Annoying Issue after driving on the highway for a while..

[82ColEd]

After a little weekend drive to the boonies ("Pennsyltucky", ie. Grand Canyon of PA), after a while on the highway, doing 70-75, the oil temp would get a little warm, slightly under the first hashmark on the oil temp gauge in a 82.
Didnt seem to bother anything other then when i accelerated the car seemed to work harder to get up and go. With what sounded like a groaning noise.

Now i didnt pick up any squirrels or something related, but it just puzzles me. :confused

Once i slowed down a bit (65ish for 20 minutes), the oil would calm down again and acceleration was normal.

Anyone got any idea ? ;help

(The oil warming up might not even be related)



All in all a great drive with the old iron. 236 miles one way. Going was rough on Friday as it rained cats and dogs and doing highway turns at 75ish wasnt fun. The car doesnt feel solid and i slowed down a bit. When i got up to 75, she felt a bit light in the front, especially with the wind and rain, passing trucks.

She did purr all the way with no issues though..

On the way back, it was even better, weather sunny and warm. A good drive home. No more lifting and doing 75 around the bendies was fun again. Once i get the pics, i'll post some of the mud splatter on the car (the last part was 2 miles up a hill/farmroad onto a farm with loads of sliding). hnoes

Thanks for any answers.


-Stefan

 

[Evolution1980]

Hey, let's turn this into a thread about which oil is better and how often it should be changed!!! Yeah!!! :W
Just kidding.

Seriously though... you got fresh oil in it, 10w-30? Did you check your oil level? (the simple questions, ya know...gotta get them outta the way first.)

 

[82ColEd]

Sher.. Oil ? I need to change Oil ?


Yeah, she's just had her Inspection done, 2 weeks ago, if i remember correctly, where she get's her LOF done too.. So, Oil & Filter are brandy spanking new.

Did i check the oil level ? No, i never had an issue with him putting too little in there. I can go check tonight though, just for peace of Dre's mind..

 

[bill81vette]

the oil temp will follow closely to the water temp....if your running hard or in heavy traffic the water and oil temp tend to rise...I generally as a rule don't worry about the oil temp as there is nothing you can do about it anyway....
as there are several things that we can do to help the water temp...to a point.

 

[jdp6000]

I'll take a guess. Warms up and gets sluggish? Only part I can think of that is affected by heat as the car warms is the module in the distributor. Something going in the ignition system could cause the engine to work harder and the oil temperature to rise. Other wise not much else. Maybe its time for a tune up,module,coil,rotor,plugs and wires.

Jim

 

[82ColEd]

I think i have to apologize to Dre, but i'm not sure..:confused

I checked the oil level last night, and getting something was a chore. The dip stick is way long and crooked and smeared all sorts of oil on it before i could pull it out completely. Yes, wiped it every time before sticking it in there. I think i tried a dozen times. :ugh

As far as i can tell, oil is at the middle between empty and full, but i cant be sure as there was smearing way up above the full mark on some parts of the dipstick. I couldn't find the receipt for the service, but i'll go looking tonight to see what the wrench claims to have put in. (What should go into an 82, anyway? I haven't looked at the fluid sheet in a while).

Bill: The water temp and oil were going up together, but water temp has been very good since i had the rad & water pump replaced last year. The car has been at temp at all times, until i run it hard but it never even goes close to hot.

Jim: It's not getting sluggish, it just continues on. But when i try and accelerate there, it feels like it's struggling. It does accelerate, but not with as much force as i am used to when it's "normal".

My thought was that when the oil reaches a certain temp, it gets "more" fluid (In my un-technical terms), and flows faster/easier then designed. How this relates to engine performance, i dont know.

So, back to the oil level: How is one to check this and find out if there is enough in there without dumping it out ? ;squint:

Thanks for the pointers guys !!

 

[Yoda]

-Stefan,

I'm not trying to be a smart*** but from your description of the "Dip Stick" it sounds more like the Transmission Dip Stick... AND to check tranny fluid in an automatic, the engine/transmission needs to be at operation temp.. when checking it for full...

The Oil Dip Stick should be on the Passengers side about mid-engine somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd sparkplug on the passengers side... without going out and measuring Rares "Stick" my guess is it would be about or around 2 foot, while I don't have an automatic... the dip stick for the tranny fluid check is toward the back of the engine, not sure which side (Rare is a 4-speed ) but the dip stick will be quite a bit longer than the Oil dip stick...

Also when checking the Engine Oil either check it cold or let it sit a few minutes to allow the oil to drain back into the Oil Pan for a more accurate reading

I use Castroil(sp) GTS 10-40 in Rare

Bud

 

[82ColEd]

Maybe i am a dipstick.. :L

I am fairly certain it's the oil dip stick. Green Handle, passenger side between 1 and 2 (or thereabouts). And i'd say it's a good 3 feet (I'll refrain from the obvious jokes about my measuring qualities for now. ).
It's just, aside from the normal bendy in the top to keep it in the hole, it seems to be quite crooked, but that could be from age. I believe it's the original 25 year old stick.

I'll have to pull out the shop manual tonight. Last nights checking was in between soccer plays with the little one, not quite having my brain focused shall we say.

Thanks for the input Bud.

 

[Yoda]

-Stefan,

The oil dip stick does have a green handle I think you got it right ... sounds like your CE sure enjoys getting .... the oil check... all bent up you say (You know it's not beneath me to make comments )otfl

Bud

 

[82ColEd]

Our cars are certainly of age (even here in the US) to be smoking, drinking and, well, "get an oil change"..

 

[wishuwerehere82]

My 82 does the same thing on long trips.
I think the ECM leans out the mixture for economy after learning the values from the O2 sensor for a while. It seems to "come back" after stomping on it a time or two. The oil temp is always rock solid at 205 unless I get behind somebody close up for a while, then it will go up to 220 or so, but goes back to normal once I hit clear air again.

 

[minifridge1138]

A few things.
1) I have an 82 and the oil temp is usually around 200-210.
2) it has nothing to do with the computer, because I don't have one anymore. I have a carburetor and I love it.
3) Cylinders 1,3,5,7 are on the driver's side. Cylinders 2,4,6,8 are on passenger's side.
4) Oil dipstick is right around cylinder 4. It is the green one and is about 3 feet long.
5) Transmission dipstick is located near the fire wall close to the distributor on the passenger side.
6) Car takes 5 quarts of oil with a filter change. I switched from a synthetic to Castrol GTX for high mileage and my oil leaks virtually went away.
7) Best bet is to check the oil in the morning before driving it. Right after driving and when it is hot is difficult. Oil is more fluid and has been sloshing around. Makes it harder to read the dipstick.

My coolant runs hot because before I bought it, someone put in a 2 core radiator and it just can't handle the heat. I will be upgrading to DeWitt's direct fit aluminum radiator and my cooling problems should go away.

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[82ColEd]

Didnt get a chance last night. One of those days i'll get a chance to concentrate..

Pete: You bring up a good point. It could be the ECM just leaning it out. Now when you say 205 as a temp, is that the hashmark between the 100 and the 250 ? I always wondered what the heck tha temp is.

Here is a pic i grabbed from ebay (not mine!), showing the oil temp clearly.

Nowadays my Oil Temp running is around where the needle in the pic is. Once the car is warm of course.. When i had the issue, i had been running for a good 3 hours with a break in between (no more then 10 minutes). And thats when the needle went close to the hashmark between 100 and 205. Is that 205? 210 ?
My water temp has been rock solid since i replaced the rad and the water pump (pump was dripping through one of the weep holes). Put in an OEM rad and pump and the needle barely ever goes close the the hashmark between 100 and 200. Me guessing thats the 180 mark for the thermostat?? If so, then i'm usually at 110, once on the highway she'll go to 160 and stay there.

Minifridge: Thanks for the checklist.
3 footer, eh ? Hence my issue. Long pole in a small hole..

And i'll check on the bill to see whether wrench boy used 5 quarts.. ;squint:

 

[minifridge1138]

...
3 footer, eh ? Hence my issue. Long pole in a small hole..

You'll get better with more experience. Not everyone can be a natural. Mechanic that is.

 

[Evolution1980]

That guage displays are not very intuitive.
For the water temp, if the guage reads from 100° <-> 260°, then the middle should be 180°, but it's not marked as such. 200° is to the LEFT of middle where one would think to find 180°.

The oil temp is similarly counterintuitive. 100 <-> 320, which means the middle should read 210, not 250.

:crazy:crazy

 

[jdp6000]

Mine runs hotter then that. I'm usually at that hash mark. I don't think its a concern.

Jim

 

[82ColEd]

So for oil measuring: On a 82, what do you expect to see ?
Car cold, been sitting, so all oil is down low.

Half way up between empty and full ? (On the before mentioned 3 ft dipstick) or is that too low ? How much is that ? The needed 5 quarts (4.37 liters, sorry, quarts still dont mean a thing to me)?

Jim: I am not concerned with the oil (or water for that matter) temp on the car, but just that it coincides with the above described performance. Just trying to understand if all is happy.

Dre: I agree. The guages have always thrown me..

Hopefully i'll get a chance tonight..

 

[wishuwerehere82]

So for oil measuring: On a 82, what do you expect to see ?
Car cold, been sitting, so all oil is down low.

Half way up between empty and full ? (On the before mentioned 3 ft dipstick) or is that too low ? How much is that ? The needed 5 quarts (4.37 liters, sorry, quarts still dont mean a thing to me)?

Jim: I am not concerned with the oil (or water for that matter) temp on the car, but just that it coincides with the above described performance. Just trying to understand if all is happy.

Dre: I agree. The guages have always thrown me..

Hopefully i'll get a chance tonight..

For the oil dipstick:
it says to check at operating temperature, and it should be at the full mark. Since oil expands with heat, somewhere halfway between add 1 Qt. and Full should be where the level is when it's cold. So check it when hot, even if you have to wear gloves.

On the gauges:
As shown in the picture, it looks like 180 degrees, so 205 would be just beyond the next hashmark.
**Now if the 200 temp is straight up as DRE said, then I'm not reading it right, so mine actually would be running at 192 which is the rating on my thermostat.**
The cooling fans won't come on until it hits 130 anyway, so if the temps seem consistently hot especially in warm weather, check for leaves/grocery bags in front of the radiator. There's always something in there.

 

[KANE]

So for oil measuring: On a 82, what do you expect to see ?
Car cold, been sitting, so all oil is down low.

Half way up between empty and full ? (On the before mentioned 3 ft dipstick) or is that too low ? How much is that ? The needed 5 quarts (4.37 liters, sorry, quarts still dont mean a thing to me)?

Jim: I am not concerned with the oil (or water for that matter) temp on the car, but just that it coincides with the above described performance. Just trying to understand if all is happy.

Dre: I agree. The guages have always thrown me..

Hopefully i'll get a chance tonight..

I'd still use the water temp gauge as the metric. If you have plenty of oil (and oil pressure!) and your coolant is within the norm... I wouldn't sweat it. The oil can run warmer at times. Oil takes longer to cool down than water because of its specific heat capacity.

Don't forget- CFI loves heat (well, not really... but the water passage under the intake would make you think otherwise!).

 

[82ColEd]

Sorry, life just put me into crazy world.. We accepted the offer and are under contract for our house.. :W

But, i had a chance last week to warm up the car and get a good reading finally.. Well, waddyaknow.. This pic was taken at just warm.. I drove her around more after and got her REAL warm mad as in had to use the garden gloves, yikes).. And it's little further up.. Somewhere at 75%-ish..

So, before she goes into the container, i'll try and throw a quart at it (Can i just add any 10w-30, manufacturer wise ?). But at least now i know..

The Bill didnt show how much the garage put in Oil-Wise.. But you bet, i'll be having a word with my wrench boy. Then again, he wont be for too much longer anyway.. :L

Sorry again Dre ! It's the simple things, eh ?

Thanks to all for the suggestions..