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Oil Temperature gauge hook-up

mrocket49

81' R100RS
With all the talk about airheads running hot, I went out and bought an automotive oil temperature gauge that reads up to 350 degrees. I found an extra plug on my remote oil filter housing that the sending unit would fit into but I can't seem to get the plug out. It requires an allen wrench and I even tried with a 6" cheater bar but it isn't budging. Maybe they used some type of super Lock-tite to seal it. I tried heating it but that didn't work either. Anyone have a suggestion? I'm planning my trip out to Wisconsin and figured I would keep an eye on my oil temp. with this gauge.
Thanks, Mike
 
With all due respect, I seriously doubt that you need the gauge unless you have a need to have one more thing on the bike to be paranoid about. Especially if you have an oil-cooler.
 
I am not able to help with getting the plug out, but I agree with The Veg. I looked at installing an oil temp gauge on my airhead and decided it was not worth the effort. The easiest solution is to get one of those dipsticks with the gauge on it. Maybe not very elegant, hi tech, or extremely accurate, but accurate enough if you are concerned about the temp when stuck in traffic.

Even on very hot days (100 degrees), I never had a problem with oil temp getting too high on an airhead. Stop-and-go heavy traffic may be a problem but I guess every aircooled engine will have that to deal with.
 
I'll join the "parade" and agree that it is not necessary and could be a bad thing...from the stand point that you've introduced another link in the oil system which could fail.

Kurt in S.A.
 
This may be apples and oranges, but VW bugs have survived for years with way less ability to radiate heat than an Airhead. An oil pressure gauge might not be a bad idea, subject to the same limitation of another link in the system.

I'm too lazy to look, but I think the RS has a thermostat. If you're wondering if it works, go for a ride, then touch the cooler. It should be hot.

Edit: Real bugs, not those front engined fakes.
 
I disagree with the comments

Any and all instrumentation one could install on an airhead would be useful in the maintenance and operation of the bike. It is true there could be an added risk of failure of some sort if the connection, port, interface or whatever breaks. The benefit is greater knowledge or awareness of the bike.

Consider that tuning the carbs incorrectly could result in overheating and even quick destruction of the engine. If you know the normal operating temperature of the engine and have the means to precisely measure the temperature such an error would be quickly evident. Watching the headers start to glow cherry red is a pretty bad way to figure out it's running too hot.

I'm very much in favor of the notion that maximum information is superior to ignorance. How to deal with the info is up to the individual (a panic attack is not a necessary consequence of awareness).

Disclaimer: I was trained in the science of precision measurement.
 
Consider that tuning the carbs incorrectly could result in overheating and even quick destruction of the engine.

Best bit of "maximum information" to have is to not tune carbs incorrectly.

OE specifications are readily available and the only spec worth using.
 
This may be apples and oranges, but VW bugs have survived for years with way less ability to radiate heat than an Airhead. An oil pressure gauge might not be a bad idea, subject to the same limitation of another link in the system.

I'm too lazy to look, but I think the RS has a thermostat. If you're wondering if it works, go for a ride, then touch the cooler. It should be hot.

Edit: Real bugs, not those front engined fakes.

VW of course have thermostat-controlled fan cooling and lots of sheet metal to duct the air.

There is LOTS of misconception about the R100 thermostat-controlled oil cooler.

It takes burning fuel to create heat and the engine burns a lot more at high rpm than it does putting around town.

My RS oil cooler only gets hot after long high speed runs. Good thing, too, because that's the only time any air goes through it.
 
What talk is that?

At the Vermont rally, there was a seminar on airheads and it was suggested to run synthetic in the engine because the heat could break down dino oil, so I switched. But I also just like to know what's going on with the engine. Not paraniod, more anal than anything else.
 
Correct tuning - exactly!

Best bit of "maximum information" to have is to not tune carbs incorrectly.

OE specifications are readily available and the only spec worth using.

Kent, thats precisely the point of monitoring and testing methods. But how do you tune the carbs - or anything else if they "break", or fail (leaks, for example)? you observe, examine, test, monitor - in other words, "measure".

The same applies to every mechanism on the bike - heat, tire pressure, compression, vacuum, oxygen content, emissions, vibration, noise; virtually anything can be measured. From reading this forum it's clear that spline alignment is a significant concern. Instrumentation is available that could monitor spline "health" by either vibration or noise level.

The cost would be prohibitive for the most part, easily exceeding the value of the bike, but a few simple measures, such as temperature, pressure, electrical current are certainly reasonable. The reason to do so is to prevent or detect failures. It is understood that correct setup and maintenance must be applied. But as you certainly know "stuff happens" - the sooner you know, the safer and better the ride.

My personal riding experience involves listening very closely to the bike as it rolls down the road, hours at a time at relatively high speed. It's a pleasurable part of the ride, but I sometimes wish I could measure some of those noises rather than puzzle about what I might do if something were to lock up or fall apart (kidding, mostly:wave ).
 
Remote Oil Filter Housing

MRocket!!!!!

Where did you get the remote oil filter housing for your airhead? I have been searching desperately for a remote filter kit for my 82 R100RT. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!:clap
 
The remote filter kit was on my bike when I bought it. There is no name on it anywhere that I can see. Maybe someone on this site knows where to get them.
It does work out fine though since I don't have that cartridge filter in the engine to deal with.
The oil temp gauge ended up working fine. The oil runs about 200 to 230 degrees.
Mike
 
Mrocket:

What kind of filter does it take? Was the old cartridge filter left in or was it removed? Do you have any pics or documentation on the kit?

Jim:bikes
 
It uses the standard BMW motorcycle spin-on filter and the original cartridge filter is removed and a spacer is put in its place.
I can take a picture of it in a couple days but not sure how to post it on the website.
Mike
 
I'll join the "parade" and agree that it is not necessary and could be a bad thing...from the stand point that you've introduced another link in the oil system which could fail.

Kurt in S.A.

My experience exactly. I thought the two added VDO gauges on the dash made my new/old RS look even cooler. Till my oil press' lite started blinking at me. Took me a week of fussing and fiddling, and not riding till I got the oem sender re-installed. Now the VDO gauges look cool, but don't actually perform any function, and I'm actually riding.
 
i installed a vdo oil temp gauge on a 1983 r80 and used their oil drain plug/temp sensor. i havent had any problems with this set-up in 6 years:bikes
 
Now the VDO gauges look cool, but don't actually perform any function, and I'm actually riding.

When you dig out your Christmas tree lights this year, you could take a controller off of one of the light sets and wire it in. Then your gauges could chase and blink and fade and twinkle. They would reflect nicely off of that new gas tank. :nyah
 
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