Engine Oil Temp

[Simon]

I have owned this truck for 3 years. I bought it used with alot of extras and I am still learning about it. There this a two possition switch on the side of the Banks gauges. One possition is transmission temp. the other possition, after traceing the wire to a temp. sender unit on top the filter, is for engine oil temp. Just wondering what this temp. shouldn't exceed? It seems to run around 180 to 190 degrees not pulling. Haven't tried it pulling a load.

 

[Evan A. Beck]

Watch out for anything above 200°-205°. I have seen them run 300° at the turbo drain line.

 

[Cooker]

Glad to see you are back Evan.



Mine normally will run 190-200 empty. Cruising down the highway on a warm day with the air on I seen a steady 208 unloaded.



Engine oil temps in a gasser will run up around 220. As long as you are below that I wouldn't worry, but obviously the cooler the better.



-Ryan

 

[JJW_ND]

From Cummins PowerMaster...

When taking the reading from the port on the oil filter head, Cummins said to keep it below 220. I have seen 210 - 215 under hot outside temps and a very hard pull. I have always had Synthetic engine oil so, not sure if it could get higher. Running empty I never see over 190.



They also said oil temps generally run 30 degrees warmer then coolant. This is the case with my 96 which runs very cool on the coolant side (170 - 180). Cool is not neccesarily better.



BTW, running empty in dead of winter with temps below -10, engine oil gets to about 170. This is with a winter front, engine fan removed, and cruising 70 for about 30 minutes.



jjw

ND

 

[JStordahl]

Guys: Do the sending units that are installed on the filter head for the oil temp come with the oil temp gauge? I've been wanting to install a pyro and boost gauge, but now you've got me interested in the oil temp, too. Thanks for any information on this.

 

[JJW_ND]

I got mine from GENOS, gauge and sensor. Works great



jjw

 

[illflem]

I had an oil temp sender wired in with my AT temp so I could switch back and forth. I found the oil temp to be sort of boring, it didn't change all that much, so I drilled and tapped a port in my intake manifold for air temp. Same sender. Intake air temp is more interesting, it moves, plus there are many things you can do to modify the temp. One example is that I probably wouldn't have found out that my Lund winter front didn't do all that much without the intake temp gauge.