20wt oils, higher temperatures and oil coolers

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OK so I'm using a full 5w20 synthetic and I'm getting up to 250F (120C) on the highway after about 40 minutes of driving. I have tried a 30wt with little difference so I'm thinking of putting a sandwich style oil cooler setup on to reduce the temperatures. What say you? What brand of cooler would you reccomend for a M22x1.5 application.
 
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It's not going into the limp mode with the "Hot Oil" message but it isn't what I would like to see it at. My mom has the same model vehicle but 1 year older and hers gets up to the same temperature so it must be normal for them or we both have the same problem. hahahaaha.
 
Not sure if there is any correlation …
but my new 0w20 spec 5.3L has a factory oil cooler and my old 5w30 spec 5.3L does not …
 
If I stay on streets the oil temperature will never make it this high and stay around 95C (203F) but prolonged period on the highway elevate it and keep it there until I exit the highway. I thought initially it was the 20wt and stepped up to a 30wt but this made only a few degrees difference. I checked the coolant sensor in case it was faulty and reading the wrong engine temperature and even the oil temperature sensor and both are within spec as per the technical manuals. That's why I'm thinking oil cooler is the way to go.
 
What vehicle is this? Oil temp of 250 F with normal public road driving seems abnormally high, even with no oil cooler.
 
It's a 15 Journey 2.4L 4 Cylinder. Normal roads is normal temperatures. Highway is where the problem exists.
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My gf's Olds 88 would always climb up to 220F if we were sitting in traffic and idling. But once we got going it'd back down to around 200F. The exact opposite of what you're experiencing.
 
I would be more concerned if my mom's with 1/2 the miles wasn't doing the same thing but hers does as well so I'm just thinking it's just a poor design and it can be remedied with a cooler.
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
I would be more concerned if my mom's with 1/2 the miles wasn't doing the same thing but hers does as well so I'm just thinking it's just a poor design designed that way and it can be remedied changed with a cooler.


Fixed. Just because temps are higher that what you are used to or comfortable with does not mean it is a poor design.
 
The Journey's are equipped with a driver information center in the center cluster and it tells you things like oil temp, trans temp etc.
 
Yeah however I'm all about tweaking it somewhere cooler for engine longevity but not too cool that the oil can't do it's job effectively.
 
I should also add because these engines are designed for regular oil and that supposedly starts breaking down at 275F and Synthetic somewhere around 300F if I remember correctly so this is getting pretty darn close. I also don't like the thought of running track type oil temperatures in a daily commuter.

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That sure is odd.

I'd add an oil cooler if it was me.

Make sure to use an oil with a low NOACK so it doesn't all boil away!
 
I'm a long time Amsoil user and have been using SSO 5w20. So far no consumption but the high temperature is worrisome over the long term I would think for engine components.

Maybe a UOA is in order since discovering this.
 
The problem is with oil temp readings is where they are sensed at. Saying "250 is high" doesn't really mean anything, unless it is taken in perspective. Spot oil temps can be much higher than 275 in different parts of the engine. If both those similiar vehicles are doing it and not giving an alarm, etc., it is probably "normal".
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Yeah however I'm all about tweaking it somewhere cooler for engine longevity but not too cool that the oil can't do it's job effectively.


I'm with you. I'm not thrilled with how hot the Pentastar engine coolant gets in my Wrangler. I can't help but think that excess heat is a major contributor to the bad left cylinder heads the 2012's and 2013's were troubled with.

In your case as long as the oil gets hot enough to properly lubricate and boil off moisture, etc. you're golden. Once that temperature is reached additional heat imo is of little to no benefit, and in some cases might even be detrimental.
 
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My dad's 2012 Pentastar has 300K on it and still going strong without a cylinder head failure yet.
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Knock on wood!

But yeah I agree heat is the enemy past a certain point.
 
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