engine temp

[howard65]

Hi

Can I ask what the oil temp ought to be on an RS4 07 plate.

Temp dial remains at 90 which is fine but the temp on the display rises to late 90's and if pushed a little up to 105

Oil in the system is fine and halfway on the stick

do you think 100 is a ok running temp or is it too high?

plus id be keen to know what oil is commonly used. I know its specialist but what's peoples favourite?


thanks to any responses

[MikeFish]

I assume when you say the temp dial remains at 90 you are talking about the water temp? This doesn't move once it's up to temperature unless it's about to overheat (Audi stopped it moving to much to stop people unnecessarily worrying about it overheating.
As for the oil temp mine floats between mid 90s and up to about 110 I think. I'm told that's normal.

Most people use Castrol Edge 5w30, seems to be the most popular but there are a few that use different brands although I can;t recall any right now.

[The_Coat]

Mine is anything from 90 - 98 for normal driving. Put your foot down and it's around 100-106, never really seen it over that so maybe I don't drive it hard enough

Same oil as mentioned above, just make sure it topped up and at the right level.

[adsgreen]

As above - the dash coolant temp lies. It might as well say "ok" and "<beep>" for the two states. If you plug in a diagnostic reader you can see the real temp (and it varies a lot).

Oil temp will change with age, use and weather.
At the moment with relatively high ambient temps and oil about 4k miles old mine sits at about 97 on the motorway.
Drop a cog and boot it and it can easily go over 100. TBH 110 will not put a dent in it - I'd only start to worry if it went up above 110 and you were not going mad or if it went over 120. Technically the oil will be fine up to 130 and will tolerate higher for short times but with the amount of oil cooling on the rs4 you'd have to be going a fair whack.
Its actually good to get the oil over 100 as it clears out any retained moisture.
Castrol edge 5w30 is pretty good and perfectly fine.

[adsgreen]

Same oil as mentioned above, just make sure it topped up and at the right level.

+1 - very easy to overfill. Keep it on the hatched marks on the dip stick and it'll be happy.
Otherwise you'll get lots of smoke and burning clutch smell!

[howard65]

To all that replied in regard the oil temp question - a big thanks.

I can now rest and drive it with a little more knowledge and less anxious thoughts. Really didn't know what it should be a and watched it rise to about 106 after a hard run round the Devon lanes!!!

I'll be purchasing some oil this week.

also to add what a fab car it is.

Never used a forum before and hey ho what a nice surprise- thanks again.

[The_Coat]

Check Amazon for the oil, they normally have the best price. Think I paid £28 delivered but the price does change.

A few links were posted the other week on here so have a search.

[Teutonic_Tamer]

I'd only start to worry if it went up above 110 and you were not going mad or if it went over 120.

Why?

Technically the oil will be fine up to 130 and will tolerate higher for short times

150degC. All oils which meet the ACEA A3/B4 (of which the VW 504.00/507.00 is based upon) include the HTHS rating. HTHS means 'high temperature, high shear', and this included sustained testing at high temperatures - specifially at 150degC, and then monitor the shear resistance of the oil film. As always, some of the cheaper oils will only just pass the tests, whereas the more well-known premium brands will pass the tests with pleanty of headroom.

but with the amount of oil cooling on the rs4 you'd have to be going a fair whack.

Agreed . . . but isn't that what the RS4 was designed for?

Its actually good to get the oil over 100 as it clears out any retained moisture.

Absolutely.

Castrol edge 5w30 is pretty good and perfectly fine.

You need to make sure you get the correct spec of Castrol Edge - last time I checked, there were two differing formulations, and only one of these met the required 504.00/507.00 standard.

[adsgreen]

I tend to stick to those numbers as a rule of thumb. Several reasons really..
- variations in oil temp location -I've seen some cars with the oil temp located in such a way a noticeable variation is there.
- oil is under different stress in different parts so the oil in the sump is a mix or an average.
- I like contingency

Even on track if oil temps are heading north of 130 then I prefer to revisit the cooling setup rather than trust the specs. You get other benefits too with a cooler engine. That being said the vxr8 always levelled at 110c (and that bugged me )

It's all my interpretation so e&oe

Yes - there are two Castro edge versions and only one meeting the spec.

[TimDogg]

+1