140 degree oil temps - should I be worried?

[Mark_Storm 0]

I've recently done a 2500 mile trip through the alps and around the the nurburgring. Frequently when blasting it through one of the passes my oil was getting up to 140 degrees which seems pretty high to me. Although another chap at the ring with a VR6 was hitting 160 on a hot lap!

 

I have my servicing still done at VW who have used Castrol Edge (5W30) the last couple of times. Will this make a difference?

[sparks 0]

god yes

5 w 30w reffers to the temps 30w being quite low have a word with oilman on here i used to use 10w 40w on my G60 which mean the oil was good for 130 deg C

but he said i should go for 10w 50 w just to give the little extra protection also fitted an oil cooler aswell to be on the safe side

 

cheers stu ..

[Mark_Storm 0]

Cheers, that is pretty much what I thought. Will a different oil bring the temps down, or is it just safer at higher temps?

[sparks 0]

safer at higher temps stops the oil from breaking down and not being oil anymore

 

 

stu..

[mic_VR 3]

I'd try to see why you're getting temps that high mate. Better oil will survive better at higher temps but not indefinitely, what temps you getting on say a 80mph blast down the motorway?

 

As a possible measure, when we went to the 'ring last year I did those 4 laps in a row and my highest oil temp was about 114 and that's without a cooler.

[jamiehol 0]

As a bit of a comparision when i went to the ring in my Golf VR I saw oil temps of upto 130 after a spirited lap.

 

Also on my track VR Raddo I was seeing 120 degree ish oil temps in the winter at both Outlon and Snetterton this was without an external oil cooler, bank holiday Monday I was back at Snetterton but with an oil cooler fitted and we saw oil temps of upto 140 after a 20 minute tarck session, the ambient temprature was around 24 degrees.

[Mark_Storm 0]

So u saw higher temps with an oil cooler?

 

Mine generally sits around 100, up to about 120 on the ring and long autobahn runs but some of the passes ( like stelvio) were more demanding, constantly accelerating in 1st and 2nd gear, and it hit 140 a few times.

[jamiehol 0]

Yes the temps were higher with the oil cooler but the ambient temprature was a lot higher than the track days we did without it.

[fla 9]

140 is actually very high indeed, are you sure it really was that temp or is it a faulty temp sender? As mentioned above the oil will break down and shear, no longer providing adequate lubricity and hence increase in wear in the engine. If you're going to the Ring, i'd definetly invest in a cooler, plus a 50 grade oil rather than 40 and certainly not 30.