I have seen on here where people are talking about oil temperature. None of the cars I have owned has ever had a guage like this. So I am going to ask: 1. where would you install one (I know the oil temp will vary based on where in the engine it is)? 2. How do you install it? 3. What should my oil temperature be?
I have been looking into this for a while, but can not find any info on how and where to install one. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Oil temperature Guage
- Thread starter gmayer5454375
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quote:1. In the sump (oil pan). 2. Drill a hole in the pan and braze/weld in an adaptor. There are other places but the farther you get from the sump, the less meaningful the temperature readings will be. An oil filter sandwich adaptor with provisions for temperature sensor in the oil stream would be almost as good as the sump. 3. 190F to 230F is a good oil temp operating range once the engine is warmed up. 250F is starting to get pretty ugly with regular oil, not so bad with synthetic.
Originally posted by gmayer5454375: I have seen on here where people are talking about oil temperature. None of the cars I have owned has ever had a guage like this. So I am going to ask: 1. where would you install one (I know the oil temp will vary based on where in the engine it is)? 2. How do you install it? 3. What should my oil temperature be?
My car has a tap in the block just above the oil filter. Unfortunately it is also very near the left side Cat converter which is hotter than the fires of **** and can skew the readings if you don't put in a heatshield. The pan is really the best place. I used to think that the only way to tap a pan was to remove it and braze a fitting on but I recently found out that you can punch a tapered hole and tap it. With some cars it might be possible to use the oil drain plug for the sensor.
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What is this on? Some vendor on ebay is selling some fitler spacer designed for this type of use. You can probably save some money (if this is a route you choose to go) with buying a PermaCool sandwich adapter and drilling it internally and using one of the ports for your sender. The Home Depot® will provide the reducer bushings.
As was mentioned there are self tapping hollow bolts. I would prefer a welded bung and drilling (with a greased/magnetic drill bit) ..but we don't know (yet) if you've got a cast aluminum pan.
Here's the one from ebay It's $40 delivered ..(shrug)
I already have 1 sandwich adapter on my 2002 S-10 for the bypass filter. Maybe I can install it at the adapter.
JHZR2
Staff member
VDO sells a replacement oil drain plug that is actually a temperature sender.
There is a wide variaety of lengths and thread types.
JMH
FWIW I fitted a sandwich plate with hoses running to an oil cooler, I then fitted a remote filter into the oil out line not far from the engine.
To fit the oil temp. guage I drilled into the remote filter brass fitting and tapped a thread for the oil temp sensor.
The oil flows from the block about 18" and pours directly onto the sensor before it is filtered.
Works for me.
Alf.
quote:What kind of car is it? Here's a link to my gauge install (water, oil pressure and oil temp) on a 2.0 VW Beetle. http://forums.newbeetle.org/showthread.php?threadid=50606 Just wondering why some people recommend the sump as the place to take temp? I was under the impression that it would cool somewhat by the time it hit the sump (I have an oil to coolant cooler on the Beetle) so I've got the sensor before the cooler as the oil exits the engine.
Originally posted by gmayer5454375: I have seen on here where people are talking about oil temperature. None of the cars I have owned has ever had a guage like this. So I am going to ask: 1. where would you install one (I know the oil temp will vary based on where in the engine it is)? 2. How do you install it? 3. What should my oil temperature be? I have been looking into this for a while, but can not find any info on how and where to install one. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
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quote:You can measure at various points in the engine ..anywhere that there is a tap. The sump is the only one that gives you the average temp. The amount of "reserve". You may be pushing 250-300 somewhere in the engine ..but you would want to know what your supplying the engine with. btw- your tap before heat exchanger ..at least I believe (it would be this on all of my engines) ..it's basically at sump temp. It's just gone through the oil pump first. Your oil temp ..when not too taxed, should, more or less, gravitate toward 100C/212F.
Just wondering why some people recommend the sump as the place to take temp? I was under the impression that it would cool somewhat by the time it hit the sump (I have an oil to coolant cooler on the Beetle) so I've got the sensor before the cooler as the oil exits the engine.
quote:In addition to the good reasons Gary gave you, sump temp is the temperature almost everyone else uses, so general info on advisable engine oil temperatures is based on sump temperature. Gary's point that that's the temperature of the oil going into the engines lube system is the main reason.
Originally posted by rcy: Just wondering why some people recommend the sump as the place to take temp? I was under the impression that it would cool somewhat by the time it hit the sump (I have an oil to coolant cooler on the Beetle) so I've got the sensor before the cooler as the oil exits the engine.
Ah...cheers...I get it now. So you suspect my oil goes from the sump to the oil/cooler then filter, then back into the motor? For some reason, I thought the oil was coming out of the motor, and into the cooler at that point. Maybe I'll check my shop manual
Usually I hit between 200 and 212 at legal highway speeds, but the other day it was 30 celsius with a humidex of 38 and hit 240f doing 140km/h. Coolant temp stayed steady at 200 though.
quote:It isn't after it has gone through the engine. At that point it is returning to the sump by leaking out of all the rod and crankshaft bearings and draining through the holes in the head back to the sump.
Originally posted by rcy: Ah...cheers...I get it now. So you suspect my oil goes from the sump to the oil/cooler then filter, then back into the motor? For some reason, I thought the oil was coming out of the motor, and into the cooler at that point. Maybe I'll check my shop manual
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quote:Sure. Get a 3/8" close nipple and a "T" ..and a 3/8 to 1/8" reducer bushing. I wouldn't worry too much about the reduced flow to the bypass being a factor. I think that you're close enough to the main oil flow to get a decent reading.
I already have 1 sandwich adapter on my 2002 S-10 for the bypass filter. Maybe I can install it at the adapter.
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