acceptable oil temps?

urtheiz · Post by **urtheiz** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:29 pm

with summer upon us and the temps outside rising (and me having just installed a oil temp gauge), what should "normal" oil temps be about and what would getting towards the "too high" end be?
thanx for any input.............

bajaman72 · Post by **bajaman72** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 8:34 pm

Im guessing that is why the new sticky popped up. I work in Valencia and beleive I have been drooling over your bus every morning (usually @ Jack in the Box for breakfast). Beigh with a pop top?

Hippie · Post by **Hippie** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 12:53 am

I'd guess anything around 250 F or higher is getting too hot to sustain.

urtheiz · Post by **urtheiz** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 6:05 am

I might be, dirty white pop top w/black bus-bra covering the front, all sorts of political stickers on the back window (it's a hippie bus from the '70's) personalized plates (urtheiz). i do see a beige poptop sometimes in the area, but i think it's later 70's, 74-75ish.
as for my operating temps, 240 and a little above are usally what it's running at. next project is to rebuild the carb. exhust smells very "gassey" (no i'm not giving it beans!). last week replaced the oil cooler (doghouse) hoping that might help and muffler which was busted and leaking (very loud).
also commin' up aug. 6th the (13th?) "treffen run" which is a west coast vw run from portland to ventura, will be finishing up at channel islands harbor in oxnard. vw car show/party, it's a lot of fun. drove with em' last year through the "ave of the giants" in humbold co.

Randy in Maine · Post by **Randy in Maine** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 7:17 am

Quick question...

Where do you have the oil temp sender located?

Have you checked the gauge accuracy (perhaps using a laser thermometer on the bottom of the case or the sump plate and comparing it with the gauge reading)?

And what weight of oil are you using?

Hippie · Post by **Hippie** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 5:20 am

Well I think you can do 250 F - ish sometimes, but running around that oil temp normally is probably too much.
Like Randy in Maine asked, we could use more info.

airkooledchris · Post by **airkooledchris** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 9:30 am

keep in mind also that these VDO gauges are better used for trending than giving you a dead on accurate showing of your true temperature. if your's is running well and always shows X, then notice while traveling that you've spiked above X (without an obvious reason why, like hard hill climbing) - then it's time to slow down and let it cool a bit.

Hippie · Post by **Hippie** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 6:19 pm

^^^good point

bajaman72 · Post by **bajaman72** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 6:18 pm

I have no guages (installed) in either of my VW's. Never driven my bus, but my baja even after a straight 2 hr drive (Mojave to Irvine) I was still able to grab the dipstick to check the oil. Had a 73 Super that had a cooler mounted on the shroud covering the intake (I didn't know it was there until after the motor blew..then it all made sense). Car ran great around town, but hit the road and it would lose sooo much power and generally ran like crap. Whew

Hear/listen to your engine. You will become accustomed (sp?) To the sounds it makes when its happy and when it's not happy.

urtheiz · Post by **urtheiz** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 2:03 am

thanx for the advice, here's my spec's. on the advice of a vw shop in eureka ca (bill's vw, who also installed the oil temp, pressure and voltage gauges last year on a trip i did to canada) recommended using 20/50 weight oil which seems to hold pressure better w/heat. the temp & pressure gauges are hooked up to a new sender where the stock oil sender unit was, left side under the distributor.
this temp thing is really bummin' me out (of course) and at work tonite i had some spare time, was veggin', relaxed alittle and got into a meditation state and "oil pressure relief valve" pops into my head. so i pull out the vw transportor book ( which i always carry w/me) and i find out there's 2 of those little spring things (relief valve i knew about). ones the "relief" valve and the others the "controll" valve. maybe some crud or something got in there and one or both got stuck. tomorrow am i'm gonna see if i can get both of those and replace them. the only thing i'm not sure of (trying to avoid a mess) is do i need to drain the oil 1st?
i'll get back to ya and let ya know how it goes..................................jn

Randy in Maine · Post by **Randy in Maine** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 4:02 am

Suggestion...

A better location for an oil temp sender on a type 1 engine would be at the oil relief plug using this gizmo (as there is precious little oil circulating at the oil pressure sending unit spot).

http://www.aircooled.net/new-bin/viewpr ... 17&cartid=

You could also confirm that what the gauge is reading is what the sump plate of the engine is indicating. I have one of those little laser thermometers that allows quick temps checks there. Oil temp on the gauge should be pretty close to what that sump plate is showing.

Gypsie · Post by **Gypsie** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 3:50 pm

The Air-Cooled Ranch wrote:.... and there's a 2260cc Type4 in the kitchen that needs to get buttoned up

After you make it a sammich.

Randy in Maine · Post by **Randy in Maine** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 6:13 pm

I agree with aircooledranch, but if you have the engine in there and running it can be a little bit daunting to do the mods required to mount the sender in the oil pump.

Do the laser thermometer thing first though and see how hot things are really getting in there. Once the oil is hot it will stay hot for while.

Are you timed correctly?

Post by **Amskeptic** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:41 am

Randy in Maine wrote:I agree with aircooledranch, but if you have the engine in there and running it can be a little bit daunting to do the mods required to mount the sender in the oil pump.

Do the laser thermometer thing first though and see how hot things are really getting in there. Once the oil is hot it will stay hot for while.

Are you timed correctly?

Honestly, I am nowhere motivated enough to chase down the "optimal oil sender location" physics, because I am honestly nowhere near pushing the envelope at the ragged edge of sustainability. If I was racing my bus and trying to stay ahead of the McClaren/BMWs and just HAD to extract more performance from the engine with no hope of backing off, then yes, I would want to know exactly what my oil was doing and would keep an eye on staying this side of cooking it.

But geeze louise, puttering around in a VW bus? Am I going to get all excited about which location offers the more exact reading of actual flowing oil temperature? Heck no. Drive it to the next gas fill up. Check the oil. If the dipstick bites you, hey, have a look around. If something deadly is cropping up out between gas fill-ups, yes, a gauge will catch the startling climb in oil temperatures if your senses haven't otherwise established that the engine is suddenly suffering.
Colin

Hippie · Post by **Hippie** » Mon Jul 11, 2011 6:57 pm

Well, I just use my OP gauge. Too low at highway speed in summer heat, I know things all over are getting hot and I back off a little.
You get to know your gauge.

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