Best Oil Temp Sensor Mounting Location
 

I am looking to add an oil temp guage to my 454 MAG. What is the best place to get the most accurate (i.e. highest) reading - I can add it by using a tee fitting to the port for the oil pressure gage or by teeing the oil pressure warning switch which is located low on the rear port side near the oil cooler hookup. I just want to make sure the reading is not right after the oil cooler so that I avoid artifically low readings. Thanks.

I needs to go in the port right above wher the oil filter would go if ther was no remote adapter. If you need help call 281-326-4800

Mines in the pan.

I I relocated mine to a fitting off the oil filter setup ...inlcudes pressure ..pressure alarm and the temp sender ...easy access but the temp sender is not doing the job ... I guess it really needs to be in contact with the flowing hot oil ......m

If you wanted to to keep the temp sensor there i would drill and tap the filter braket to put the sensor in direct contact with the oil....the way you have it setup right now its only registering oil temp through conduction and will take a longer time to register the true temps as the oil standing there in the fittings needs to be heated up by the passing oil that flowing through the filter braket.....

Wally .. might be a good idea .... I was just looking at the hole in the block above the remote oil adapter and it's gona be a ***** to get to .... my oil goes to the filter first then the Thermostat ... even a "T" at the inlet to the Filter ? ....but tapped right off the oil filter prob will be best to get the heat from the mass of the metal ....m

Temp senders really need to be immersed in the flow.

BigFish, I recently installed my sending units in my remote filter mount. Very easy install and I think the only better place to take temps would be from the pan, or the port in the block just above the filter. But those aren't exactly easy to get to unless the motor is out.

what temps you seeing ? I moved the sender on one motor to the block and it barely moves ... like 120-140 ... I really think the oil is getting hot cause after a hard run the pressure drops at idle to 30-40lbs ....

From the pan, directly immersed into flowing oil is my preference. The oil in the pan is what's about to be fed to the engine. It's also the largest mass of oil and best representative of actual oil temp, not just an isolated incidence. By the time you get a spike measured on a sensor mounted at the dead end of a tee, it's probably too late. I like to use idiot light sensors tied into a main "trouble light" and a very loud horn as a backup. When you're running hard, watching the waves, throttling and dodging the occasional waterborne moron, you're not always watching the gauges.

Crap, I forgot what my peak temp reading was. I think it was 270 during a short WOT run, around 230 during 3k rpm cruise. That's with fresh Kendall GT 10-40 in 75+ degree raw water temps running through ~1160hr all salt water oil coolers :D I used some cheapo mechanical gauges with only 6' of hose, so the gauges are laying under the rear bench. i have to have someone along to open the bench and try to read the gauges.

Where does the oil go after the cooler? Into the pan or through the block?