Wondering what the upper limit is regarding engine oil temperature for my '76 2l Kombi Camper. I have an oil temp. dipstick and on a 30+ day the oil is hitting 125 degrees...too hot?
Thanks

I'd say yes.

My engine builder said not to let my temp get over 125 deg cel. It's a beetle but shouldn't be any different.

Some temp readings will vary depending on where the sensor is. Someone with more knowledge should know where the hottest sensing area is.

well from my understanding the "magical" figure was 100 degrees.
oil temp is not really a great guide but i think cylinder head temp is, after all its the heads that crack

WOW I think i'd be worried with that temp... my splitty with beefy 1916 works between 80 to 100 on the hottest day I have a 14 row oil cooler mounted underneath and would recommend trying one for your's.. also incorrect timing will make them heat up

I'd agree, 125 is way too high, oil starts to break down quickly at those temps.
I'd work on 110 as tops.
I'd also be more worried by why it's getting that hot to start with.
Do you have all the original tinware installed correctly? Particularly the flap in the fan housing that directs air through the oil cooler?
If that's OK the next thing I'd look for is how old is the oil.
Andy.

my bro just got caught on the nullabor in the v hot spell just b4 xmas.

he says the 1800 kombi (with ears) was running strong & smooth & loving it but at 135+deg.

should i tell him to change the oil quick and park it bum to the wind if it goes beyond 110deg

The carb jets also have an impact. I'm running a 2L that would sit on 110 degrees all the time, if you pushed it you could watch the temp rise. I'd call it quits at 125 degrees, but have since found the carbs were running 130 mains and 175 airs.
I've changed to 137.5 mains and 155 airs and will see how it goes on the beach trip this weekend.
Graham

I have recently been trained up in this subject no long ago by the forum experts a short time ago.

My baja had recently had it's dipstick sender fitted and I asked if it's running too cold at 70 degrees thinking it should be running hotter than that. Apparently thats good and 70 is a comfortable temp. Since then I have found that for every 10 degrees over 20c the engine will also climb ten degrees on the dial. This is on the road or around town. So at 30 degrees I'm running around at 80c and on a 40c day I hit the 90's. If I hold the revs in third up hills it will peak at 100 but soon come back down to 90 on the downhill run.

Since I have changed the plugs last weekend it is now running 10 - 15 degree cooler so it's now getting around town at 55-60c.

My advice - check your carb settings, tinware seals and plugs. Failing this your timing will also apparently bring the temp up to as discussed above.

Best of luck with it and let us know how you go as it would be interesting to find out what it may be in your case.

Thanks to everyone who replied to my question regarding my Kombis'oil temperature. I'm using new oil but I have some oil leaks which will reduce cooling. Running premium unleaded after fitting reco heads. My mechanic will investigate timing, plugs and tinware etc.
If you see a mustard Kombi with blue wheels and a long,skinny thing on top(Hang Glider)...it's me!

Just bare in mind that the oil in Kombi engine runs quite a bit hotter than in a beetle.
The poor little motor has to work hard to move a heavy box that size around.

I'm a bit worried. My temperature guage and oil pressure guage haven't moved off zero up to now. (74 kombi) Is that normal?
Ian

I'm no expert - there are a few here though. I would say that isn't normal. I don't know much about oil pressure bt have a good idea about temp. I guess the first question would be what type of gagues are you using - do they have readings to indicate actual temp and pressure. What is the minimum sown for each. My baja runs at about 75c - as posted above kombis do run hotter because of the load and they don't get as much air movement around them.

You should be getting some movement there I would think. Check the connections and senders, make sure there are no breaks and they they are still connected. If the temp is electrical (usually are for that distance) then a test light will help out.

Stay tuned as I'm sure other tech members will be happy to help out - If you don't get a good responce post in a seperate post your question with what infor you can find - then more people will read your question.

Also remember that the gauge isn't 100% accurate, although they tend to be accurate enough... usually about +/- 5 deg C at worse. 135 is pretty hot, try to figure out why it is running hot, give it a tune up. Try to figure out why its running hot before getting another oil cooler.

The 2.0L Type 4 engine is one tough engine.

Well I'm back from the beach trip and the jetting change worked a treat. I'm running a 2L with air scoops on the vents and an external cooler under the car. Drove up the coast on 100km/h and the temp never got over 100 degrees, drove around the beach and through the soft sand and the temp never got over 100. On the trip home we sat between 100 & 110km/h and the temp nudged 110 degrees which I was more than happy with. Also returned 23mpg on the trip.
Graham

thanks guys for the advice. I pulled the guage out and will put a lamp over it and also check to see if there is a lose connection on the engine (where does the temp wire attach too?) I am a bit of a mechanical novice, so buying a vw is the way to go (people tell me).
Ian