Oil temperatures
 

Just out of curiousity, what would you say a "normal" working temp be on a 900SS?

Today was the first good day that I have been able to have a long ride and the temp got to 110º. Is that normal?

Thanks in advance.

Colin.

I've got a 750SS that I've only had for a month or so. Therefore I don't really know what the "normal" operating temp is.

However, I've heard from various other people that the temp gauges can get up to the 3/4 mark, which seems quite hot, but they don't actually go into the "red" and overheat.

This is just heresay though. I've not had a chance to see for myself yet.

On a hot day you are more likely to see the temp gauge creep up, especially in traffic.When in Spain last year I was quite concerned when my 900 went close to the red mark only cause i was stationary waiting to board the ferry.I turn the engine of if it looks like i will be stationary for any lenght of time. Fordie;)

i've got a 900sl, and have had it for a year now. i too had this panic when the weather started to get a bit hot. the temperature gauge use to get so close to the red that i use to get the bike home as soon as i could to let it cool off, affraid it might just blow.
relax, it's normal for it to get that hot, specially during the summer. i noticed the idle would climb slightly, but it never overheated. not even when stuck in london traffic, during a very hot day.

[Edited on 29-5-2003 by Cris]

Colin, that sounds high for "oil" temperature.

I was using my 996 on a trackday yesterday (<28C) and noticed that the oil temperature didn't get above 85. Do you mean water temperature?

Remember SS's are air/oil cooled David.

What sort of temperature do you see on your 900 Monster? That might be about the same? Probably a bit cooler 'cos hot air won't get trapped in the fairing like a 900SS probably does at a standstill.

I was waiting to see who would find my deliberate mishtek.

As regards the M900, I'm really not sure about engine temp because I automatically switch that display to clock mode.

Basically, no help at all - now where's my coat!

Still wondering :)

Anyways I do not have a red line, just increments up to 150 degrees.

Colin, I was out on a 90 minute run on my Monster this morning and paid attention to the OIL temp for you.

The maximum it reached was 96C but I didn't get caught in any traffic. I'm sure that it would have gone well over 100C if it was stop/start riding in this weather.

Thx, I too had a blat on the A339 Basingstoke to Alton and back with varying degrees of traffic and it didn't go much over 100. I will take this as normal then considering the ambient temperature today. Must go out and play again :D

I wanted to get a mesh guard fitted across the mouth of my fairing lower so posted a query on the Ducati.com forum about concerns over my oil temp and their reply was that all the enclosed air cooled motors run hot. A temp of 140-150 is hot, but is not worrying (unless there is another, hidden, problem) under "normal" running conditions.
Like Fordie says, if you're gonna be stuck at a a standstill for any length of time, kill it until you need it.

[Edited on 1-6-2003 by psychlist]

I had the same worry when I got my ss but 110-120 is normal in summer and youll find in the winter it strugles to reach 100
Tip: Just make sure the valve in the oil line wich is located at the left side of your oil coller is set to allow the oil to go through the cooler.
This switch can be turned to alter or divert some of the oil towards your carbs this is supposed to stop them iceing in the winter
Iv never tride it though.

My 900 sl runs between 105 -110 as normal takes about 10 miles to reach that temp will go more if sitting in traffic I have had the bike for 6 Years with the 944 kit on it was about the same

mike f

Oil Temperatures
 

Air-cooled engines are designed to run hotter than water-cooled engines, but the rules for oil temperatures are the same for both engines. YOU may be uncomfortable at the higher engine temperatures but the engine has been designed with adequate materials and thermal expansion clearances to run just fine.

From the engine point-of-view, you should expect to see indicated oil temperatures between the gauge midpoint and three quarter mark with occasional excursions to full scale. That’s how the manufacturer selects the gauge mid-point. If the oil temperature is too cool the oil viscosity is higher so you will loose power due to pumping losses.

From the oil point-of-view, you need to maintain lubrication and a high enough viscosity when hot to produce an adequate oil pressure. If the oil temperature is too hot, the oil oxidizes and breaks-down more quickly.

That’s why you should run a synthetic oil, to give you a safety margin against oil breakdown. A regular oil will begin to lose its film strength at temperatures above 105°C, while most full-synthetic oils can be safely used at temperatures as high as 150°C before lubrication-related damage becomes a concern.

As a rule-of-thumb your oil temperature should be kept below 115ºC if you want to change petroleum-based oil at the recommended intervals. For every ten degrees above 115°C, cut your oil change interval in half.

Race car builders usually design for oil temperatures between 110°C and 127°C in order to get the best power. Above that range, engine reliability and oil life becomes a factor in racing.

That said, make sure your oil cooler is clean. One 900SS with a dirty cooler was running in the 140’s at speed. After cleaning about 110°C.

Also, Ducati oil temp gauges, at least for the 900SS bikes, have been reported to be notoriously inaccurate.

My 900SL also runs at 110C on a longish run. What seems to happen is that after 10 miles it's up to temperature. Then if i'm running fast it goes up to 110C and doesn't seem to come down regardless of how I ride after that. Will go as high as 120C if it's in traffic but goes back to 110C after that. Strange. I was also worried about it at first but now it's just normal operation. :)

One thing to check is the oil cooler tap which is on the left hand side of the bike, towards the front, next to the oil rad. Not all bikes have it fitted. It's to transfer oil to the carb heater kit to prevent carb icing (apparently). In summer time it should be inline with the pipe. In winter mode - ie my carbs are cold - it should be turned 90 deg to the pipe. Might make a difference to the temp, might not.

Last time I went down there, there be scamera vans! :eek:

In July I got my 1000SS serviced at D/Glasgow. On the way home I got stuck in rush-hour traffic at one of the bridges over the forth & the temp got to 127 deg.
Then a week later I read Shazzam & Nelly's comments about oil.....@hit!!!!

Mobil 1 going in start of next year. (Bargain on Ebay)

My bike, being a '92 model, doesn't have an oil temp gauge. Less information =>less paranoia.

Mine gets up to 140 if out on a fast ride, read somewhere not to worry about it

mine run's a little hotter with hc pistons and fcr's........110-120 is normal temp, mine creeps up higher in traffic 140 :o

I've seen 130-140C plenty of times before. Don't worry, they all do that. Remember people are riding these things about Athens etc!!!

Good oil is always worth it - check out Shazaam!’s words on this.

Actually I’m thinking of adding an ‘oil stat’ to get the oil upto temperature quicker… Any thoughts?

You're having a larf :D

Stupid boy Pikey :rolleyes:

No honest!!! – hear me out; low temperature oil is not great for engine wear etc... An oil stat will re-circulate it till it gets up to temperature, then re-direct it thought the cooler. In theory warm up time should be quicker, but the cooling efficiency un-affected.

In theory….

maxypriest is right!

"evoluzione" used to make one for Ducatis some time ago but it's not continued any more... (too bad :(:mad:).

at the moment you can look for these too oil thermostats:

-- http://www.perma-cool.com/Catalog/Cat_page14.html

-- http://www.thinkauto.com/oilstatcolour.htm ("mocal" thermostat). the right type for the Ducatis is one of the 3 on the top row.


I'm about to get one because it's better to have the oil temperature controlled by a proper thermostat rather than a piece of foil (as I used to do until now).

I'm trying to figure out what size ar the fittings for the oil lines. anybody knows this one? it will save me (and others too I believe) some time of looking around... :rolleyes::p:D

After about 20 mins running my oil temp varies between 95-120 depending on speed (obviously down to air cooling).

I agree with posts regarding fully synth oil for air cooled bikes, the extra protection cant hurt. Did a lot of research on nerdy net for oil and always use Silkolene Pro 4. http://www.silkolene.com/img.asp?OBJ_ID=25274

the dd bikes get very hot on the race track (600ss) I have seen temp over 100 just after a 20 min race

Getting hot
 

110 is normal my superlight takes about 20 miles to reach that temp
as previous comments they will go higher in traffic
I do try not to wind it up till its nice and hot. had mine about 9 years now


superlightmike

Just picked up my Multi from Ducati Wolves yesterday and rode it up to Chorley (100 miles) mainly motorway. In wolverhampton traffic it crept up to about 90c then dropped a bit when the speed picked up. Reading the manual that came with it, the digi temp gauge reads LO till 39c then actual temp up to 171c then flashes HI after that, so it seems all is OK up to then.
Cheers, Brian.