Have a 1974 “Love Bug”, owned since new, upgraded brakes, Mamotor 1776 pistons/heads, mild cam/crank. All tins and engine tar boards in place. I don’t usually run it much when ambient temperatures get above 90 degrees, but I’ve been using it more as of late. Normal oil temps run 180-200, but yesterday outside temps 105, oil temp (heavy, slow traffic) got to 220. I run Swepco 306 10/30 with Archoil and change every 3 months, probably don’t get over 1500 miles (odometer quit in 1990‘s @ 74k). This is hottest oil temp I’ve encountered in almost 50 years of ownership. Runs great, starts great thanks to hard start circuit. Should I have concerns? I have babied the old girl; original paint, looks great!
How do you keep a 1776 cool in Texas?
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Sounds like you have shown this "love bug" some love over the years. Good on you.
As for the temp, depending on where your sensor is, occasionally hitting 220 is not going to harm your engine.
Like you said, you don't normally bring it out above 90 and it was 105. Having an ambient temp 15 deg higher plus the radiant heat coming off the asphalt, 220 does not surprise me at all.
Probably not an issue but it if sits a long while, you may want to take a look under the cooling tin for mice nests. I have seen them build on top of the cylinders.
As for the temp, depending on where your sensor is, occasionally hitting 220 is not going to harm your engine.
Like you said, you don't normally bring it out above 90 and it was 105. Having an ambient temp 15 deg higher plus the radiant heat coming off the asphalt, 220 does not surprise me at all.
Probably not an issue but it if sits a long while, you may want to take a look under the cooling tin for mice nests. I have seen them build on top of the cylinders.
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You shouldn't be concerned if your oil temperature only reaches 220 degrees. That is well within what is considered normal for most engines. However, suppose you notice that your oil temperature starts to climb higher than that regularly. In that case, you may want to have your engine checked out by a mechanic.
Do you know anything about the history and development of this engine? During WW2 the Kubelwagens saw duty in North Africa and in portions of the Sahara Desert. Cooling problems were not reported. If it really concerns you put an additional oil cooler on the engine. Put the cooler in front under the crash box if you still have one. Run rigid steel or copper-nickel tube to the front mounted (new) oil cooler. That alone should drop the temperature quite a bit. The only other place to locate an external oil cooler is in the space above the transmission.
I live in Houston, Texas and I don't let the outside temperature prevent me from driving my '72 Super Beetle.
I live in Houston, Texas and I don't let the outside temperature prevent me from driving my '72 Super Beetle.
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