Modification Options

[DavoWA]

DavoWA , tell us more, dont hold anything back, so you reckon we dont need a cooler in general except for 44 deg and towing a ship? Would have loved a scoop or two by Ford in the bloody bonnet though. thanks vik

a bit puzzled here!

The engine runs a pressurised cooling system to avoid the water boiling, right! Water boils at 100 deg.C. at an atmospheric pressure of 1 bar, right!

I believe most engine thermostats open at between 82 and 85 deg.C., so how is it possible for the oil in this environment to remain at 75 deg.C.

Sorry to sound like a smarta**e  , but I'm sure the oil is hotter than the water in the engine, especially given the exposure to the really hot bits, like the turbo and pistons.

Am I completely off track here 

Ninka thanks for clearing that up. Being logical is not a smart A. I meant to say 75 to 90. the 75 would be min temp but the oil would be a little high on viscosity. Around 90 supposed to be ideal (I think) Any Ideas on the oil not working at certain temps?(properly) 

All of the above are valid comments and questions.

In general, you shouldn't need an oil cooler unless you are either doing some performance work or towing on a regular basis.

Two things happen to oil when it gets hot, and by hot I mean over about 100 degrees C for extended periods of time.

Firstly the viscosity ("thickness") will reduce, meaning that the oil will "thin out". Oil viscosity is a linear progression directly proportional to temperature. The hotter the fluid, the lower the viscosity, or "thinner" the oil becomes.

Secondly, if the oil becomes too hot for an extended period of time, then it will oxidise, or "cook", turning black and then getting thicker or more viscous. The oil gets thicker because the heat causes a chemical reaction leading to the addition of more oxygen atoms, which then promotes even more oxidation, and so on.

For every 10 degree C rise in oil temperature, the rate of oxidation doubles, so persistent hard driving or towing will increase the rate of oxidation.

Too low an oil temperature will also lead to sludge formation by not allowing the contaminants like fuel and condensation to "boil off", and this will lead to more rapid chemical degradation of the oil.

This is why most manufacturers recommend shorter oil drain intervals if you are driving the vehicle harder, or towing, including a lot of stop-start short trips, and also recommend synthetics for longer oil drain intervals.

In the case of the BA, Ford have also increased the size of the sump so that you can get the 15000km oil drain interval with reasonable quality mineral oils.

This is also why most higher performance vehicles also recommend synthetic oils, because they resist oxidation far better than mineral oils.

All "normal" engine oils of reasonable quality have oxidation inhibitors in them, and these will generally allow the standard oil drain intervals to be safely achieved, even with the occasional towing job or high speed run.

If you fail to change the oil at a suitable time, you will find that the engine will start to produce "sludge" and "varnish", and these will increase wear rates significantly and also cause things like sticking lifters, sticking rings and so on.

An oil temperature of between 80 and 95 degrees for general operation should be fine. The oil temperatures under the piston crown can occasionally reach 300 degrees quite easily, however the natural cooling provided by the oil circulation around the block and sump will keep the bulk oil temperature at the desired level until you push it.

[TURBO4LT]

Has anyone heard if CHIP TORQUE have anything available?

[GOLDIE]

Has anyone heard if CHIP TORQUE have anything available?

Chip torque have been working on there own exede piggy back computor system for the xr6 turbo, we have had it fitted and now run 9 psi boost and with 3.5 inch exhaust and cold air intake we have 215rwkw and will be boosting this further soon.

IAN. :D

[1axr]

well said davowa.

[TURBO4LT]

Thanks iaschmidt

[DBOSS]

iaschmidt does the dba rotors make a difference?

[GOLDIE]

iaschmidt does the dba rotors make a difference?

They make a huge difference to the brakes and I have tried very hard to warp the dba golds and have not been able to with 4000 km on them,brake pedal feel is better and no fade either.

[Guest]

davoWA, thanks for that info,took the front grill off to have a look,and bugger me there is an oil cooler, a pipe with fins on it.I think Ill just leave things alone for now and change to synthetic at the 15k service. Do you have a favorite drop to recomend, thanks vik.

[TURBO4LT]

Has anyone had the capa kit fitted and if so how does it perform, im trying to decide between APS and capa any info would be appreciated

cheers

[1axr]

ninka has had the capa kit fitted I think.

I saw a post of his somewhere talking about it.