can anyone tell me whats involved in fitting an oil temp gage could i do it myself? are they expensive to buy. also how much is an oil cooler, just gettin a bit worried. dont wanna break down in the middle of nowhere
There are a few different ways of doing this, and again it has been fairly well covered in tech talk, probably best to wade right back thru tech talk first🙂
the engine already has an oil cooler-built in
[Edited on 7-4-2003 by kombikim]
VDO oil temperature gauges are about $70 I think, but you'll also need a sender. The best place on Type 4 engines for this is the round metal cover on the bottom of the motor, but it will have to be drilled, filled and tapped to accept the sender (which uses a very fine 1.0 pitch metric thread).
The gauge is mounted in your dash, wired to the sender at the back, power from the fusebox and a lead from the instrument lighting too.
If you're unsure, a good VW shop can fit one for you and you'll know it's done properly.
Change your oil and filter every 5000 km, and CHECK THE DIPSTICK regularly. Type 4 engines are designed to use a bit of oil; a factory rebuilt engine has connecting rod mods to fling oil at the piston undersides. They can also drip a bit. So carry 4 litres of oil, check the level every time you fill up with fuel and top up if necessary. You should have no problems if you drive sensibly - stay below 100 km/h on really hot days. Let it idle for a minute or two before you switch it off - VW engines run coolest at idle. Switching off a hot engine can cause compression loss and even head cracking.
where are you located so that we can help you better🙂
im staying in perth at the moment in a place called greenwood
I put mine in a couple of weeks ago, so I can probably answer any specific questions you might have.
You don't have to drill any holes for the sender if you get a dipstick sender. It's just like a regular dipstick, with a sensor built into the end that dips in the oil, and two spade connections at the top for the wires. I picked up a second-hand VDO guage and dipstick sender for $60 from my local VW spares/mechanic (Volksparts in Canberra).
1959 red & white Beetle
1975 Kombi camper
