My 2006 w/27K miles just "blowed-up" during a HPDE...don't know the root cause yet...The car had fresh Mobil 1 10-30, w/new Nissan Oil Filter safety wired on...no warning just KaBlam-O...oil and engine guts all over the track...

 

I bought a Setrab thru Stillen when the car was new(2005) just for insurance sake and at the same time got a larger, baffled oil pan. Now it's a 7.5 qt. system. The last oil change my car tech had to re-tap the drain plug hole and while the pan was off the car he looked up into the engine and said "Man, that is one clean-lookin' motor!" Go to 6-8 track events per year, several are alway 2-days long.

 

Back in my SR's 240sx days, just about everyone who's motor popped under strange circumstances was running Mobil1. I wouldnt put that crap in my car at gunpoint... Try putting in some Motul 300v before HPDE's and after they are over use Castrol's "European Formula" for daily driving.

Sorry to hear about your engine =/

 

what event and where?

really sorry to hear that.

 

Buy a cooler, your engine will thank you. Its a known fact that the car runs on the hot side (oil) in tough traffic let alone a track beating. I wish I would have taken the threats of high temps more seriously. I'm the guy that Pat talked about at the begining of the thread with the spun bearings at WSIR.

Save yourself some money and headaches...

 

oil cooler now installed.

 

Correlation does not equal causation.

 

Wowsers!! That is all bad!

I'm feeling more and more at peace with my decision to buy.

I'm gonna have it installed as soon as it gets here and definitely before my next HPDE (oct 16, Thunderhill).

 

Finishing up mine when i get home from work.

 

PCA-HPDE @ Roebling a couple of weks ago...not even pushing the car...just giving students ride to show the line(s)

BTW: Bought a 370Z to replace the blowed-up one...FOR STREET DRIVING ONLY...will drive the E36 on the track.

 

Sorry to here that.

That's one of the reasons I have a track only car now.

 

Separate track car is looking more and more of a good idea.

 

I'm starting to look into one myself, i drive an 03 and was autocrossing the other day and after pushing the car in 90 degree weather for about an hour i started to notice white smoke pouring out of the hood, coolant temps stayed normal, i layed off for around an hour to cool down and the smoke went away but i would like to know what happened, any body else have this problem? also the smoke was white and the car felt really hot.

 

Could have been overflow of coolant, did it have a coolant smell? If not, its probably not a good idea to push too hard before finding.

 

Yep, purchased a full-on race car this summer, and then ran my first W2W race @ Road Atlanta w/NASA in Aug. However, the radiator developed a leak in the last race of the weekend. So I planned to upgrade the Rad and add an electric fan before the next event...so the car was not drivable at the time of the PCA-HPDE..,so I drove my Son's car (my old Time Trial car) in 100% street trim that weekend. I would have canceled out but I had two students who I had promised to work with.

But it "Blowed up BEEG Time"



So, I purchased my son a brand stinkin new 370Z, Black/black with Sport package...sweet car...and this will NOT see the track for a long time.



The next track day/Race for me is the NASA event @ CMP in Nov in PTE...then Road Atlanta in Dec w/NASA...all these will be in my E36.



BTW: I am the tall old guy on the left, the other old guy is my race team partner...we split cost and driving time.

 

I had 3 heat issues in my 2006, Coolant overflow, boiling power steering fluid, and the diff.

I put a sock over the power steering reservoir to stop the overflow from getting all over the engine compartment

I ran a small hose from the coolant tank overflow outlet to the bottom of the car to stop the overflow from getting all over the engine compartment

The diff would burp some oil out..but i never did anything about it, just checked or changed my diff fluid often

 

Sorry it's been rough lately. Looks like We will see each other AT CMP. I'll be running FFRC. I am trying to talk Mike P about coming down and running with me.

 

Possibly, when I opened the oil cap I could see the smoke coming out through the valve cover, could it be oil burning producing white smoke? No one I've been to the track with has ever noticed smoke coming out of my exhaust though, just from the engine. The oil was fresh and coolant had been changed recently

 

hm...reading all this has me worried about doing some track time in my Z... Its the only car i've got and cant afford to have some kind of large failure to the motor. I think I see an oil cooler in my future..

 

I think thats water boiling off the oil.

Has anyone noticed increased oil pressure after installing the oil cooler? I used to get 15psi at idle, 60psi at 3000rpm and around 80psi at redline. Now I get 30psi at idle, 70psi at 3000rpm and 110ish psi at redline.