Hey Rizz,

I posted this about a week ago, with no replies. Can you help?

Thx
Oil Temperature Pickup Location
The stock Z32 has the oil pressure gauge in the cockpit with a standard location for the sending unit. I would like to install an aftermarket oil temperature gauge and pickup\sending unit.

Has anyone out there had any experience with installation in regards to the pickup location, that will not require major modifications? I would think directly after the oil cooler unit or the inlet of the oil pan would be ideal.

Any help out there?

Thanks !!

 

Well, which temp do you want to measure?
It seems to me the two locations that you mentioned would broadcast different readings.
What exactly do you want to know about your car? Since the purpose of a guage is not merely just to measure, but to provide information. Since oil like coolant goes through cycles of hot and hotter , which do you want to know? Also, what will knowing the exact temperature of the oil provide you with? Besides a number of course.

 

Hey Rizz,

I want to to measure the temp of the oil, prior to it being pumped back into the engine block lubricating system, to gauge the efficiency of my current stock oil cooler. (and to a lesser degree, the water cooling). My goal is to insure the eng is provided with "cool" oil for lubricating, rather than hot.

There are two schools of thought: (1) Measure temp prior to oil cooler to obtain "hottest" running temp. (2) Measure temp after oil cooler to obtain oil temp that is introduced into the engine.

A nice goal would be to see oil exiting the eng at a "high" temp of 180 F, with a cooled temp of 130 F - 140 F being introduced back into the eng probably making that happen.

I would like to see a "cycled" oil temp of 170 F - 180 F, rather than what I suspect is 220 F - 230 F. As you know, cooler oil prolongs eng life. I would rather install an aftermarket cooler that is larger and more efficient if oil temp too high.

The oil exits the oil cooler and then on to the oil pan, so my guess is the temp difference between oil cooler exit and oil pan entrance is negligible.

Does this help? Any ideas? Should I measure oil temp pre-oil cooler or after it?

 

I think that to observe the effectiveness of the oil cooler you'd have to use two sensors and two gauges. Placed before and after the oil cooler would provide you with the numbers you want. But if you already want to upgrade to a larger oil cooler with a larger cooling capacity, wouldn't a one time or occasional measurement make more sense? I just don't see the point of constantly looking at the current oil temp. We already know that a larger oil cooler will result in lower oil temps. It's been proven. So why persist on knowing the temp every second that you're driving? Of course, it's your vehicle and you can do what you want. Sounds to me like you already know what you want and how to do it. To see the 'cycle' or efficiency of the oil cooler, you'd have to use 2 like I said before, unless the lower of the two temps is what you're ultimately interested in. Then, after the oil cooler would be fine. If you did this before the oil cooler upgrade, you could compare when you do the upgrade. Hopefully, the upgrade will provide the substantial number improvement that you'll be seeking.

 

Thx for the info. What I will do is upgrade the oil cooler and utilize one temp measurement. Where do the car manufactures place their standard temp pickup ? (exiting the eng cycle and pre-oil cooler, or after the cooler?