oil temp

[advinnie]

Hi all just a quick one here my oil temperature is 80 degrees at idle does this right cheers

[FJCamper]

Hi Advinnie,

This is why you shouldn't be reading gauges and posting to forums after an evening at the pub.

I read your oil temp is 80 degrees at idle.

Is that Celsius or Fahrenheit? If C, that's 176 F., not bad as it is just at operating temp.

If F., not enough.

And, did you mean pressure not temp?

Thanks,

FJC

[advinnie]

Yes I mean Celsius and it just seems high considering its just at idle

[neil68]

I assume that you mean the oil temperature is 80 C. (176 F.) at idle AFTER the engine has warmed up. If so, then that is certainly within the typical range. 180 F. is common most of the time for leisurely driving, unless you accelerate or climb steep hills, then it will rise to 200-210 F.

[Jim Ed]

I heard that the VDO oil temperature gauges are off by about 40 degrees F so, you might want to add 40 degrees F or 4.444444444444445 degrees C.
180 degrees F is about right for operating temperature.
Over 220 degrees F is too hot.

..and there is this opinion:
http://vw-resource.com/overheating.html

The smart VW owner will watch carefully for the tell-tale signs of overheating. In his technical manual, Gene Berg states that the safe upper oil temperature is on the order of 235°F (113°C) so. If the temperature is higher than 235°F, the heat can cause case studs to pull out, head and case sealing surfaces to warp, cases to be internally distorted, permanent case metal fatigue and engine bearings to wear prematurely. Sounds like a horror story, but it is easily prevented if a few precautions are taken and followed religiously.


~~~
Know If Your Engine Is Running Too Hot?

There are several of ways -

The “Poor Man’s” Dipstick Test -
With the engine completely warmed up, grab the dip stick and pull it out. If you can JUST hold it without it burning your fingers, the engine temperature is OK. If it burns your fingers (and the engine will usually smell hot too), then the temperature is too high -- possibly as high as 285°F (140°C) -- VERY hot!

[Steve Arndt]

The VDO sending units have some error and offset built in, and so does the gauge itself. These offsets can either stack up, or cancel out.

Dakota Digital is a highly rated gauge and solid state stable, but they still use VDO sending units. VDO RTC thermistor oil temp sending units from my measurements have +/- ~10% variance sample to sample.

Steve