High oil temps

On the last 2 journeys in the R the oil temp has gotten much higher than it normally does - one of the journeys was 2 miles at most and the oil temp was touching 100, then last night i drive it about 10 miles and it was just over 100 edging toward 110 before i switched off. Was driving normally too - not pushing it at all.

It never normally goes over 80. Goes to 90 after being in traffic or some spirited driving but soon drops back down.

Is it likely that the oil temp sender has gone faulty or some other problem??
 
Oh yeh, forgot to say - water temp and oil pressure havent changed. Water goes up to just before halfway, always has done. Oil pressure is 6 when cold, 4 when warm and moving, 2 when idle.

Pretty sure fans are working ok mate :)
 

antgtir

New Member
Check water levels.

Check coolant mix.

Check fans for rad.

Check oil for water mixing.

Remove oil filler cap enough to see if there is oil being circulated (be careful)

Dont know how you'd go about it but id check to see if there are any blockages through the OE oil cooler or any other aftermarket cooler you have.

Ant.
 
P

pulsarboby

Guest
change your engine oil & filter;-) thats assuming water temps are all ok.
oils sometimes lose there viscosity after a while and thinner oil heats up quicker!
 
Cheers for the suggestions Ant, will check them out.

Oil was last changed approx 1000 miles ago for fully synth, so is relatively new. Will be changing it anyway now though. No aftermarket oil cooler fitted, didnt know there was an OE one - where is it?
 

Fast Guy

Moderators
Staff member
It's on the oil filter housing on the back of the engine.
Check your oil level too.
 

warringtonjack

Active Member
Erm, just a thought. Some pulsars, including mine, have some sort of problem with the water temp gauge, so that the needle never goes higher than normal. I dont know whether its a common thing, but I know that my water temp gauge is useless. Steam coming from the expansion tank is my best way to check for high water temps! :lol: :lol:

Just dont assume the water temps are ok. ;)
 

Fast Guy

Moderators
Staff member
Mine's like that, so I always assume my temp gauge is readin OK, that way I don't have a problem (even if I do):lol:
 
warringtonjack said:
Erm, just a thought. Some pulsars, including mine, have some sort of problem with the water temp gauge, so that the needle never goes higher than normal. I dont know whether its a common thing, but I know that my water temp gauge is useless. Steam coming from the expansion tank is my best way to check for high water temps! :lol: :lol:

Just dont assume the water temps are ok. ;)
Now thats a worrying thought! I have noticed in the past it just doesnt rise above the norm under any conditions even when sat in traffic! How would i check if this is the case with mine? - other than just leaving it idling until it boils over of course :shock:

Been and got the R out of the garage and drove it the 10 miles back home - oil temp went to just over 90 and stayed there.

Did the checks that Ant mentioned - water level is fine, no water in with oil, oil is circulating. Cant check if fans are working, it never got that hot, but they look in good condition. Coolant could probably do with a change..

Am hoping the oil temp sender is faulty tbh as i cant see any reason why it would suddenly start overheating..
 

antgtir

New Member
Generally you will see an increase in the oil temp before an increase in water temp if it was on its way to over heating.

I would let the car idle and keep an eye on the temps both oil and water, if at idle you are still getting high oil temps then you have an issue somewhere, if not then wait until the fans kick in to ensure they do actually work.

Out of interest what oil spec did you use when you changed the oil? What heat range etc?

I would maybe have a look at your spark plugs to, just to eliminate a problem with ignition i.e. not enough fuel getting into the system therefore higher ignition temps and higher oil temps, worth a look imo.

Apart from the oil change did you change the oil filter? If so what make did you use? OE is always better for the R imo as the aftermarket filters can sometimes have imperfections in them and restrict oil flow through them hence higher temps, would probably change it if it is an aftermarket and not OE.

Hope these suggestions help you, good luck.

Ant. ;-)
 

warringtonjack

Active Member
Just another quick thought, how old is your radiator? Older ones have a tendency to block up in parts and become less efficient. The only way I could get an accurate water temp reading was by using a temp monitoring gun probe type thingy. Got my water temps to 94oC, but gauge still said everything was fine. :roll:
 
Ant - yeh oil filter was changed at same time as oil - is one of those Blueprint jobbies, not OE one. Will be looking to change it soon as now though. The oil used was 10/40 fully synth.

Radiator is as old as the car afaik.

Will let the car idle for a while from cold and see what happens. Took it out again today on a long journey and the oil got to 100 and didnt seem to want to rise any further but this was all normal driving, no traffic, no boosting so seems very high, as i said before its normally around 80. Again water/oil pressure all fine.

Oh and i now have a new oil temp sensor on order at Nissan. Hoping its the easy fix still ;-)
 

steve963

Active Member
drain your oil and quickly test it with a thermometer, then again I never seen one that goes over 100 degrees, lol
 
Problem solved :-D

Left the Pulsar idleing yesterday and the water got upto normal on the guage like it always does, but only the very top of the radiator was hot, rest was stone cold so the thermostat is obviously not opening. So much for the water temp gauge telling me all is ok!!

Got a thermostat on back order at Nissan, could be a while so gonna pickup a Blueprint jobbie for now until OE one arrives.
 
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