High Oil temperature, Concerned the temperature is getting to high too fast . Options

[Ron914]

In preparation and hope that I pass my smog test I want to go on the So. Cal.Toy Drive in my 914 on Saturday (not sure if this is a good idea) .

I need to address what I think might be a high oil temp problem .

After driving around town for 30 minutes the photo shows my oil temperature oil gauge and a actual thermometer reading using a turkey fryer thermometer.

The needle on my console gauge gets very close to the red high mark and sometimes just about to cross into the red .

At this point the turkey thermometer reads ~216 F degrees .

My Dakota Digital head cylinder temperature reads 111C (231F) .

It is almost 80F here today in sunny So Cal. but this seems too high for me . What would be a normal reading for the oil temp gauge?

This is a newly rebuilt motor (less than 300 miles on it).
I did not replace the oil cooler (its original) but it was flushed and was clear.

The baffles are held open by spring tension since the thermostat is not working but I checked they were open by removing the coil and checking through the bolt hole. This should be ok until I get a chance to replace it .

If I pass my smog check tomorrow or Thursday I am hesitant to take the car on a long canyon drive , so not sure if I can attend the toy drive this Saturday.

Any thoughts ?

[Ron914]

I made a couple of more temperature readings when I got home from my smog test today . I used the factory gauge , IR thermometer and a turkey deep fry thermometer as a replacement for my dip stick .

My CHT gauge is stuck in Celsius so 88=190.4F
I don't trust my IR thermometer which was a measurement of the bottom of the motor near the oil drain plug
And of course the factory gauge with a 200 C sending unit which shows ~ 245 F

There's a bit of confusion here for me so I will probably purchase a new sender unit and look for a new gauge .I changed the battery in the IR but that made no difference in the bad readings . I actually trust the turkey fryer thermometer





None of this makes any difference until I can geta passed smog test and actually start driving my car .
Thoughts of abandoning this project are floating about in my head but Ive put so much time, money and sweat into it I hate to give up now after 4 years .

[Superhawk996]

Thoughts of abandoning this project are floating about in my head but Ive put so much time, money and sweat into it I hate to give up now after 4 years .

We all have those days. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grouphug.gif) Take a break from it and think about what’s best for you’d but don’t decide in the heat of the battle.

I don’t know CA other than the smog laws don’t make it easy for anything newer than 75 as I understand it. So you’ve got a bit of uphill battle but probably not insurmountable. Today you are dealing with a typical bureaucratic (IMG:style_emoticons/default/stromberg.gif) and maybe a lazy moron to boot.

On the temp sender - test don’t replace. Could be the gauge. Could be the sender. Could be wiring. Could be perfectly OK. Replacing blindly only adds cost and frustration. It’s very simple to test by getting the car prepped, and simply bringing a pot of boiling water to the car within a couple minutes of removing the pot from the stove.

IR temp measurement of aluminum is terribly inaccurate unless the emissivity is set properly. Emissivity of aluminum is all over the map based on surface finish (shiny, oxidized, rough vs smooth) so I’m not terribly surprised by that reading lower.

Your dipstick and the turkey thermometer aren’t terribly far off (maybe 30 degrees or so). Of the three measurements, I believe the thermometer the most at the moment.

One last thought to leave you with. For all this talk about oil temperature- keep in mind VW / Porsche saw fit to ship many of these cars without a temperature gauges at all. Let that sink in. Lots of hay gets made about it on this forum. Unless you’re driving a pickup truck truck with a tow package I’ll wager you have no idea what the oil temperature measurement is in your daily driver. Again, let that sink in. Not saying ignore it but don’t be freaked out / stressed out about it ether.

Here to help and support if you choose to keep going forward.