Proper oil temps for sr20det?

[dwadia]

So i got a Moroso oil pan and an oil temp gauge recently. I have found numerous threads about MAX oil temperatures but not exactly addressing what i want to know:

What is the very lowest oil temp i should drive the car at all? (if there is such a thing)
What should the temp be before i get on it and drive under full load?
Lastly, what should the temp come down to before i turn the engine off?

[DJPimpFlex]

You can start driving with almost no heat in the oil. Obviously keep the RPMs down. My car wont even heat up until some load is put on it. I usually start getting on it around 50° C (122° F) and pull off at around 110° C. If I had an oil cooler I could go all day, but it does heat up after a few laps. This is a track car only so my numbers may be off for a street car.

[S14_Kouki]

Best thing ever for you car!! Is to start the car and let it idle for a couple mins before driving, then just drive it nice till the temps r all normal, then do whatever.

[dwadia]

Yea i have noticed sometimes it just does not want to heat up unless i get on it, and i was wondering if maybe the bigger oil pan was not the best idea for the street... but then i really don't know what it was doing with the stock pan anyway because i didn't have the temp gauge.

I always idle my car before driving ~5 min, but my question/concern is, what is "normal"? I've heard 180-185 F is optimal, but no way it will get anywhere near that without me getting on it a bit...

[Ninjamasta04]

The weather is getting cold, and I would have to let it idle for a couple of min. Then start driving very slowly, nothing above 2k rpm. It take a min to fully warm up, and I have fun after that.

[S14DB]

Best thing ever for you car!! Is to start the car and let it idle for a couple mins before driving, then just drive it nice till the temps r all normal, then do whatever.

Actually no. You get tons of blow by of fuel and the engine doesn't warm evenly. It's better to drive easy to get the engine up to temp. Only need to idle for 30-60 sec to get the oil circulated.

Should I Let My Car Warm Up Each Morning? (http://www.motherearthnews.com/ask-our-experts/car-engine-warm-up.aspx)

[Def]

Actually no. You get tons of blow by of fuel and the engine doesn't warm evenly. It's better to drive easy to get the engine up to temp. Only need to idle for 30-60 sec to get the oil circulated.

Should I Let My Car Warm Up Each Morning? (http://www.motherearthnews.com/ask-our-experts/car-engine-warm-up.aspx)

This.

I usually drive for another 2-5 mins after the thermostat opens, then start putting a slight bit of load on the engine to actually heat it up. My car will take about 20-30 mins to hit 140-150 deg F oil temps just cruising since it has a GReddy pan(more cooling) and an oil cooler that keeps things cold(thermostat lets a little oil always flow).

On track max temps are about 220-230 deg F, plenty safe.

[nieko]

I was gunna post something about this too... lol

i thought my gauge was like broken driving around the town.. haha

my temps are like 130-150 with tomei oil pan and oil cooler.

just got oil temp gauge, havent seen the track temps yet, but im sure they're gunna be similiar to yours.

for some reason i always thought the oil would be near water temps?

[nieko]

maybe i should block off the cooler daily driving?

[e1_griego]

Anyone without an oil cooler want to weigh in?

I have dumb nismo tstat (removing this weekend), greddy pan, and no oil cooler. My oil temps on the street are the same.

[Def]

Anyone without an oil cooler want to weigh in?

I have dumb nismo tstat (removing this weekend), greddy pan, and no oil cooler. My oil temps on the street are the same.

Before the oil cooler my temps were really not that different on the street. It maybe just lags a bit on getting the oil up to temp, but for the most part the final temp it stabilized at was the same.

[McCoy]

Anyone without an oil cooler want to weigh in?

I have dumb nismo tstat (removing this weekend), greddy pan, and no oil cooler. My oil temps on the street are the same.
With the T28 setup on the SR20DE, the oil temps on the street were in the 140-160 range with a greddy oil pan and taking temps from the pan.

Now I have the T3/T04E on a DET and I see 190-210 oil temps on the street with the Moroso oil pan. Don't ask me what I see on track :bite:

[fliprayzin240sx]

Most ideal oil temp is roughly 80 degrees and the most you'd want to see is roughly 120 degrees. Anything more than that, oil starts breaking down and cook itself.