Date:         Tue, 09 Apr 1996 16:51:25 EST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "William R. Kennedy, NJIT CIAT, 201-596-5648" <kennedy@admin.njit.edu>
Subject:      RE: oil question

Jared inquires whether 250oF. engine oil is too hot.  I get uncomfortable
when my oil temps get up that high, but you need to calibrate your own
situation.  If other diagnostics also tell you the engine is hot (eg engine
smells different from usual, dipstick can't be held, thumb can't be pressed
against engine sheet metal) then that's the number you call too hot, even
if the gauge only says 220.  Certainly I would look for the easy fixes (eg
page from child's book in fan, missing airseals around engine, dead thermo-
stat, sparkplug air seals turned to rubber prunes, pinging at heavy loads).
Also check out lifestyle fixes, eg see how much lighter your foot has to be
or how much earlier you have to shift, to keep the temps down.  You may find
that the difference between 70mph and 63mph is a big one in terms of temps.

In the Porsche world there are different senders that go with different
gauges.  Are you sure you have a matched set?

Good luck!
B.
Wm Kennedy
kennedy@admin.njit.edu