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).