View Full Version : Oil Temp Sensor Location
BB767
10-28-2017, 08:03 PM
Hi all. I have heard some differing opinions on the best location for the oil temperature sending unit. I would prefer not to make any new holes in anything. It looks like the sending unit has threads sized to fit where there is now a small plug on the underside (about an inch and a half above the oil pan) of my block on the passenger side. Does any one know if this will work? 351W dart block 427. Thanks.
Bob Cowan
10-28-2017, 08:19 PM
IIRC, that plug goes in to the water jacket.
The best place is in the oil pan as that is the hottest measuring point.
Second would be close to the block (before oil can cool down) coming directly from the oil pump to a remote oil filter.
I'm not specifically familiar with the 427W
George
BB767
10-29-2017, 12:07 AM
Thanks for the info Bob, guess I shouldn't put it there!
BB767
10-29-2017, 10:31 PM
In case this helps anyone else; Upon further examination, Blue Print Engines had the foresight to install a bung into the oil pan at exactly the right height! So, problem solved!
CraigS
10-30-2017, 05:32 AM
For many years my 351 had the temp sensor tee'd off the pressure sender bung. Normal temp was about 160 w/ highest ever of 190. When I did the 408 short block I moved it to the pan. Now normal temp is 210 w/ occasional highs of 230. So yep, the pan is the best place.
Toy4me
10-30-2017, 07:06 AM
My Canton pan has 2 ports on one of the kick outs. One for dip stick and one for a temp sensor or something else. Maybe a return line. Terrible place for the oil temp sensor. It is never submerged so the oil temp rarely moves. At idle it may move to 140 and while running it goes down from there. Testing the air temp in the motor I assume. I think this winter I will remove it and weld in a bung towards the bottom of the pan for better results. I'm not a welder so I'll farm this welding out.
Jim1855
10-30-2017, 07:37 AM
I had a bung welded into the Canton front sump pan. Put it towards the bottom on the back side of the sump. The sensor and line were well protected, never leaked and worked well. As has been previously indicated, the oil in the pan should be as hot as you'll see short of at the bearings.
Jim
76118
Faced with limited choices of a good point to monitor oil temp, I used a sandwich style oil cooler adapter to mount the oil temp thermocouple so it contacts oil pumped directly from the pan. As others have stated, the oil pan is a good place for the temperature probe but my pan is plated and I didn't want to weld on it and then paint over the nice protective plating. So I went with the style of adapter that attaches to the oil filter boss and then the oil filter attaches to it (think of a spacer between the block and the oil filter). The downside is it extends the oil filter ~2" or so which in some Ford applications could be a problem if space is limited. If the adapter has a bimetallic valve to limit flow only when hot, you have to remove that. Then simply plug one outlet on the adapter and use the other one for your sending unit. No need to drill holes in the pan and weld on bungs.
My Canton pan has 2 ports on one of the kick outs. One for dip stick and one for a temp sensor or something else. Maybe a return line. Terrible place for the oil temp sensor. It is never submerged so the oil temp rarely moves. At idle it may move to 140 and while running it goes down from there. Testing the air temp in the motor I assume. I think this winter I will remove it and weld in a bung towards the bottom of the pan for better results. I'm not a welder so I'll farm this welding out.
I would question Canton about this. What capacity is the oil pan?
Was there a manufacturing mistake or are you not putting in enough oil? How did you check the accuracy of the dip stick when assembling the engine?
In regards to the highest temperature of the oil, it is probably the hottest as it splashes against the underside of the pistons.
George
Toy4me
10-30-2017, 06:27 PM
I would question Canton about this. What capacity is the oil pan?
Was there a manufacturing mistake or are you not putting in enough oil? How did you check the accuracy of the dip stick when assembling the engine?
In regards to the highest temperature of the oil, it is probably the hottest as it splashes against the underside of the pistons.
George
I have heard this from others using this pan also. I contacted Gordon Levy about this and he said pretty much the same thing that it is not a good place since it is not submerged in oil all the time. I have filled it with the correct amount of oil for sure. Checked this many times over because I had thought the same thing.
Boy, you've got me thinking now. I've got an older Canton Road Racing Pan I got from Breeze about five or six years ago. I finished my engine last winter and don't remember if I checked the sensor height. I know I checked the dip stick accuracy but I don't think I checked the sensor height location. The pan is on and the engine is in the car but I'll keep that in mind as I finish up my car later this year. Glad I read this and responded.
I have a standard 1989 5.0L Ford block out of a Mustang with a new Ford Racing dip stick.
George
GoDadGo
10-31-2017, 12:03 PM
I went the same route as NAZ using a drilled and milled sandwich adapter to install my sending units.
It houses my pressure and temperature sensors and was simply opened up to let the oil pass through it.
It works well, but not sure how the clearance would be with a Ford engine.
JIMOCO
11-03-2017, 09:25 AM
I have been dealing with this issue as well. Installed sender in my Canton oil pan and the temp gauge seldom went above 140. Had Speed Hut send a new sender, same result. Connected the original sender and put it into a pot of boiling water, both the gauge and cooking thermometer read 200+. I fabed a new brass reducer giving the sender greater extension into the pan and got better readings but still not accurate. Not the sender, not the gauge, must be the oil pan. I like the idea of the glow shift sandwich. With a 302 block I am using a Mobile-1 M1-301 filter. I would have very little clearance with that filter. Does anyone know of a quality filter with the same thread (3/4 16) and gasket placement but with a smaller length casing?
Cyclotic
11-03-2017, 11:31 AM
Mike Forte has the sandwich style adapter. I'm using it on my 351W block. It works fine.