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| Volkswagen Beetle 1971-1979 from volkszone.com |
Any VW purist can easily defend the
austere instrumentation as simplicity that worked as it served its basic purpose
well. As much as I would want to
maintain the pristine workmanship of the classic VW, as a practical car newbie not completely confident of basic car engine knowledge and maintenance in general,
any additional information I can get from my engine to hopefully anticipate road
disasters I believe would help take the edge off my deficiencies. Here are the gauges I
added to my VW beetle over the years mostly due to consultations with my VW
buddies:
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| VDO 310901 Cockpit Style Cylinder Head Temperature Gauge 2 1/16" Diameter, Black Dial Face |
The stock Beetle engine has no temperature indicator. Any old
school VW enthusiast though can very well tone down your concern by offering bug
built-in alternatives to what is a very basic indicator requirement for all
cars today which can range from the practical to the theoretical. One very
practical “indicator” is the oft
repeated guide that if a Beetle engine is truly overheated, you will not be
able to touch the dipstick handle for even a couple seconds, without burning
you fingers. Yet the basic instrument cluster itself is
enough for the standards of some VW purists who will argue that an overheated
engine would force one of the two "idiot" lights to come on. Theoretically,
an overheated engine's oil would run thin causing pressure to drop enough at
idle that the green light would come on. With my newbie fear of not wanting to
wait for my oil to thin out to know that I have a problem, I decided to go with
an additional gauge to help me anticipate this potential issue.
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| VDO Oil Temperature Gauge Kit (with Sump Sender) |
In non
technical terms, an oil temperature gauge is a simple electronic device that
uses a temperature sensor usually housed in a brass fitting attached to some
part of the engine whose heat would represent oil temperature. It should be noted though that the primary
purpose of the temperature gauge is not to tell you exactly in degrees Centigrade/Fahrenheit
what the temperature of your engine oil at a given time but rather to identify
changes in temperature. As you get familiar with the normal operating
temperature ranges of your VW through the use of the gauge (in hot and cold
weather- they are different for the air-cooled engine) the more important information
the oil temperature gauge should give you is NOT exactly the precise numbers itself
but to answer the question: “is my engine is running hotter than normal?” With
a more graduated gauge as a guide, you can even start “playing” around with it
in relation of course to the VW cooling system mentioned in my previous posts (VW engine cooling system components.; VW Idiosyncrasies:Overview of the VW engine cooli...; VW Idiosyncrasies: How an Air-cooled Engine Works) on cooling flaps, cooling tins, Fan shroud and thermostat,
etc. and potential other temperature related accessories like oil sump plate, full flow oil system, etc.
NEXT:
PREVIOUS RELATED POST:
Volkswagen Beetle Mods Throughout The Years: Part I
Volkswagen Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): Part II- 17 character VIN
Volkswagen Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): Part II- 17 character VIN
Volkswagen Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): Part I- Pre-17 character VIN requirement
VW engine cooling system components.
VW engine cooling system components.
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