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Mon Sep 22, 2003 12:39 pm

where can i get one? what type to buy? and how do you install it?

i know i sound stupid by asking this but its an honest question.'

thanks in advance for any help

justin

Mon Sep 22, 2003 12:44 pm

This is what I'm using:

http://www.bus-boys.com/bbvdo.htm#temphead

Remember to use spark plug #3 as that is the hottest one.

Tue Sep 23, 2003 9:53 am

Did you mean oil temperature gauge of cylinder head temperature?

Tue Sep 23, 2003 9:13 pm

id like to install both.

Wed Sep 24, 2003 4:18 am

has anyone used the bus boys oil temp sender plate? I have a 78 bus with a stock 2.0L w/ hydraulic lifters and was wondering where the best place to mount the sending unit would be for oil temp. Just wondering if anyone has used this or know if its wort it or not.

Thanks

Wed Sep 24, 2003 6:11 am

I bought one and ended up not being able to use it. The hole was in the wrong place for me. The plate busboys has is for the smaller plate, not the one under the oil screen. I think you want to put it in the little plate though.

If you want the one I bought from busboys, send me an e-mail, hawkiz@prexar.com

I ended up using what I had, drilling a new hole, and "JB Quick Weld" to weld a nut on the inside for the sending unit to screw into. I put a little more around the base of the nut to make a nice little seal while I was in there. I used a "squeeze" washer between the plate and the sending unit. Plus some locktite on the sender threads. It works, no leaks, but..

..make sure you put the nut where it will seat properly (there is a little lip in there) and where you can tighten it (do a trial run with hot glue if you have to to find out where to drill the hole),
.. and make sure you allow the Quickweld to cure for the 15 hours it calls for.

I am not a big fan of 1) drilling holes in the oil system or 2) using JB Quickweld inside the engine, but it worked for me. If I had a welder and could weld, I would have tried to weld the nut in there.

Think about where you want to run the wires to the gauge up front from the sending unit. Make it neat and secure. I used a 3/4" wire loam for all of the gauge wires headed for the front of the bus and secured them well with wire ties. Of course, I now contantly look at the oil temp gauge and fuss about it running at 220-230 all of the time. I still think it is runs too hot even with Mobil 1. The head temp runs about 300-325 all of the time like it is supposed to. I don't want to put another cooler on it , but I might.

Wed Sep 24, 2003 8:38 am

Did you drill a hole in the plate with the screen on it? Or did you drill the hole somewhere else and mount it there?

James

Kiethernet --- you have any suggestions?

Wed Sep 24, 2003 4:51 pm

The sordid truth finally comes out. Yes I screwed it all up to start with. At first I did use the regular oil sump (with the screen behind it). I even bought a tap thinking I could tap threads for it. The plate is about 1/8" thick and there just wasn't enought meat to thread it, it isn't flat anywhere, and I couldn't get it to quit leaking.

So, I bought a regular oil sump plate from VW for $12, ordered the 4" oil sump plate $22 predrilled for the VDO sensor from BusBoys, and tried that. The problem was that the predrilled hole was drilled to close to the edge of the plate and my big nut just couldn't clear the lip of the plate.

I ended up buying another 14 mm x 1.5 mm nut from the vwflaps and drilled out my old 4" oil sump. It is held in place there with 2 bolts I think with about a 10 mm head. Pay care attention to getting the O ring to seal properly when you put the plate back into the case or it will leak. The Porsche guy down the street told me that the 914 with the factory gauge also used that same sump plate.

So there is the truth. I screwed it up the first time, it cost me way more than it should have, and took way too long. However, it got me out of going to visit my in-laws and I consider that worth the entire cost and then some.