it forms acid with combustion byproducts and eats up the engine. That's the reason it's not good to have only short trip runs.

MFolks wrote:

It is possible to over cool the engine oil, perhaps a bypass installed in the lines would moderate the oil temperature.

Oil needs to get hot enough to boil out the moisture created from combustion. Water boils at 212 F (100 C) so I think a bypass valve would be the smart way to go if planning on an oil cooler.

There are two kinds of coolers: shunt and series. The ones I saw for aftermarket were shunt, where a small amount of oil pressure (and oil) is "tapped off" at the sensor location for oil pressure. About an extra quart of oil is added and runs externally through the cooler and returns to the pan, but normal internal oil flow is unchanged. In that kind, a thermostat would block that external flow to the cooler when cold and open when warm.

If it is a series cooler, then all of the oil is run through it and you would want to bypass the cooler when cold. You couldn't block the cooler line in that case.

bountyhunter wrote:

I read that's how a lot of engine damage occurs: if the engine runs a while but doesn't get hot enough to disperse the water, it forms acid with combustion byproducts and eats up the engine. That's the reason it's not good to have only short trip runs.

This is very true. The old cars used to rot the muffler off from making short trips consistantly, now there is a small hole drilled in the bottom of the muffler for the condensation to drip out.

As far as my oil cooled bike I tend to run it hard and for longer trips, for short grocery trips I ride my air cooled Zuk

Can't say for your areas but here in AZ, mild performance build and ridiculously hot temps, yeah it's needed...

Same time, when I performed those measurements, as BSKZ650 noted, only 92 out and the engine temps where way up there, oil was 251*F... :blink:

If I recall correctly, yeah I know right.... 220-230 was about the max for oil temps...

All I know, my old girl is happy I did....

Oil does not need to run at 212* to boil off water.
my cbr6 only runs at 187*F, 86*C on the track .
Not sure anymore what car thermostats are set at? im sure some here will help.
The bypass thermostats mensioned above are set at 180* F.

Old Man Rock wrote:

Can't say for your areas but here in AZ, mild performance build and ridiculously hot temps, yeah it's needed...

Same time, when I performed those measurements, as BSKZ650 noted, only 92 out and the engine temps where way up there, oil was 251*F... :blink:

If I recall correctly, yeah I know right.... 220-230 was about the max for oil temps...

All I know, my old girl is happy I did....

A mild performance build does not include porting

I think whatever is required is required.

Check + monitor your oil temps and if they're constantly too high for your likeing, than install a cooler.
Or jet the bike richer, but thats not always a great alternative.

When building my bike, I considered an oil cooler to be a necessity. I live in one of the coldest climates of anyone here barring the guys from Scandinavia, but a thermostat solves the problem of overcooling. Its nice to have the extra piece of mind when caning it on a hot day.

But I guess my build isn't very "mild" either.

uhm Tekie... I'm not running stock cams........

mark1122 wrote:

Oil does not need to run at 212* to boil off water.
my cbr6 only runs at 187*F, 86*C on the track .
Not sure anymore what car thermostats are set at? im sure some here will help.
The bypass thermostats mensioned above are set at 180* F.

Is the rocket bike faster than your z??

mark1122 wrote:

Oil does not need to run at 212* to boil off water.
my cbr6 only runs at 187*F, 86*C on the track .
Not sure anymore what car thermostats are set at? im sure some here will help.
The bypass thermostats mensioned above are set at 180* F.

Mark, most newer cars use a 195* thermostat, but that's just the water temp. My ZX-10r will maintain mid 180's if you can keep moving. Under 50* ambient temp. it wont even get to the 170's while moving. However, while sitting in traffic on 90*+ days it can touch 230*. Damned electric fan can't move enough air to keep the temp down.

testarossa wrote:

mark1122 wrote:

Oil does not need to run at 212* to boil off water.
my cbr6 only runs at 187*F, 86*C on the track .
Not sure anymore what car thermostats are set at? im sure some here will help.
The bypass thermostats mensioned above are set at 180* F.

Mark, most newer cars use a 195* thermostat, but that's just the water temp. My ZX-10r will maintain mid 180's if you can keep moving. Under 50* ambient temp. it wont even get to the 170's while moving. However, while sitting in traffic on 90*+ days it can touch 230*. Damned electric fan can't move enough air to keep the temp down.

so i guess we can assume that the normal oil temp should be around 170* to 195*for a water cooled motor.
obviously an air cooled can get hotter. if it has some compression u dont want it to get any hotter if u can prevent it, u should , by adding a cooler.
I believe omr is right about oils max temp. not sure what the # is, but a synthetic will def take the heat better than a dyno oil..
i'm thinking that dyno oil will break down fast at 250*.