[cubicinches]

Now that I put a temperture gauge in my oil tank what would normal operating temp. be. I'm using H-D 20w-50 right now but will be switching over to Mobil 1,at my next oil change.I do a lot of stop and go riding living in Chicago,and I'm thinking of installing an oil cooler and oil pressure gauge.I have a basically stock 1999 Softail Custom with an Evo motor.Only mods to motor are Screamin Eagle Carb ,Breather and Pipes.
THANKS

 

[cubicinches]

Talked to a company mechnic today and he said,normal operating temp. should be around 190-210 degrees.Wonder if will run cooler with Mobil 1

 

[FATVETTE]

My 88b runs right at 200

 

[Tennessee]

What's ambient temperature when folks get these readings. Seems like cooling efficiency would depend on the air temperature.

 

[Thealien]

Oil temp

I have been using synthetic oils for about ten years(amsoil). I have 200,000 miles on my 1989 GMC truck. I am not an oil specialist but have spoken with the technicians at Amsoil many times and have been told the oil should reach the temperature that water boils, I think 212 degrees so that any condensation can evaporate. Sounds logical to me. I believe they told me 220-240 degrees is normal, one of the advantages of synthetic oils is the ability to withstand much higher temperatures without viscosity breakdown. I suggest visiting amsoils and mobils websites.

 

[Big Al]

My 2002 Deuce runs right around 210 when running around in traffic or on the highway. It peaked a bit higher when we had a hot day (80f) a few weeks ago. I'll have to see what it does this summer when we get into the 90's or higher. (still running harley oil)

 

[Sidewalk]

200 is a good temp, but up to 240 is fine. You do want to reach a temperature that will allow all of the condensation to flash off. It doesn't have to be 212, (boil a pot of water and note when you start seeing steam). That is what I go by in my VW.

 

[Budman]

Oil Temp

Wow, reading through this thread was pretty cool...from an oil temp standpoint that is. I also noted that these posts were coming from much cooler climates than we have in the south. In the Carolinas we get some hellish heat and humidity about 10 months out of the year.

According to Donny Peterson and the SAE, mineral oils shouldn't exceed 250 degress for any length of time. They begin to oxidize and derate themselves in a big hurry @ 250. Good synthetics can withstand more heat than the metal..so you don't have to worry about thermal breakdown.

You need to get your oil temp to 212 degrees for some period of time in the South because condensation is such a problem. While my 2000 FatBoy was breaking in I saw oil temps of 250 a couple of times....during the spring! At 2500 miles I started using Mobil 1 and haven't seen above 230 since. And that includes days wherer our heat index was 115 degrees with an air temp on 95. I have been really impressed with this oils ability run cooler and reduce friction. Also, I have to mention that the heat index of your local weather can have an effect on the amount of air cooling a motor can do. 90 degree air @ 20% humidity can asorb heat much faster than 90 degree air @ 70% or above. That's another reason our engines run hotter on usual.

 

[logical]

You also shouldn't wory about getting the gage to read above 212 to get the "boil" effect....the oil up in the dipstick is cooler than where it counts in the engine.

 

[Sidewalk]

Re: Oil Temp

Wow, reading through this thread was pretty cool...from an oil temp standpoint that is. I also noted that these posts were coming from much cooler climates than we have in the south. In the Carolinas we get some hellish heat and humidity about 10 months out of the year.

Yep, don't get to warm in Cali I am from the desert, trust me, we get heat (not at my current residence though I will admit).

You need to get your oil temp to 212 degrees for some period of time in the South because condensation is such a problem. While my 2000 FatBoy was breaking in I saw oil temps of 250 a couple of times....during the spring! At 2500 miles I started using Mobil 1 and haven't seen above 230 since. And that includes days wherer our heat index was 115 degrees with an air temp on 95. I have been really impressed with this oils ability run cooler and reduce friction. Also, I have to mention that the heat index of your local weather can have an effect on the amount of air cooling a motor can do. 90 degree air @ 20% humidity can asorb heat much faster than 90 degree air @ 70% or above. That's another reason our engines run hotter on usual.

Humidity isn't really a factor for engine cooling. Humans cool themselves through the extraction of heat from evaporating water. If humidity is high, the water is less likely to evaporate. Engines do not require this process. So humidity shouldn't be a factor for your oil, with the exception for the added amount of condensation that may build as you mention, and for your own riding comfort Colder climates will have a tendency to build more condensation, which is one reason oil should be changed more often, especially if you do not bring your temps up often enough.

 

[Budman]

Good Thought

Sidewalk, my thinking was that the thermal energy required to heat dry air is much less than that required to heat water. As that damp air passes by the motor it wouldn't asorb as much thermal energy as dry air so the motor can't give up heat as quickly.

I wasn't considering evaporative cooling because the energy conversion of heating the air is where the engine looses it's heat...or is cooled.

My seat of the pants experience has been that on a 90 degree day with 30% humidity, bike runs cooler than on a 90 degree day with 80 percent humidity.

Still you make some good solid points, so I'll retreat to "my" air conditioned "air" and refer to my old physics text books to ponder this some more. That should keep me out of that hot humid air for awhile!

Thanks,

Budman

 

[Sidewalk]

Re: Good Thought

Sidewalk, my thinking was that the thermal energy required to heat dryStill you make some good solid points, so I'll retreat to "my" air conditioned "air" and refer to my old physics text books to ponder this some more. That should keep me out of that hot humid air for awhile!

Thanks,

Budman

Let me know what if you find something different, I like being proven wrong (difference between proven and told).

Your point sounds valid as well about the density, something for me to ponder as well...

 

[wyodude]

You guys should talk to an engineer as opposed to just throwing rocks at them

Your motor produces heat as a by product of its primary goal, that is, to convert the energy in fuel to energy required to perform work, i.e., move your sled.

With air cooled engines, excess heat is dissipated by radiative cooling to the environment, that is, the hot motor tansfers heat to the cooler air surrounding it. The other modes of heat transfer (conduction and convection) can be essentially ignored in this case.

The ability of any material to absorb heat is a property called heat capacity. Humid air has a *higher* heat capacity than dry air, because water has a higher heat capacity than air.

Regards,

wyodude

 

[Sidewalk]

You guys should talk to an engineer as opposed to just throwing rocks at them

If I could throw a rock that far I would be in football, not the military!

 

[wyodude]

Sidewalk,

Thank you for your service to our country. I appreciate your efforts.

Regards,

wyodude (standing tall)

 

[Budman]

Say What?

Wyodude, I am an engineer. I am a EE but primarily do programming and instrumentation now. As you can see these aren't subjects I deal with very often, thus the ole' college text books. Heat capacity...I was looking at specific heat, which for water is 1 and air is .204. I suspect they are pretty close to the same thing.

My thinking was that water requires significantly more energy to heat than air. For a given air flow what would the energy transfer be? I'm sure there is a coefficient lurking in there somewhere. However, I can also see where that water would have the ability to absorb more energy due to the see exact same physical properties. Since I can can neither prove nor disprove my original theory, I must concede that you and sidewalk are making lots of valid arguments...where is Sir Isaac when you need him?

That leaves only one thing to do!! Ride and Ponder...

Thanks,
Budman

 

[Sidewalk]

So we are all in agreeance? Cold air good, hot air bad?

 

[wyodude]

Re: Say What?

This is why physics is such a *****

From the perspective of the motor, heat transfer is dominated by radiative processes, from the perspective of the surrounding environment (e.g. air) heat ransfer is convective.

My point was/is that humid air should cool more efficiently because it can absorb more heat due to the heat capacity of water.

BWDIK

wyo

 

[wyodude]

***** should read b i t c h

 

[chops]

While this oil-heat thread is going, I'll just interject that my dealer would NOT install the HD oil cooler on my 02 Fatboy--He said they had been having problems with it...We'll see how my machine behaves in August, in A1A traffic.

from another Engineer,
Chops