Temp Gauge.

Post by **NewarkNutter** » 19 Jun 2007, 19:44

We are taking our 2L air cooled across France to Spain this summer. First time the kids have been abroad, very exciting.
Because of work we are having to go at the hottest and most expensive time of year i.e. late July early August.
I'm a little concerned about cooking the poor thing or wrecking the oil as we will be loaded up and doing this lengthy journey at the height of summer.
What are the pros and cons about fitting a temp gauge to these air cooleds?
Cylinder head or oil? Both?
What can I expect it to cost and where can I get this sort of kit from? I just get blank looks from my local motor-factor.

Andy

Post by **thenaylortribe** » 19 Jun 2007, 20:01

OIL COOLER!

Post by **NewarkNutter** » 19 Jun 2007, 20:05

Doth have an oil cooler as standard me thinks!

Andy

Post by **guz** » 20 Jun 2007, 08:08

i think the easiest to fit is the one
with the dipstick sensor, be warned though,
they do appear to run VERY hot.

Post by **ermie571** » 20 Jun 2007, 08:28

Hi, good luck for the trip!!!

IIRC there was something similar to this a while back.....as a rough guide, you should be able to hold the dipstick when taking it out of the engine hot. It will be warm.....but if it burns then the oil is too hot.

I used to check the old dipstick everytime I stopped.....sad or what!

Nowt scientific, but a useful guide. Try it regularly before you go, to get an idea of hot the dipstick gets.

Wish I was taking an air cooled to europe.....sadly mine got beyond economic repair.

Emma

Post by **richnewton** » 20 Jun 2007, 08:31

Before we go to france i always make sure its been tuned and running spot on. make sure all the tinwear is in place aswell.

Post by **lloyd** » 20 Jun 2007, 14:35

Me thinks oil temp is as important on Aircooled and water temp is on watercooled. Always use um myself. I figure engine temp, oil pressure and voltage are all very important... They let you know something is going wrong long before idiot lights/buzzers do.

Haven't got gauges in camper yet and am paranoid every time I drive it. Trying to find some good cheaper ones with all 3 in one cluster.

lloyd

Post by **toomanytoys** » 20 Jun 2007, 18:42

Actually an oil temp gauge wont tell you the whole story on a 2L..
I would fit a head temp gauge that fits under the spark plug.. these give a much more acurate reading and if you see the gauge going up you can back off a little to get ti to come back down...
NEVER STOP AND TURN IT OFF.. if you do stop hold the engine at a high idle for a minute or 2, this will lower the oil and head temps very well..

Make sure its well serviced and set up before you go and tinware an seals all in place as said.., worth cleaning out the crud from the oil cooler as this gets blocked with the inevitable road crud and oil stuff..

never try to lugg up hills etc.. change down and let the engine rev a little on a lighter throttle.. rpm = more airflow = more cooling..

Post by **lloyd** » 20 Jun 2007, 20:03

I've used both head temp and oil temp and found they moved up and down the heat range at same time.. like a pair of ballroom dancers.

I found the sparkplug sensors were marginal at best because they compromise the sparkplug's cooling.. and it's not easy to find a place to drill and tap a sensor into. Almost all heat is built in the head and top 25% of cylinder... which is also where almost all of the oil goes. The oil absorbs much of the heat while in the head. Get oil temp before it goes to the cooler... like off of the sump.

In the end it's your choice.

Lloyd

Post by **PC52** » 20 Jun 2007, 21:27

I have driven all through europe, Aircooled, towing a trailer, 4 adults, 2 kids 80mph and loads of other stuff. I never had a problem. The only thing I did was to give it a good service prior to travel and ensure the tinware with rubber seal is all installed as the book says.
One thing I did have a minor blip with was a piece of paper was sucked in through the air vent which recorded on the gauges as a massive overheat. We stopped, looked, removed and carried on.

I fitted oil temp and oil pressure and in a way it made me a bit paranoid about running temps which was a distraction.

The best advice is enjoy your holiday, take your time and be happy.

Post by **NewarkNutter** » 20 Jun 2007, 22:44

Thanks for all the good wishes and advice guys.
The van has been stood some 18 months, but prior to that I had the engine out to replace the clutch. I took the opportunity then to replace the push rod seals, and cleaned out all the leaves and dead flies from the cooling fins and the oil cooler. The engine is in really good nick and the tin ware all complete. Once we have been for an MOT and it has had a few short trips to blow away the cobwebs I shall change the oil and filter. Already put in fresh oil, air filter, plugs throttle cable. Checked timing etc.
We do intend to take the holiday steady. The thing making me a little paranoid is that I remember as a kid, driving across France with my parents. Dad had a Talbot Alpine at the time. We had been tanking along some autorout and stopped at some services only to find that lights came on on the dash. It would appear that the oil was knackered. After an oil change things were right as rain. Maybe I will be better spending my money on an extra can of Dukams to take with us rather than a temp gauge. I know these things can make you a little edgy. I can remember being very paranoid about oil pressure on several vehicles in the past.
Andy

Post by **lloyd** » 21 Jun 2007, 01:05

just cus U'r not parinode don't mean U aint havin' low oil pressure un engine too hot.

Post by **toomanytoys** » 21 Jun 2007, 09:29

Well according to a top Type 4 expert, he reckons the head temp gauge is a accurate way to prevent over heating and dropped valve seats...
the heads are gonna get hot before the oil takes it away and it all depends where the oil temp gauge is placed too..

But as said.. the most critical thing is to make sure everything is in good order and well serviced before you leave...

Post by **lloyd** » 21 Jun 2007, 16:02

ex-xpert = has-been drip under pressure

No offense to your mechanic.. just couldn't resist.

Seriously, head temp is very good. Problem is having a dedicated place to mount the sensor... and I don't think under the sparkplug is a dedicated mounting place. Oil temp before cooler will definitely reach critical temps before heads are damaged on a petrol engine.

Having all of the tin and proper seals between outside and engine compartment as well as between engine and engine compartment... so air coming into engine compartment is only coming from side scoops and air forced through cooling tin only comes out under engine... Things like spark plug boots, engine to engine compartment seal, etc.

Post by **toomanytoys** » 25 Jun 2007, 12:33

There just isnt enough metal anywhere on the head to get a better idea of head temps, the sparkplug is the best and yes it isnt ideal n dthe sensor is "consumable" after a few plug changes..
The EGR port on the heads is not suitable as its too far away from the combustion chamber so dont be temped to use that..