High oil temp (overheating at track)

[SGwick]

Hi all,

I installed FR mgt all aluminum radiator and CoolTech oil cooler kit and reschie thermostat after over heating at Road Atlanta during the summer last year. I just ran COTA and my 2011 Mustang GT overheated and went into limp mode. Luckily I brought my sct tuner and reloaded my Steeda tune. So I monitored the oil temp the rest of the day (3 more sessions) and sure enough the oil temps would get close overheating before I would run cool down laps early in the session. I shift (shiftlight) at 6800 every time and run pretty hard before the oil temps climb. I did notice during a run and it overheats, when I pull into the pits the oil temp gauge drops quickly to the half way mark (normal). I don't think oil temp can cool that quick so I think it has to be something else. I contacted Steeda if they could do anything and Matt (Steeda tuner) stated some other stangs have had the same problem but was coming from radiant heat off of the alternator. The alternator heat was affecting the oil temp sensor. Have you guys heard of this? If so, what was your solution? Sorry so long and thanks in advance, Steven

 

[302 Hi Pro]

Oil temps are slower to rise and I would think they slower to cool vs. coolant system temps, so Matt may have something then.

Did Matt recommend what others did to fix the Alt-Radiant heat issue?
2HP

 

[2012-Boss]

Do you have the factory grille installed? If so, either remove it for track days or install a billet grille like the one sold by Roush. Lack of airflow through the OEM grille is one of the biggest causes of on track overheating.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

I am surprised you are having issues with heat if you are shifting at 6800. Removing the grille as @2012-Boss mentioned is a very good suggestion and also free.

I hadn't heard about the alternator bit before--not sure if I believe it. Curious to see how that goes if you do some experimenting with heat shields, etc.

I wonder if you have a faulty oil temperature sensor; or if the limp mode was triggered by coolant temperature--did you purge the coolant system of air after installing the new radiator?

 

[SGwick]

Oil temps are slower to rise and I would think they slower to cool vs. coolant system temps, so Matt may have something then.

Did Matt recommend what others did to fix the Alt-Radiant heat issue?
2HP

Unfortunately he didn't say

 

[SGwick]

Do you have the factory grille installed? If so, either remove it for track days or install a billet grille like the one sold by Roush. Lack of airflow through the OEM grille is one of the biggest causes of on track overheating.

I still have the factory grill with fog lights. I think I may have to switch to your roush suggestion, thx

 

[SGwick]

I am surprised you are having issues with heat if you are shifting at 6800. Removing the grille as @2012-Boss mentioned is a very good suggestion and also free.

I hadn't heard about the alternator bit before--not sure if I believe it. Curious to see how that goes if you do some experimenting with heat shields, etc.

I wonder if you have a faulty oil temperature sensor; or if the limp mode was triggered by coolant temperature--did you purge the coolant system of air after installing the new radiator?

I wanted to see if anyone had heard of the alt/oil sensor issue in this forum. I purged the coolant after I installed the new radiator. Sadly, I don't even know where the stock oil sensor is :-(

 

[SGwick]

Is there another grill you'd recommend because the roush is $225, seems expensive compared to the others

 

[VoodooBoss]

Any open billet style grille should work.

 

[SGwick]

Guys, I run Driven 5-50 oil instead of the recommended 5-20 for my 2011. Do you think that may be causing the over heating issues?

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

5-50 is what is recommended, ESPECIALLY for high-heat scenarios and high RPMs, it shears down a bit but maintains enough viscosity to work the TI-VCT system when it's hot.

For the grille, suggest removing entirely (free), or building a Roush-style grille from a GT Grille Surround from Rock Auto (Around $50) and a "Billet style" Grille insert from American Muscle or the like ($75-100?)

 

[2012-Boss]

Since you have a 2011 GT, you already have the GT grille surround that ArizonaBoss mentioned above. I would simply pull the plastic inner grill and fog lights and see if that helps. If it does, you can then purchase the free-flowing billet grille if you want some radiator and condenser protection. American muscle sells a Roush knock off for about $150.00. Another option is to replace the entire surround and inner grill with the Saleen S281 grille.

I have never heard of and don't believe the alternator heat response from Steeda. Keep in mind that our cars will not go into limp mode based on oil temperatures, they go into limp mode based on cylinder head temperatures read via a sensor in one of the heads.

You may also consider purging the antifreeze/coolant and running a mixture of straight distilled water and a couple bottles of water wetter. This does help lower temperatures and is much safer on track in the event you have a coolant leak or overflow.

Did your cooling system overflow when that car overheated? If so, you need to replace the radiator cap with a new one. The caps are essentially one time use.

 

[SGwick]

Keep in mind that our cars will not go into limp mode based on oil temperatures, they go into limp mode based on cylinder head temperatures read via a sensor in one of the heads.

Did your cooling system overflow when that car overheated? If so, you need to replace the radiator cap with a new one. The caps are essentially one time use.

Thx you , I didn't know that about the limp mode/cylinder heads. If that's the cause of limp mode, is there a solution to high cylinder head temps? Thx for the radiator suggestion, I also didn't know they're one time use. I'm also using water wetter

 

[venom52]

You may also want to look into hood venting as well. It's great to let all the air in but it has to go some where as well.

 

[2012-Boss]

Everything we have discussed so far in this thread is in response to overheating and limp mode. I was just pointing out that oil temp does not directly result in limp mode. However, oil is part of the cooling system. If you reduce oil temps, you not only prolong engine life but also help relieve demands on the rest of the cooling system.

I want to stress that I did not say water wetter in you existing coolant / antifreeze. I said drain the antifreeze and run pure distilled water with a couple of bottles of water wetter. Water wetter has very little benefit when mixed with antifreeze. Its real cooling benefit is as a surfactant in pure water. Water wetters claim of up to a 20 degree reduction in temperatures are based on using pure water, not with antifreeze.

Finally, are you sure that the cooling system is properly bleed? As ArizonaBoss alluded to above, you may have air pockets in the cooling system which will lead to overheating. Many of us use a tool called an Airlift to properly fill and bleed our cooling systems according to the OEM service instructions:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002SRH5G/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

@SGwick : You mentioned in your first post that you were monitoring the oil temps via SCT handheld--what types of temperatures were you seeing?

For CHT: On a stock tune, the BOSS 302 goes into Limp Mode at 245*F CHT (ECT is actually back-calculated from CHT in the PCM somehow). If you can monitor ECT/CHT that would give you a better idea of what's going on.

As far as purging the coolant system--if you don't have access to the vacuum bleeder system that @2012-Boss mentioned, you can do what I normally do:

Fill as much as you can into the overflow tank from dry (1 or 2 bottles Water Wetter plus straight distilled water). With the overflow cap removed, start the car and let it idle until the fan kicks on and the T-Stat opens. Add distilled water as-needed when the level starts going down. Let the car sit and continue to idle for 10-15 mins or until the level stabilizes in the overflow tank. Kill the car and put the cap on. Monitor level at next event.

 

[SGwick]

Everything we have discussed so far in this thread is in response to overheating and limp mode. I was just pointing out that oil temp does not directly result in limp mode. However, oil is part of the cooling system. If you reduce oil temps, you not only prolong engine life but also help relieve demands on the rest of the cooling system.

I want to stress that I did not say water wetter in you existing coolant / antifreeze. I said drain the antifreeze and run pure distilled water with a couple of bottles of water wetter. Water wetter has very little benefit when mixed with antifreeze. Its real cooling benefit is as a surfactant in pure water. Water wetters claim of up to a 20 degree reduction in temperatures are based on using pure water, not with antifreeze.

Finally, are you sure that the cooling system is properly bleed? As ArizonaBoss alluded to above, you may have air pockets in the cooling system which will lead to overheating. Many of us use a tool called an Airlift to properly fill and bleed our cooling systems according to the OEM service instructions:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002SRH5G/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you 2012-Boss for cooling bleeder suggestion, I'll have to look at supplied air compressors now. Is it hard to use (instructions listed anywhere?)? Ahh ok, I'll flush and use distilled and water wetter only sometime before my Mosport trackday (June).

 

[SGwick]

@SGwick : You mentioned in your first post that you were monitoring the oil temps via SCT handheld--what types of temperatures were you seeing?

I brought the sct tuner so I could load my Steeda tune but it doesn't have the function to monitor the oil temps. I was monitoring the oil temps using the regular oil temp gauge on the dash.

 

[SGwick]

So far, I'm going to look into purchasing a new radiator cap, removing or installing a free flowing grill, flush and use water wetter/distilled (using flush tool).

Thank you sirs for suggestions/recommendations

 

[Mad Hatter]

I had the same problem all the time a couple of years ago. TMO advice was take the Boss grill off..... its still off.... And since then temps have never gone high, even on plus 100F race days