Flathead oil tempeture

[corvette8n]

What would be a normal oil tempeture for a stock 8BA flathead.

[Ronnie]

This is going to be a controversial thread.
Just waiting in the wings for the dispute to begin."LOL"

The oil will usually be 10 to 15 degrees hotter than the coolant.

R

[Fordestes]

15 degrees above normal cooling system temp is good! depending on ambient conditions, helps oil flow and less drag, lessens oil contamination from moisture retention etc. Ol'Henry, The oil contacts the hottest parts of the engine directly and carries away heat from these parts and retains what heat that is not extracted from it by the engine castings of which are cooled by the cooling system and ambient temps such as air circulation around the external portion of the engine oil pan etc., sometimes an external oil cooling device is necessary to stabilize oil temps depending on the application and demands placed on the engine.

[JSeery]

One of the reasons Ford went to a pressurized cooling system was to help increase the oil temperature. Hotter oil is better for several reasons.

[Kahuna]

I have an oil temp gauge on my flathead, along with 2 coolant temp gauges (1 for each head).
The oil temp never gets near the engine temperature.
Even on a hot day 95+, oil temp remains below 160 degrees, while engine temp may be at 195.

[V8 Bob]

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Originally Posted by Kahuna

I have an oil temp gauge on my flathead, along with 2 coolant temp gauges (1 for each head).
The oil temp never gets near the engine temperature.
Even on a hot day 95+, oil temp remains below 160 degrees, while engine temp may be at 195.

X2. I have a similar setup on my '32 and the oil temp always stays below the water temps.

[48 coupe]

It all depends on how hard the engine is working. The oil need to get past 212 some time to burn out the water and gas. It can idle for a week and never get the oil hot .220 or so.

[Ross F-1]

Water and gas will evaporate long before 212.

[JonC]

On my new Corvette (is that banned I didn't say that chev... word) the oil temp reading is below water temp by at least 15 degrees.

[48 coupe]

HMMMMMMMM I thought it should get up over 200 give or take a few deg. some time . guess not. Look at a tractor or truck oil temp sometime when it's working. It may be 240 or so.

[Ronnie]

Originally Posted by JonC

On my new Corvette (is that banned I didn't say that chev... word) the oil temp reading is below water temp by at least 15 degrees.

I think you may find that that temp is after the oil cooler.

R

[Kahuna]

No oil cooler on my engine

[JonC]

Ronnie, I don't know about oil cooler but I think it is stabilized oil temp never varies after warm just like the coolant temp. My car is a dry sump Z51 with 10.5 quarts of oil in it.

[Oakhurst]

I too have also thought that oil temp is very important to proper lubrication. On the 2 cars I own that have oil temp gauges (one is a C-4 ZR1) the oil temp is higher that the coolant when warmed up. Also in the owner's manual on a 300SL called for 12 - 16 quarts of oil
depending on how "sporty" the driving would be. At a "gull Wing Group" meeting it
was discussed that in certain weather conditions, the oil cooler should be partially blocked to raise oil temp. If it is thought oil temp in a flathead is too low, would running a lower oil level raise the temp. Obviously yes, but how much oil is the minimum for proper lubrication.

[Bruce Lancaster]

From what I've read, higher oil temps typically only occur in engines running at high loads, producing a high percentage of their power capability. In a light car this would be uncommon without trailer pulling, lots of hills, etc.
The only Ford Flatheads I can think of that got a cooler as original equipent were the 1935 Indianapolis engines (from the picture I have seen I think the cooler was in the inlet path to pump!) and engines used in some bren carriers in WWII...
In the carriers, the engine lived deep inside an armored box, and had to work hard because it was pulling around a heavy tracked vehicle. The cooler was in the same sort of hookup that Ford used for full flow oil filters in other applications, and was equipped with a valve system to allow oil to bypass the cooler if it wasn't hot enough to need it. Obviously, this thermostatic control would be desirable, as over cooled oil would be a bad thing.
I've never had an oil temp gauge, but I do know that I've touched the oily end of dipsticks without discomfort when their handles were so hot I need a rag to hold them...

[Highboy34]

48Coupe has it right. Oil temp will rise only when the engine is under load.