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MG MGF Technical - Oil temperature on 2000MY VVC

I've just changed my 96 1.8i for a new VVC. Going great so far, but I'm a bit concerned about the oil temp, especially having had a HGF in my previous F. The oil temp on my old F usually ran between 60 and whatever the next mark on the gauge represents, and on extended runs went a little over this second mark. On the new car the temp rises to 120 in London traffic after about 10-20 minutes, and on the motorway was running at around 130-135. I was keeping the revs between 3 & 4000 so there doesn't seem to be much room for an increase in temp when I eventually start using all 7000 in the summer!

The gauge seems to be different on the 2000MY in that it moves immediately to its reading when you switch on the ignition (if engine hot) rather than rising slowly as on my previous car, and straight back to far left when you switch off. It also continues reading at the key position which works the radio (ignition off) - don't think previous F did this. Could change of gauge be the reason for higher readings?

I know oil temp has been covered on the BBS before, with most people experiencing temps similar to my previous F. I'd be particularly intereseted in comments from anyone who's diven a 2000MY car.

Mark
Mark

I´ve got an 1996 VVC and i used to have the same readings as you...135ºc in the motorway at 4000rpm. I´ve took off the resonator box from the airfilter and fitted an induction pipe in the left hand grill. I´ve also replaced the cat with a cat bypass and this made the major difference. At 5500rpm in highway 115-120ºc!
20 minutes applying full throttle in motorway...125º! Ah! i almost forgot....i´m in Portugal...it´s a little bit hotter than there!....No HGF so far! My temp gauge also works in radio key position...and it also moves immediatly to it´s reading!
Bruno Valadas

my F has same gauge behavior, don't worry

about temp itself, 130 @ 4000rpm is rather high, 120 is more likely (for me I have 120 @ 4500 constant)...

when in a traffic jam, never higher than 115, would be very worrying seeing it pass 120 in a jam (find the eject button!)

VVC with K&N & SP fitted
will probably for this summer reinstall my cat bypass, I know HGFs are esp. lurking during summertime :-/

Dirk Vael

My 2000MY VVC temp is about the same, it rises up to
120 in the 10 min trip to work, and hovers around 130-
135 on longer runs. I also seem to remember the loan
VVC running around 120 on the work trip as well (yep
seven weeks old and it's been back twice already).

The oil temp sender was changed from a 150 degree unit
to a 170 degree unit from VIN001018. As far as I can
gather the sender on a 1.8i is next to the oil filter
(at the bottom of the engine), but is in the hydraulic
control unit (at the top of the engine) on the VVC.
Which may account for some difference in temperature.

The gauge has a return magnet, hence the return to 0
on switching off.

Hope that helps.

Nigel.
Nigel

I raised the issue of oil temps some months ago because of the differing readings between my 1999 mk1 and friends 2000 mk2. Travelling the same route at the same time showed vastly different readings.

From other facts since gained it is clear that there is clearly a different calibration between the senders and gauges between models so that 2000 model year cars will show much higher readings from much earlier. Quite whether either are actually accurate is a completely separate issue!

Rog
Roger Parker

Hi,

<As far as I can gather the sender on a 1.8i is next to the oil filter (at the bottom of the engine), but is in the hydraulic control unit (at the top of the engine) on the VVC>

I don't have a VVC, nor do I have access to the manuals at present, but that's never stopped me before....

The oil temperature sensor on the VVC mechanism is so that the ECU can determine the oil viscosity and thus adjust the VVC mechanism to suit. I believe that the VVC has the standard sensor at the oil filter which feeds the gauge on the panel.

The oil temp on my 214 at MOT time, after a good warm up, is around 75 deg C. Does anyone else have a record of their F's oil temp when the MOT was done? It might be an idea for anyone who has a friendly MOT station to ask them to check the oil temp on their equipment, and compare it to what the gauge indicates. This assumes that the MOT testing equipment is reasonably accurate. I would have thought that such oil temperature readings have already been done somewhere, anyone?

Regards, Kes.
Kes

Well I just had a grope under my 2KMY, and sure enough
there is another sender (and there is me thinking
Rover were cheapskates), so I'll have to scratch
that idea.

I'll have to buy the wiring diagrams, anyone got the
part number?

Nigel.
Nigel

Nigel,

You wouldn't want ot buy the wiring diagrams just to find a fused power supply via a light green/white wire to the gauge, and then a brown/blue wire from there to the sender unit and earth through the engine block. The only variation is the oil temp warning lamp which is a simple spur from the brown/blue wire through the warning lamp and to earth.

Kes,

Good sound idea re checking the oil temp. With regard to the oil temps at MOT, the program of my local test stations machine requires 80 deg C to be reached before allowing the test to proceed. This applies to other K engined cars so I imagine it should be fairly universal.

Rog
Roger Parker

Hi,

Roger, I've just looked through the two MOT test data sheets for my 214 and the minimum oil temp is 70 deg C. On both tests the actual oil temp was 76 deg C.

Anyone care to see what their F MOT tests say?

Regards, Kes.
Kes

This thread was discussed between 15/05/2000 and 22/05/2000

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