Oil Filter Cooler - Will It Work?

[5-90]

Oil temperature gage.

The "engine" temp gage we all have is measuring the temperature of the coolant. The "oil" temperature gage will have to be plumbed directly into free-flowing oil somehow - either by way of a "T" fitting in an external line, a bung in the oil sump pan, or maybe drilling/tapping into the drainbacks in the cylinder head (although that last is not practical.)

However you do it, it's important that the sensor actually have flow going over it - having it plumbed into a "dead end" is not going to give you an accurate reading - a flow pocket doesn't get exchanged as often as this would require...

5-90

 

[87manche]

I imagine if you were concerned enough to plumb in an oil temp guage you would also have an oil cooler, and putting te guage sender in the line going to the cooler would make the most sense to me.

 

[RTicUL8]

Hotter oil will certainly help boil off water condensation but it doesn't have to reach 212*F for the condensation to evaporate.
From my own experience, the engine doesn't need an oil cooler unless you do a lot of crawling in slow traffic or go wheeling at low speeds on a very hot summer day. By very hot, I mean over 110*F. If I try really hard, I can get my oil to reach 225*F on a 120*F day and that's nowhere near high enough to cause the oil to break down.

So do you have an OIL temp guage, and if so - which one?
Where did you install it?

 

[490Chaser]

Actually, along those lines, something with more surface area would work slightly better.
Like this: http://cool-collar.com/products.htm
But, it's probably not much of a help when you consider the volumes and temps involved.

I had one just like this in my neon, back when I did alot of autocross/rallycross

It DID make a difference... not a whole but it was there. Duct pressure was increased slightly and oil temp dropped about 5 degrees. That was with a 4qt system.

 

[Dr. Dyno]

So do you have an OIL temp guage, and if so - which one?
Where did you install it?

Yeah, I have the Autometer Sport Comp 2-1/6" electric oil temperature gauge (140-300*F, Summit Racing part no. ATM-3348) and it's mounted in the dash to the right of the instrument binnacle:

The sending unit is threaded into a T-adapter that's screws into the hole where the oil pressure gauge sending unit normally goes. The latter goes into the T-adapter so the whole arrangement looks like this:

Here's my write-up:

http://www.angelfire.com/my/fan/oiltemp.html

 

[jdougn]

Yeah, I have the Autometer Sport Comp 2-1/6" electric oil temperature gauge (140-300*F, Summit Racing part no. ATM-3348) and it's mounted in the dash to the right of the instrument binnacle:
Here's my write-up:
http://www.angelfire.com/my/fan/oiltemp.html

Dr. Dyno nice write up on the temp gauge. Let me ask your advice.
I'm gonna be driving to Utah, then wheeling my dd '98 XJ 4.0 in Moab in June. I know that around Louisville KY on a hot summer day (95-105%f) my cooling system seems to be at max capacity and runs around 210 on the gauges. (fall/winter/spring is around 185-190f).
Should I add cooling capacity to one or more systems? What other recommendations do you have? I appreciate your advice.
Doug

 

[OT]

So the oil temp sending unit is just dead ended without oil flowing past it?
If so, you're not getting an accurate reading of the oil temperature.
You're only getting the temp of the oil in the "T", which is most likely to pick up the temperature of the block at the fitting instead of the actual oil temp flowing in the block.

 

[Dr. Dyno]

The oil temp. gauge sending unit might appear to be somewhat "dead ended" but it does respond quickly to changes in oil temperature so I've no reason to question its accuracy. It'll reflect the temperature of the oil flowing into the oil filter and that's good enough. Of course it'll be lower than the oil temperature at the bearings where it's hottest but that'll apply even if you have the sending unit in the oil pan.
Tsgolo, with your plan to go wheeling in Moab in hot summer weather, I think it'll be a good idea to install an oil cooler. A high-flow water pump and Robertshaw 180* t'stat won't hurt either.