[T3] 73 T-3 oil temp?

[Phil Hof]

I am glad to see it presented that 220 is a MINIMUM and not a sign of overheating.  It is necessary to boil off water from condensation and anything less will not do that.

I also have an overheating problem, as many know, from my broken distributor on the return for the Invasion five years ago.  260-280 is too hot, and that’s how mine runs on the freeway, so the engine is now out and stripped for another rebuild.

I also have learned a lot about viscosity and the operation of the dual-relief case plungers.  Thicker oil may boost pressure, but it will “look” like thick cold oil and the plunger will bypass the oil cooler, making it run hotter, not cooler.  20-50 is not thicker when cold, but stays a little too thick when hot and so the cooler may be bypassed.  I ran this oil for years without trouble, but I was probably shortening the life of the motor.  Live and learn.

If yours is running hot, check the timing… not just static, but also the eventual advance at higher rpm and vacuum.  That’s how mine failed.  Broken spring posts or weights meant it never stopped increasing with rpm… right up to 45 degrees mechanical advance!

-Phil



> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2021 22:22:47 -0400
> From: "Keith Park" <topnotch at nycap.rr.com>
> To: <type3 at vwtype3.org>
> Subject: Re: [T3] 73 T-3 oil temp?
> Message-ID: <001b01d7a2c6$186d4e80$4947eb80$@nycap.rr.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> Quite a few varibles, what is your oil viscosity?  Oil light with 10W30 is
> not as bad as with 25W50,
> Still, its an indication of a worn engine, but not necessarily worn out.
> The sender is also part of the equation, the good german ones come on at
> 5PSI,
> The cheap ones don?t come on till there is virtually no pressure.
> 
> When the engine was new, the idle with 30wt on a hot day at about 12psi.
> 
> 180 oil temp is cool
> 220 is starting to get warm
> 230 its getting warmer
> 240 its time to back off a bit, that?s hot, although it will tolerate that
> for some time with good oil, but these are 
> OIL temps, not the temp of the block, or the cooler, which is what you get
> with a sender screwed into anything..  its heat sunk on the block
> And is 20-30 degree's cooler than the actual oil around it.
> 
> Keith
> 
> 
> Topnotch Restorations
> topnotch at nycap.rr.com
> http://www.topnotchresto.com
> 71 Squareback? ?Hothe?
> 65 Notchback? ?El Baja Rojo?
> 93 RX7? ?Redstur?
> 13 Subaru?Outback?"Blendin"
> 
> -
> *************************************************