Ideal running temp!

[taffy]

Got an oil gauge fitted & its in fahrenheit, when i'm on a m-way cruising at say 55mph the gauge pretty much sits around 230'F which on a conversion gauge comes out at 110'C.
Is this about right?

 

[speedwell68]

Got an oil gauge fitted & its in fahrenheit, when i'm on a m-way cruising at say 55mph the gauge pretty much sits around 230'F which on a conversion gauge comes out at 110'C.
Is this about right?

That sounds about ideal to me.

 

[taffy]

Thats cool, well at least something works! :?

 

[Justin & Muttley]

Got an oil gauge fitted & its in fahrenheit, when i'm on a m-way cruising at say 55mph the gauge pretty much sits around 230'F which on a conversion gauge comes out at 110'C.
Is this about right?

That sounds about ideal to me.

^^^WHS - sounds perfect to me!!

 

[Mike F]

sounds perfect to me!!

You see Taffy - that van'll be fine in the end (so long as you don't reckon on overtaking too many people!).

 

[maddog]

Seems a little high to me?
Mine runs at 180-195F....if pushed hard i hit 210F.
JMR says that most engines are ok up to 240F though :wink:

 

[MMMC]

it does sound high to me as well mate. Mine runs at about 180 and someone who looked at my engine the other day said it may be running too hot. Strange question but how hot is your distributor after a drive?

 

[LuAn]

Although I haven't yet fitted temp gauges to my bug or my bay it is something that I intend to do and made a few enquiries about what type of sensor (sump plug, dipstick, etc) is best and what reading to expect.

There didn't seem to be a definitive answer. Some folks argue for one sensor while others argue for another. As for the temperature it depends on where the sensor is located, how accurate your is, how accurate the gauge is, what oil you're using, etc, etc, etc.

I've seen it suggested that you can check the sensor and gauge before installing by putting the sensor in a cup of boiling water.

In the end however I came across a piece of advice that made a lot of sense to me: it's doesn't much matter what YOUR gauge USUALLY reads. What's important is that you know what it usually reads so you notice when it starts reading something different (and thereby indicating that you have a problem).

 

[Araon]

You werent at the engine autopsy at vanfest by anychance were you? :wink:

 

[maddog]

In the end however I came across a piece of advice that made a lot of sense to me: it's doesn't much matter what YOUR gauge USUALLY reads. What's important is that you know what it usually reads so you notice when it starts reading something different (and thereby indicating that you have a problem).

Nail...head........ :wink:

 

[Guest]

like Luan said its all about calibration, no two gauges will read exactly alike and some will read WAY off.

 

[strongy]

ive got a brand new engine in mine with all correct stuff in place,i have a dip stick sender and at 55mph it sits at 100dc,60mph about 110to115dc,and round town it takes 3 weeks to even get up to 70 dc

 

[Rita '71]

Taffy,

OT senders and gauges are only as good as to how well they've been installed, and the quality. The sender is the most crucial part as far as mounting location is concerned regarding its ability to accurately measure oil temps. There has been an ongoing arguement over here about the reliablilty of VDO gauges for example.
I don't use an OT gauge because they are too slow to monitor changes in the temp IMO. I use the dipstick test, that is, after driving around for quite a spell, I feel how hot the diptsick is by touch. OUCHHH!!! Burned your fingers?? Or, hmmmmm, that doesn't feel so hot. Your oil temp is best regulated by having all your proper cooling tin in place, with no aftermarket crap, and if DP with a Doghouse cooler, your cooler sealed properly with the foam seal and the Hoover Bit. Flaps in your shroud, with the thermostat functioning is an absolute must. And your engine to body seals must be flawless. If all's said and done, you really shouldn't have to worry about your oil temp.
IMO, the best gauge to use for monitoring engine temp is the CHT, but that's a whole other issue, I'm sure the cylinder head temp has been fully addressed here. I use the Dakota Digital CHT, OP, and VDO Volt (the only VDO gauge I trust) gauges in my Bus and that's it.

Charlie

 

[oldporridge]

Sounds high to me also.

I test my oil temperature gauge (dipstick sender) by dipping the dipstick into a jug of freshly boiled water, so I know it is pretty accurate.

I completed a 400 mile journey from the south of France a month ago - heavily loaded, cruising as close to 60 mph as I could when I could, (non-motorway but main A roads in France, then M1 to Yorkshire), pretty much non-stop, and didn't exceed much above 92C during the entire trip.

I've done this trip about thirty times over a period of over fifteen years, with consistent oil temperature readings almost regardless of how hot the weather is, (and it can get very hot in France!).

When I first did the trip, the oil temperature would rocket up to 100C+ very quickly, and easily within fifteen minutes on country back roads when in France - this worried me. I dropped my speeds accordingly, crossed my fingers, and tried not to share my concerns with the family.

When I returned I rebuilt the 1600 DP engine with stainless one piece exhaust valves, full flow filtration, together with an auxiliary oil cooler through which air entering the n/s air vent has to pass (while retaining the standard dog-house cooler), together with an oil thermostat. Haven't touched the engine since.

I paid particular attention to the sealing of the tinware - using clear silicon sealant to clag any gaps up - no matter how small.

I believe the results justify the costs and work involved, and in retrospect would do exactly the same again.