[T3] Notch Running hot.

[Keith Park]

Got the Notch out on the highway today for the first time in a while, and
the first time with the Brad Penn semi synthetic.
Well. once on the highway it started heating up faster than I left the
Fulton county courthouse with new plates in my hands (GAA 2128, I don't
think there are any engine builds that size so it should look OK on the
crate)  Its running at least 20 degrees hotter than it did with the Dino
oil, and the pressure is also much less. very much like what happened when I
used the Amzoil nearly 25 years ago, only not nearly to that extreme.  Big
changes in temperatures at the cooler with different RPM's too. I think
those "8 little oil coolers" as Russ used to call the pushrod tubes rely on
the oil to transfer the heat to them efficiently and the semi Synth just
doesn't do that in the same way as the Dino.  At low RPM's it doesn't run
too hot but at high RPM's when there is more flow the heat doesn't transfer
as well and the oil remains hot when it gets too and leaves the cooler.

Not sure if this is the whole picture but Im surprised that nobody else has
seen this with the synth oils, maybe its because not many of us have oil
temp gauges but wow, what a difference.  Of course the car still runs fine
and without the gauge you'd never know its 20 degrees hotter.  Now I did the
same apples to apples comparison with the T4 engine and did NOT see the same
results. it MAY have run 5 degrees colder with the dino but that's in the
noise really. maybe the different design or materials used tolerates the
synth oil better.

Im going to give the Notch a good going over tomorrow, pull the left tin,
make sure nothing is living under there, check the timing etc. but nothing
has changed since I had the Dino oil in there.  IT just ran hotter with the
Brad Penn. 205 at the cooler rather than the 180 - 185 it should have been
and the resulting oil pressure had the needle on the pin at idle coming off
the highway, and that's not acceptable for what is basically a new engine.

Keith


Top Notch Restorations
topnotch at nycap.rr.com 
http://www.a383ina68.addr.com/radiorest/main.htm
71 Squareback "Hothe"
65 Notchback "El Baja Rojo"
65 Squareback "Eggcrate"
87 golf "Winterat"
93 RX7 "Redstur"