Oil Temp Guages | GTAMotorcycle.com

Oil Temp Guages

M

Merkid

Well-known member
I was getting concerned about my Bandit's oil temperature while city riding during last summer without knowing just how hot the air/oil cooled engine was getting. It does have the factory oil cooler however and I was using a 15W40 non-synth quality bike oil. My older GS1100E did not have an engine oil cooler but it had a factory gauge within the instrument pod that came in handy, especially coming off highway speeds into city traffic.

I am considering installing a temp guage by running a tee connection on one of the oil feed lines, ideally one I can just glance at while riding and seeking some advice from others on any particular brand ?
 
I like Gary's idea. A T is complicated as you want the probe in the flow but don't want to restrict it. If the probe is too far back, reaction will be slow.
 
Thanks for the feedback.

When I open the oil fill cap, I can't see how the stem of that guage can clear the clutch basket?
 
Merkid said:
Thanks for the feedback.

When I open the oil fill cap, I can't see how the stem of that guage can clear the clutch basket?
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It might be a stock/generic image on the product page. I have the same cap for my FJ and the stem is quite a bit shorter. Works great.
 
...to look at your question from a different angle....
You want an oil temp gauge because high oil temps mean low oil pressure, right?
How 'bout an oil PRESSURE gauge, why not?
Easy to remove or relocate the stock oil pressure switch (it's the switch on the top of the case behind the cylinders, under the carbs, to the right of the starter. The block thingme with one wire leading to it) (You could tap into the oil cooler BUT the oil flow is restricted to the top end. If you go into that block where the stock oil pressure switch is you're getting crankshaft oil pressure)

I put an pressure gauge on my GS and it took more time to mount the gauge than it did to plumb it... I then had to REMOVE the gauge. A GS has a roller bottom end, so it has no oil pressure and it was just SCARY looking down and seeing the tach at 9,000 RPM and the oil pressure gauge at 17 PSI (your bike has a shell bottom end and has oil pressure, rollers don't need pressure, just flow).
 
bitzz said:
...to look at your question from a different angle....
You want an oil temp gauge because high oil temps mean low oil pressure, right?
How 'bout an oil PRESSURE gauge, why not?
Easy to remove or relocate the stock oil pressure switch (it's the switch on the top of the case behind the cylinders, under the carbs, to the right of the starter. The block thingme with one wire leading to it) (You could tap into the oil cooler BUT the oil flow is restricted to the top end. If you go into that block where the stock oil pressure switch is you're getting crankshaft oil pressure)

I put an pressure gauge on my GS and it took more time to mount the gauge than it did to plumb it... I then had to REMOVE the gauge. A GS has a roller bottom end, so it has no oil pressure and it was just SCARY looking down and seeing the tach at 9,000 RPM and the oil pressure gauge at 17 PSI (your bike has a shell bottom end and has oil pressure, rollers don't need pressure, just flow).
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I like oil temp to know when the engine is warm enough to flog (on a liquid cooled engine, long after coolant is up to temp) or to know when I am cooking the oil and making deposits. I expect (but don't know) that the smoke/deposits will start at a lower temperature than loss of pressure.
 
If you have an infrared temp gauge, just bring it with you on a ride and take a reading from the bottom of the crankcase under conditions in which it is of interest. Obviously this means stopping to get a reading, but the temps won't change fast enough for this to make a difference within reason. This will let you know whether you have anything to worry about. If the bike is stock and in good condition, I betcha you don't.
 
Brian P said:
If you have an infrared temp gauge, just bring it with you on a ride and take a reading from the bottom of the crankcase under conditions in which it is of interest. Obviously this means stopping to get a reading, but the temps won't change fast enough for this to make a difference within reason. This will let you know whether you have anything to worry about. If the bike is stock and in good condition, I betcha you don't.
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I like that idea...(y)
 
I had a oil pressure gauge mounted on my old SOHC. That gauge worked kind of like a tach, the faster I spun it the higher the oil pressure. Is that typical?
 
timtune said:
I had a oil pressure gauge mounted on my old SOHC. That gauge worked kind of like a tach, the faster I spun it the higher the oil pressure. Is that typical?
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Maybe? That depends on how the oil system is setup. I don't know what is in the SOHC. The mini uses a spring and plunger to bypass oil and keep the pressure constant. If you want lower pressure, you cut the spring down. If there is no bypass in the system, higher engine rpm equals higher pump rpm equals higher flow equals higher pressure. The plunger in the mini introduces a failure point as contamination could cause the plunger to stick and oil pressure to drop. Swap the plunger (shaped like a bullet) for a ball bearing and the chance of it sticking plummets.
 
timtune said:
I had a oil pressure gauge mounted on my old SOHC. That gauge worked kind of like a tach, the faster I spun it the higher the oil pressure. Is that typical?
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SOHC Honda CB750s were dry sump (separate oil tank) and as I recall the pickup for an oil pressure gauge was off the feed on the upper right side of the crankcase. The harder you spun it, the more oil pressure you got (to a point).
 
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