temp gauge-what is going on????

[capuni]

i put some #s on the pic of the oil temp gauge.
can anyone tell me the degrees that should be in the place of this #s please?
if i'll put a gauge with #s, how hot is(the oil) too hot?
thanks

[Jason Porter]

I'd recommend dropping the sender in boiling water. That's around 212 F. That's almost the right running temp.

[914GT]

I can give you a ballpark, 170-200F is about 1/4" spread in the middle of the white part. I can post a picture later if you want. I put some cal. marks on mine since I'm using it for water temp. I'd assume oil temps could run higher, my guess the red starts at about 250 or so.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Of course, that assumes you have the same gauge and sender as the original poster. Which is not always a valid assumption...

The short version is, do the calibration yourself. Dunk the sender in boiling water and see where the needle goes. (Remember to ground the sender.) A camp stove is good for this.

--DD

[914GT]

True, there are different VDO temp gauges. After looking at mine tonight my red line is further to the right, so ignore the numbers I posted. You'll have to do the boiling water method and candy or digital thermometer for some calibrated temp ticks. If they are even spaced below boiling point of water (like at 190, 200, 210) you could probably extrapolate a few temps above boiling point. I used a digital meter and could have heated up some oil for the sender but thought too dangerous.

[Joe Bob]

Junk the gauge and sender...buy a new one. They were inaccurate when new and are none the better for the age.