So we went flying this morning, wheels up around 7:15am and the OAT was already over 75F. About 10 or 15 minutes of full power climbing after takeoff I notice the oil temp is higher than usual, near the top end of the green which ends at 245F. Keep in mind I am new to the airplane but "normal" has been in the 180-200 range. I had just flown 2 days ago and OAT was in the 90's then and I don't remeber the oil temp being this high but to be honest I can't recall what the oil temp actually was. Got to be more vigilent.

So I am thinking two things may be at play, the oil quantity has just dipped below about 6 quarts. I've heard the O-320's like to stabilize between 5.5 and 6 quarts so I have not bothered topping off the oil. Could the reduction of a quart or two raise the oil temps this much?

CHT was never higher than normal so I kept flying, and engine ran fine the whole time. After noticing the high oil temp, I lowered the nose a bit and richened the mixture and oil temp started dropping. We landed at Smith Prairie and then Pine and after I noticed the high temps on the initial climb-out they did not creep up that high afterwards. Oil pressure kept pretty steady, lower 60's PSI.

I guess I am wondering should I be worried that something is wrong, or could this just be a combo of maybe being a tad low on oil quantity and maybe too agressive leaning?

scottf wrote:About 10 or 15 minutes of full power climbing after takeoff I notice the oil temp is higher than usual

10-15 mins is a long time to run full power. That's likely the only prob. Giv'er a break (level off awhile) when it gets to 220 & then climb again. Crap, 10-15 mins should put you @ oxygen level!

NimpoCub wrote:10-15 mins is a long time to run full power. That's likely the only prob. Giv'er a break (level off awhile) when it gets to 220 & then climb again. Crap, 10-15 mins should put you @ oxygen level!

X2.
On my 0-320, the oil stabilizes at about 4 3/4 quarts. If I add more it just pukes it out, but it stays at this level for a long time. So I dont think it has anything to do with low oil.
David

I agree with the others about loonngg full power climbs.

I would also caution on AGGRESSIVE leaning as it is one form of pilot induced detonation.
Detonation causes heat from minutely flexing the head as fuel explodes instead of burns.

I would keep it a bit on the rich side of peak for take off.
Also check to see if your carb has an enrichment mechanism when at full power.
It may not be working or you linkage may need an inspection/adjustment.

Use more cruise climb. I have also found it can help to climb away from the sun.
Specially leaving Winnemucca (sp?) in the summer.

Trim

Should have been a little more clear, I wasn't doing a steep climb for that long, just a cruise climb, about 90MPH. But was at full power. Going out again this morning, I am going to add a quart, keep the mixture a little richer, and maybe climb a little faster and see it does.

scottf wrote:Should have been a little more clear, I wasn't doing a steep climb for that long, just a cruise climb, about 90MPH. But was at full power. Going out again this morning, I am going to add a quart, keep the mixture a little richer, and maybe climb a little faster and see it does.

All that should help in keeping the oil a bit cooler...

Had the same issue - near red line oil temp in pa-28 warrior 2 (160 HP ) coming out of White man (whp-to Barstow Calif) . Temp went within needle width of red line and stayed there - dropped another needle width or so after cruise altitude . Outside air temp at time was near 100 -power was cruise and fuel was rich until level off. O 320s just run hotter in oil temp , cylinder head temp was low to medium all the time. On my O 470 MACHINES OIL TEMP is is up from 160 to 190 in hot weather .

Carburetor fueled Lycomings like lots of fuel to start and like to run lean. On pipeline C-172s, we leaned anywhere in the country. We leaned before taxi and again before takeoff. We got 3,000 average TBO. Flying often helps, but getting the right mixture also helps. Don't worry about leaning. Long climbs and long glides are harder on engines than leaning. Oil temp goes up with OAT. The heavier cylinders on Lycomings is why the oil temp can go higher than the same size Continental.

Don't go there but just so you know, when the engine get really too hot, the plugs fire at the wrong time. Doesn't always kill the engine, but completely zaps the power requiring a forced landing.

My 320 has a spin-on oil filter and I put in 8 qts at oil change every 40 or so hours, it will read at 7 on the dipstick. When it gets down close to 6 on the stick after 15 or 20 hours I add half a quart, then the other half a quart at another 15 or so hours. About the time it's down there again it's oil change time again.

Well just got back from this morning's flight. Flew out to Smith Prairie, Idaho City, Garden Valley, then back to Nampa. Oil was about 6 quarts before flight on the dipstick so I added a quart to bring it up to 7. Also kept it a bit richer on the climb and did the initial cruise climb at 95mph, in steps. About the same OATs today, 70-80F. Oil temp peaked at about 215 and liked to stay in level flight around 210ish. Seems a little warm but at least it is in the middle of the green and not the hot end.

Part of the excersize is just me figuring out what normal is.

scottf wrote:Well just got back from this morning's flight. Flew out to Smith Prairie, Idaho City, Garden Valley, then back to Nampa. Oil was about 6 quarts before flight on the dipstick so I added a quart to bring it up to 7. Also kept it a bit richer on the climb and did the initial cruise climb at 95mph, in steps. About the same OATs today, 70-80F. Oil temp peaked at about 215 and liked to stay in level flight around 210ish. Seems a little warm but at least it is in the middle of the green and not the hot end.

Part of the excersize is just me figuring out what normal is.

Those new numbers sound more reasonable..

scottf wrote:Well just got back from this morning's flight. Flew out to Smith Prairie, Idaho City, Garden Valley, then back to Nampa. Oil was about 6 quarts before flight on the dipstick so I added a quart to bring it up to 7. Also kept it a bit richer on the climb and did the initial cruise climb at 95mph, in steps. About the same OATs today, 70-80F. Oil temp peaked at about 215 and liked to stay in level flight around 210ish. Seems a little warm but at least it is in the middle of the green and not the hot end.

Part of the excersize is just me figuring out what normal is.

So you've already looked at the oil cooler, there's no damage/blockage visible externally, or air leaks if you have a remote filter?
It's possible for the tubes internal to the cooler to become blocked / restricted over time too, that can also reduce the effectiveness of the cooler.

Yeah no visable damage, I know it is getting at least some circulation since it is hot to the touch.

My 0320 runs noticeably hotter in the warmer temps too, 85 degrees or so on the ground.

Since i have been paying more attention to things I have yet to see the oil temp above 220F. Usually tends to stablize around 215 or so. Main change in behaviour has been running the mixture richer in cruise-climb.

We have this trouble on our pipeline planes all the time. First thing to do is do a compression check, could be starting to get some blow by on the rings. Check cowl baffling and make sure every gap is sealed as good as possible. Next oil change flush your oil cooler, use avgas and compressed air. If its been doing fine and over night it starts running high oil temp, then more than likely its worn or stuck rings.