More Oil Temperature Questions, Hot Oil, Cool Head Options

[BeatNavy]

2056 with D-jet. After reading some of the recent oil temperature threads I decided I should probably check how I'm running. Don't have gauge, but I had my dipstick thermometer that was still in my old 1.7L engine. After 20 minutes of spirited driving around the neighborhood in 88 degree weather I was a little distressed to see temps on that gauge running close to 240. Yikes! Maybe not an emergency, but not optimum either. So this weekend I:

-made sure I had right amount of oil (running Joe Gibbs 20W50 right now)
-made sure all the engine tin/warm air guides and heater components are in place (I had removed some of this a month ago when fixing the heat exchangers)
-checked and reset timing (was probably advanced a little too much),
-temporarily disconnected the thermostat cable from the top so the flaps are, in theory, always in max cooling position.

None of this seemed to help. Funny thing is my head temps are normally cool. Driving around town (lots of costing and downshifting at lights) keep me in the 270-280 range, and the only time I ever really north of 300 degrees is when I'm going up a hill or if I'm running a few miles at 65 to 70 mph (and then it maybe gets to 335) out on the "freeway." Car is running great otherwise.

So I'm wondering if the flaps truly are working. When I had the engine out a few months I definitely made sure, but I don't know if something is sticking or what. Right now that's my only working theory on why my head temps are cool to normal and the oil temp is warm to hot.

Any thoughts? Any good way to verify flap operation without completely removing the tin (something I don't relish doing with the engine in the car).

Also, engine came with this oil temp sending unit installed (below). It's definitely the source of one of my minor oil leaks. Anybody recognize it? I'd like to go ahead and install a gauge that works with this sending unit, and also see what I need to do to stop the leak.



TIA, fellas.