Can't get oil temp down

[vdubyah73]

Did it have the problem before it was tuned up?

I would have to answer YES, but I can't confirm it. Here's the deal. The bus has been off the road for two years. Before that, I drove it for years without gauges. During the hotter months (before gauges) I suspected it was running hot because after sustained highway speeds, when I would shut it off it would give an extra little "chug" before dying. This only happened when it was real hot outside and running for awhile. I knew gauges were in order so I installed oil temp, pressure, battery, and head temp to monitor the motor. This was done in the cooler months and I don't recall any oil temp issues then. So this is really the first time I have drove the bus in 90+ degree temps with an oil temp gauge.

BTW, head temps are in the 325-335 range. Sustained flat freeway has maxed at 340.

Has anybody suggested that after sitting 2 years you may have rodent nests in side your tin? Possibly right on top of your oil cooler?

Bill

[Amskeptic]

With a Type 1 engine, strive for less.

How? What can one do to attempt to get lower oil temps.....Esp. if your CHT's are all ready fine. Except running slower and 68 MPH is all ready slow......

Simple stupid things like keeping the engine clean, particularly oil cooler fins, crankcase fins, grommets and tins all correctly installed and aligned, making sure the engine is correctly tuned, the ways and means are too numerous to get into here. I am of the mind that your oil temps are fine and the Berg dipstick is too sensitive, because Berg has his own "liability" issues to avoid.
Colin

[Lanval]

Colin,

You need to make a video on oil/cht temps called:

Dr. HotLove; or how I learned to stop worry and and accept higher engine oil/CHT temps

We'll have Slim Pickens driving a '73 Bus down the highway, waving his hat and shouting "Yahoooooo!"

I think it'll sell.

As a side comment on this issue: I had high CHT and Oil Temps too. Really high ~ like 460 degree CHT's and oil temps in excess of 230 degrees.

How did Colin help me fix? Here's what we did:
set the valves
fix obvious problems (in my case a dizzy on life-support)
eliminate vacuum leaks
evaluate the AFM for proper mixture after setting the airflow to centerpoint (i.e. neutral) at various points

Now: I drove uphill, at 60mph into a headwind, and pulled 425 degrees; going back the same way I was able to do 70mph and only hit 400.

oil temps at driving are 210-220 solid, peak a little higher when I get off the freeway.

I'm burning almost no oil, and the oil on every check is clean, clear and sweet.

I'm running a bit richer than I care for, but it works for the engine. And having set a baseline of good running, I'm no free to pull the plugs, play with the AFM a bit, do whatever to see if I can find a happy medium. But take Colin's advice directly. Start with the basics; move forward to more complex problems as you eliminate the simpler ones. You'll find your bugaboo (if you have one) at some point.

Finally, I suspect also that the temps are fine. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I often see numbers like this:

"I run 250 at idle, never above 350 even at 70mph."

Without knowing what the factory baseline is, though numbers mean nothing ~ they could be indicative of problems, and Colin made it clear that there are good reasons for keeping the oil and engine at a temperature that some may feel is excessive. Until I find an authority that supercedes Colin (and by that I mean I want a contemporary VW source that is documented) I'm willing to accept that the numbers here are correct.

Best,

Lanval