Oil management with a Laminova 'oil cooler'

[Garth]

Had a Laminova fitted before my Spanish trip this year. My Sigma water temp has been running lowish - 70degC - since my upgrade (196bhp on rolling road) a couple of years ago. Have a slightly larger radiator than the standard Sigma version (result of a leaking plastic top original!), but before the engine upgrade the water temp was much the same as before (steady 90ish). Even with low water temp I was getting high oil temperatures when pushing on track. Therefore plan was to bring the oil temp down and water temp up a little with the Laminova (and then experiment with blanking off some of the radiator to increase water temp more?).

Laminova works well in bringing temps together at a fairly steady 75degC with the oil temp running slightly higher when pushing but not reaching much above 90degC. Only time the water temp gets close to 90 degC is in slow/stationary traffic!

I now appear to be using a bit more oil (possibly due to change in grade - see separate post!), but main problem is judging the oil level as when the car has been stationary for a while the oil must be draining out of the Laminova (fitted in line with the top water rail going straight to the top of the radiator) which then shows up as being well overfull on the dipstick. However once engine turned over a bit the oil level shows far to low - barely showing on tip of dipstick!

My first thought is that the Laminove should be fitted much lower so that oil remains in it? 

Concerned about the oil level being too high which I undestand can cause problems with pressure build up in the engine?

Spent ages on the web searching for fitting guidelines on laminovas, but found very little and could not establish what their capacities were either to try and work out the likely oil volume changes?

[MADMALC]

Your oil temp looks too low to me. I would expect it to be above the boiling point of water in energetic use. I think may be you are over cooling everything.

[revilla]

Although I don't have Sigma experience, what MADMALC says above sounds right to me. What thermostat are you running? Is it working properly? Surely the coolant temperature shouldn't be running far below the thermostat temperature in normal use as it should be shutting off the flow to the radiator. If you are now using the water to pull the oil temperature low too, your engine is never properly warming up. You won't be properly "boiling off" any moisture content absorbed into the oil, and the contaminants in oil when dissolved in water can be acidic and corrosive.

[Garth]

Fitted an 82degC thermosat a while ago. Agree I am running too cool - getting the temp up is probably relatively straight forward - higher rated thermostat and/or blanking off a little of the radiator? Managing the oil quantity/level seems tricky now with the laminova?

The oil specialist I was in contact with  a while ago - Royal Purple Oils - said their oil should typically run between 82 and 104degC to facilitate evaporation of unburned fuel and water in the oil and to minimize oxidation of the oil.