Oil Temp Gauge

[peddler]

Peddler / Schmitty; Did you use the HD or McEwan oil temp. gauges? Or did you use an aftermarket gauge? I'm thinking of going with aftermarket, but they say they are 2 1/16", HD says thiers is 2", I wonder if there is really a 1/16" difference in the diameter.

Doing a little measuring and it appears the only difference in size between the McEwan and HD guages is "where they measure."

HD refers to their gauges as 2" although the O.D. of the bezel and body of the gauge are both over 2." Actually closer to 2 1/16". And the flange portion of the gauge that holds it in place is 2.25". O.D. of the gauge face is approx 1.75"

Very confusing.

 

[walleye]

Can some one simply tell me which one works AND fits in a 09 Ultra? Is HD the only answer withoput mods?:33:

 

[kemo]

Peddler I would go to the auto wreckers but I don't know what size bulbs the Pontiacs use in their instument cluster. Goodluck and happy searching.
kemo

 

[Porter]

And then you can mount the sensor in a more indicative place.

You mean by moving the sending unit to the input on the oil cooler?
I still don't know how much difference it would really make being indicative.
I have not yet educated myself on how the oil pump works and how the oil flows (pathways) in the engine of my ultra. You may get a more consistant measurement from the inlet of the cooler but I don't know if that is a good representation of "the hottest spot" in the engine.

I looked at some of the posts on the oil coolers: Jagg says about a 20 degree difference, but there was a post/link to an article where some folks installed it an measured temps at multiple points. The best they got looks to me to be a drop of about 8-9 degrees but they also mention a drop of 17 degrees using a Daytona TT TCFI sensor. I don't know what how or where the Daytona works. If it were a solid 20 degree drop, I think I could talk myself into buying a cooler. 8-9 degrees--I don't know if it is worth it.

Again, looking at Smitty's posts, are we just fooling ourselves? I mean how much "engine damage" am I preventing if I am riding in the heat of summer with and oil cooler that drops the temp by 8-9 degrees? By the calibrations on my McEwan gauge, I doubt it would be able to register the difference, visually. Especially at the high end (which is where you would want it).

I think maybe the best I can do is keep changing the oil every 3000 miles with special emphasis on the doing so in the summer. My motor is what I consider "stock" even with the TFI and Stage 1 air cleaner. Maybe the 103 or the 110 you would need to get all the cooling you could.

What I would think would really work is to lift the bike 1" and add a cooling fin plate to the oil pan. Put a gallon of distilled water and a DC pump in a saddle bag and run some lines to a few of the "mist tips" and spray the engine with a light mist in the high heat of summer. But then I should go out and buy a water cooled engine...

 

[glens]

I was speaking with a very well-known engine tuner a couple months back and he told me the '09 110s were being pretty good about getting so hot the cylinder sleeves were separating, and he'd measured AFRs up around 14.9 on the '10 bikes.

Looks like the days of the air-cooled motors are nearing their end. When the emissions levels must drop even more again in '12 might be a real turning point for us all.

Yeah, I was thinking of the cooler inlet-side as a good point to take readings. Certainly some of the oil returning down the pushrod tubes would be the hottest, and it would mix with the oil returning from the underside of the pistons, but still probably the hottest you could easily find to measure.

Let me tell you about the time I'd changed out my M1 V-twin 20/50 and decided to just throw it on the fire pile (which was already blazing). The "oil" didn't burn like I'd expected. It just puddled to the low spot and sat there, bubbling. The next morning there was a pile of what appeared to be grease.

I'm sure the lubricative qualities had certainly been compromised by the heat, but maybe 3000 miles is being a bit wasteful.

Also of note might be that when I took my '07 in for its 20k maintenance a couple days before the warranty expired, I decided it would be a good time to have them look at the vibration noted by a factory rep while riding to look at something else. They found the crank out of spec and changed it. I intercepted the crank on the way in and had it sent out to be trued/welded. They were a little too secretive for my tastes about the whole thing, really, but said the oil pump had looked fine. The shop manager had said they'd replaced several oil pumps on engines which didn't have quite the runout, so I attribute that to the Mobil-1 I'd been changing every 5k+/- miles.

No oil cooler; gets plenty hot mid-summer here.

 

[Breeze3at]

. Anyone know where you can buy red colored bulb condoms to change the color of the illumination.
Anybody?

Peddler; Do a Google search "instrument bulb covers" Take your pick of where to buy them.

 

[Scrounger]

With the Auto Meter guages, can you use the HD bracket thay mounts below the tank? Alos, what sending kit are you using with the guages. I'm still a bit puzzled as to how you would install it if you have an oil cooler from the factory.

Matthew

 

[Sadist112]

You should still be able to use the sending unit from the AutoMeter kit and place the sending unit in the 3/8" socket plug on the oil pan. See link below of a picture from my bike below. Sending unit has the wire attached and the other brass item is the Fumoto drain valve.

Harley Davidson Community

 

[bikermik46]

Just another option to consider....my local independent HD wrench uses a head temp. guage to monitor engine heat. Head temp, according to him; varies much more quickly than does oil temp. He cools the oil AND uses a Lenale fan & sez he can watch the head temp drop in short minutes in slow traffic when the fan comes on.
I haven't installed either type yet, but I certainly agree that the stock ambient air temp. guage does little more than distract me from watching for blue haired cagers.

 

[broncobob]

after considering the different gauge types out their i decided to put the harley gauge in the fairing. the install was simple but for some reason when the ignition is in the on position the needle goes to the 260 degree mark. now the oil is cold at room temp, ive checked the wiring instructions many times and when i start the bike the oil temp gauge stays at 260 and never moves. the gauge illuminates as it should and like i said the needle stays at 290 until i turn the ignition to the off position. any ideas?