I have a Nissan’s 2010 touring roadster with sport package. This car comes with Nissan’s famous and most used VQ37VHR engine. This engine has a problem with high oil temperature and will go into limp mode at about 280 degrees. Nissan knew of this condition thus the limp mode. I don’t track my car but I have been reading that track users in these cars do produce those temperatures. So when tracker complain about a few laps around the track and limp mode kicks in; I can understand Nissan’s responds of," add a mode for cooling your oil", even though this car is advertised as a “sport car”. But us cool drivers are finding out that just light spirited driving and driving in hot climates or stuck in traffic pushes the car into high temperatures like 280 degrees. Now to my question; how hot is hot? My car temperature is normally around 180-220. But with spirited driven or stuck in traffic on a hot day has reach up to 260. My point is even going into limp mode stuck in traffic will not reduce the oil temperature. Are these high temperature going to cause damage within the engine at some point. Don’t you think Nissan’s owes us an oil cooler or some other solutions to this premeditated future damages to our investments. I know this is a dead horse issue but… thinks in advance for your help in this matter…Z fans or disappointed consumers awaits your response.
I would put on a cooler now, and figure out if they owe it to you later. Just keep all the receipts. But I wouldn’t hold your breath. What are the Z forums saying about it?
The current VQ40DE has an oil cooler at the oil filter location. I wonder of this was a later addition for the truck engines.
Is the engine equipped with an oil temperature sensor? How are you monitoring the oil temperature? It seems strange that high oil temperature would put the car into the limp mode…Few cars have that feature. So that tells me they knew there was a problem and that was the cheapest way out…
Back in the day, aftermarket companies sold extra capacity finned aluminum oil pans to cure problems like this…
It’s a bit unclear to me whether the temperatures you provide are engine temps or oil temps.
If it’s the latter then how are you determining this?
If the temps are engine temps based on a dashboard gauge then I would say there’s a problem if you’re running 220 and higher and yes it will cause damage if not already.
High temps will also lead to oil coking and that can cause damage also.
260 is too hot. I would add an oil cooler and always use full-synthetic oil in this car, and change it often. On a 102-degree day with very “spirited” driving, I managed to get the oil temp on my car up to 240, but it took some doing. (it’s not a Nissan) 260+ just idling in traffic means a poor design, inadequate oil capacity, or both, IMHO.
I’ve read numerous articles of oil overheating on the Nissan Z cars. Apparently they did have some sort of design weakness. I’d go with a oil cooler.
1.350z Equip with oil pressure guage like most H/P cars. 370z replaced oil pressure guage with oil temp. gauge and LIMP MODE(280 oil temp or more)
2. prototype cars loan out for reviewers had oil cooler, transmission coolar etc… which was missing in first year’s model sold to the public.
3. 2009 370z had great reveiws in every auto magazine.(you hear nothing about the car now)
4. 180-230 is the average oil temp for these cars in normal driving conditions.(stats. taking from 370z forums)
5. NISSAN CORP states that temp’s of 260 or higher could only be attain by illegal or track driving
WHY SHOULD I BUY AN AFTER MARKET PART (which could void my warrenty) WHEN NISSAN KNEW OF THIS MAJOR PROBLEM? They should foot the bill to correct the problem. Don’t get me wrong, this car is a BLAST to drive but NISSAN’S has issues.
Does the high oil temperature occur during normal street driving?
Don’t cut off your nose despite your face. You should buy the cooler so you don’t have engine problems. Sure, sounds like NIssan should do something, but don’t worry about the small cost of the cooler, compared to your engine. Some times you just gotta move on…
Call Nissan and ask for recommended oil cooler to maintain warranty. If indeed installing an oil cooler voids your warranty ask them to put that in writing so you can sue them later if the engine fails. I think you’ll get some attention and some kind of reassurance.
If you don’t get a cooler, then you really need to use full synthetic oil. These oils handle high temps much better than conventional oils.
I agree with the OP that Nissan should be footing th ebill for an oil cooler. I support his reasoning as to why.
My understanding from reading the articles over these past years is that the oil temp problem manifested itself when the car was pushed and in hot weather. Problem is, a car like that is targeted at a market segment that is likely to live in a sunny climate and more likely than most to participate in things like autocross racing.
Having an enquiring mind, I’d be interested in reading exactly why the car has this problem. My gut suggests that perhaps the exhaust system is hugging the sides of the block too closely heating up the oil in the passages and perhapos the pan, and maybe the problem is exascerbated by poor exhaust design creating restriction in those pipes that are hugging the block. But that’s just my gut speaking. I’ve never read a real explanation.
I would have the DEALERSHIP install the oil cooler and put it in writing that the warranty is still in force…But expecting them to pay for it is a fantasy…
It would still be interesting to know whether or not the oil temps are lower during normal driving and if the OP has put up with this problem for 3 years.
A statement from Nissan as per the cut and paste.
The part number is 21300-SS370. An oil cooler is not necessary for normal operation of the vehicle on public roads.
I’m skeptical as to whether the Z was designed for “normal operation”. Somehow I doubt that the performance design criteria resembled the Sentra’s.
By the way, I happen to love the Z. If I win the Powerbal tonight I’d definitely look int one. I’ve looked at them before, but they’re out of my pricerange and not practical for NH weather.
But I did discover that they have great seats (admittedly highly subjective) as well as usable trunk (wayback?) space. And I can get in and out of them easily without screwing my bad back up even when the roof is up.
I imagine that you can follow Uncle Turbo’s excellent suggestions on line at My Nissan (https://owners.nissanusa.com/). Once you’re logged in, there should be a way for you to ask questions. The advantage is that you get your responses in writing without requesting a follow-up letter or email after a phone call. If you experience high engine/oil temperatures in your version of normal driving, it makes sense to do something about it now. Even if you don’t get paid back eventually by Nissan for installing an oil cooler, you won’t have to worry about trashing the engine of your $30,000 Z-car.