Optimal Oil Temp/Dipstick Thermometer

So i picked up one of those Dipstick thermometers from MG Cycle for the GRiSO. Took it for a spin around town and the temp seemed abnormally high. Granted it was about 90deg F and i was doing a bit of idling. But my criticism is that the OEM dipstick is plastic, whereas the aftermarket dipstick thermometer is all metal. And since the dipstick screws directly into the block, how is this accurately measuring the oil temp without also getting heat directly from the block?

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Also, does anyone here on the forum know the optimal range for temps on the 8v engine? I searched the forum and manuals and nothing came up.

Cheers,

Charlie

Generally speaking the 8V runs stupidly cool because it doesn't have a thermostat in the cooling circuit. Any oil/air cooled engine will get the oil hot if its idling in hot weather though and if there is no airflow through the cooler oil temperatures will escalate rapidly. As soon as you start moving they'll drop.

My things won't get above about 130-135*C though unless I'm doing something horrible like sitting stuck in the M5 tunnel in Sydney in hot weather. As soon as the temperature drops below about 25 degrees the struggle is keeping the oil above 100*C to get the moisture out!

Pete

Might've been a fluke then that i hit that high. Do you have the same dipstick thermometer, Pete? Do you think it being screwed directly into the engine block that it would cause a false reading? What else would cause it to heat up that much?

Yeah, mine's basically the same and its readings tie in with what other people have found whille logging and Ron, (Waterbottle) has so many gauges on his bike it looks like the inside of the Apollo lunar module and his temp gauge agrees roughly with the stick. The fact it screws into the block is, IMHO, of no consequence.

If you're still running the stock closed loop map it will be running hotter and leaner at idle and low rpm/throttle opening too. Mark can fix that.

Pete

Good to know, thanks Pete. Who's mark and whats the recommended map for the GRiSO?

Mark posts here as 'Beetle'.

You can reach him via.

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or PM him via this board.

Pete

Hot is good. 100-125 degrees C would be optimal. That's 212-257 F.


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I recently purchased this exact dip stick along with the dubious adjustable oil-cooler cover (thinking of the not too distant winter). I installed both today and went on a good highway run. I had no idea what optimal running temp was but I thought I would monitor it to have a base and consult here to compare notes. The GEE-GAW count is rising!
I had a mean running temp of 110 Celsius. (with the vent full open )

Hank

Just about ideal!

I am blessed/cursed to live very close to work - about 3 miles. Even taking the 'long way' only gets me up to about 7 miles. As the air temps are starting to cool I'm concerned the oil isn't getting hot enough as evidenced by white scum starting to form. A good weekend ride burns it off but is my short commute going to hurt the engine?

I'll pick up a temp gauge dipstick to monitor things. I looked at the 'dubious adjustable oil-cooler cover' and think it's kinda fugly. Is blocking the oil cooler intake for my short rides something to consider? I'm also looking into oil thermostats. Is 200-225 F the right temp? Saw THIS ONE on Amazon.

Firstly, is your bike rollerised, (Sorry if you've answered this before but I can't remember everybody and their bikes. Shit! I have trouble remembering where I live nowadays!) not that it's particularly relevant to this question but it's vital to know.

Secondly, yes, blocking off the cooler will definitely help. What would help more is buying a cheap, small, scooter to do your commute so you don't wear out a great bike using it for something it was never intended for!

Really, Scooters are THE BEST commuter vehicles ever. Most of them have room for a case of beer and groceries under the seat, they sip fuel, anything over 200cc will beat just about everything away from the lights unless you've got some dickless idiot who wants to race you, they are physically smaller and easier to park and nobody steals them! The cost will be recouped over a year simply by saving on servicing and wear and tear on the GRiSO!

Pete

Pete - yes the bike is a roller, one of the early factory ones actually. Valves, TBs set and running Mark's stock muffler map.

I have thought about getting a little tiddler bike for the commute for the same reasons you cite. A decent E-bike would be ideal but they cost too damned much. Maybe a MP3 with snow tires is the ticket since I do ride year round.

Option 3 is to block the cooler and ALWAYS take the long way to get the engine temps up.

Revisiting the oil temp monitoring thread. Wondering about installing an gauge you can actually read from the bars vs. down on the oil dip stick. Anyone every try a gauge like THIS ONE?

I used a similar dipstick gauge on my 2013 air cooled Bonneville 900 because I felt that it was running hot. I live in Florida where the temps are regularly 93 to 100 degrees in the summer. Once the bike was up to temp, it ran between 230 and 235 degrees Fahrenheit, once even hitting 240 degrees. I even used a infrared heat sensing laser gun, aiming down the oil fill port into the oil and it confirmed the temp on the dipstick gauge was correct. I've never checked the GRiSO because it doesn't run hot and doesn't feel anywhere near as hot as the twin cylinder Bonneville did.
This is a photo showing the temps on the Bonnie, it was definitely running hotter than it should. At night, the header pipes would glow red as you rode down the street.
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My concern is the GRiSO running too cold during the winter months. I want the ability to monitor the oil temp to make sure the engine gets hot enough. Need to learn what are long enough rides and affect of blocking some or all of the oil cooler airflow.

Why don't you just plumb a thermostat bypass in it.

ghezzi wrote:

Why don't you just plumb a thermostat bypass in it.

Great suggestion. Do you know any that will work? Presume I'd want a higher temp unit like 80C or 100C with the correct connector size. I found a transmission bypass that will work on 5/16" & 3/8" line sizes and fully opens at approx. 180F. Think that will work?

Problem with the GRiSO is finding somewhere to mount it. I have one sitting on the bench I've never got round to fitting! At the end of the day the over cooling doesn't seem to worry the roller top end so I've basically stopped fretting about it over much.

Pete

EricS wrote:

Revisiting the oil temp monitoring thread. Wondering about installing an gauge you can actually read from the bars vs. down on the oil dip stick. Anyone every try a gauge like THIS ONE?

Hmmmmm.

Doubt if needed on GRiSO, but might the ticket for the Norge.

Thanks.

Bill