MotorOil temperature on tuned Turbo S

Talk and Tech about turbocharged 924/944/968 cars
RickyBobby74
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Hello community,

I have a tuned Turbo S with around 320 HP. Among other things, I installed a temperature sensor in the oil pan for safety reasons.

When I drive it hard on the Autobahn here in Germany, the engine oil gets quite hot (~120°C --> 248 °F. after only about 10 minutes).
I’m thinking that if I keep driving fast for a longer period — constantly above 200 km/h — the oil temperature will probably get even higher...

Is there any upgrade available for the air/oil cooler, or is this simply normal?



Thanks for your experience and advice!

Greetings from germany
Rob

#1

cda951
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Hi Rob,

120 C/248F is hot, but the oil pan is also the hottest portion of the oil circuit. The oil picked up from the sump passes through the oil cooler before reaching the main and rod bearings and cylinder head/turbocharger.

Does the oil temperature decrease if you back off slightly, or does it remain elevated even at the normal recommended limit on the autobahn (130 km/h or 81 MPH for the uninitiated)? The latter scenario would be a concern. If that were the case, I would check the oil cooler thermostat.

Does your 951 still have a water-cooled turbocharger as installed by the factory, and if so, what are the water temperatures? The oil temps at the turbo are quite hot when the car is driven hard, and the turbo water cooling passages are in close communication. If the turbo is water-cooled and the water temperature remains steady in the case of elevated oil temps at the sump during your autobahn runs, then it is *probably* OK.

I used to do many track days in my '86 951, which was 100% stock at the time, but on hot days (35 C/95F or above), the water temperatures would rise to an uncomfortable level after about 3 hot laps, would go down if I did a "cool down" lap.

I spent one late night at the shop the night before a track day installing a second 951 oil cooler in series with the original, mounted on the other side of the radiator using 901/911 oil hoses we had on the shelf at my shop. Elevated water temps were no longer an issue after that, and the same setup remains today over 15 years later and with a larger turbocharger and close to 400 bhp.
Chris A.
---'86 944 Turbo track rat
---'90 944S2 Cab daily/touring car
---'73 BMW 2002tii road rally car
---'81 Alfa Romeo GTV6 GT car/Copart special
---'99 BMW Z3 Coupe daily driver/dog car
---'74 Jensen-Healey roadster
---other stuff

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944m3
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RickyBobby74
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thx for your replies,
1. i have a optimized KK&K 26/8 with slighlty larger intake , and yes, water cooled.
Therefore, water temperature remains just above the lower mark on the gauge, even when the oil reaches 120°C.
So from the water temperature perspective, it seems absolutely non-critical.

2 .Yes.. oil temperature decrease if i back off slightly... down to 100 degress and in city 95 Degrees

#4

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