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Oil vs. Water Temps - What is most critical to monitor - Road Race Car

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High PSI

15+ Year Contributor
142
17
Oct 21, 2004
USA, Australia
I'm building a 2g GSX road race car and I've got a place to monitor oil (Moroso pan) and water (thermostat housing) temps, but only one aftermarket temp gauge at the moment. Which would you monitor with an aftermaket gauge/sensor - oil or water?

Lots of varying opinions on the internet. Most motorsport guys tend to suggest that oil is most important, but figured I would seek some DSM specific advice.

The gauge I'm using is an old-school Apexi EL, which has the warning lights. It's an important function to me as when I'm on the track I tend to ignore gauges....but flashing red lights do get my attention.

I'll have the factory coolant gauge still functioning but of course this is a non-linear dummy gauge, which I suppose doens't matter as I really only care about the exact temp and just need to know when it is getting too extreme. From this perspective, an oil temp gauge would be the best bet as I have all the water temp info I need.

However, as noted I really don't pay attention to gauges when I'm driving in anger so I'm wondering if a coolant gauge would be the way to go as the blinking red light when a pre-set temp is exceeded would give me the earliest warning of the car overheating.

Thoughts?
 
Oil pressure over temps but temps is also helpful on oil so you know if your over hesting your oil for the race or need to swap oil grades. Water is good to moniter but in racing its a quick thing to go bang so by the time its risen its likely too late
 
You going to run a oil cooler? I'd be more worried about oil pressure than temp. At least for now I'd run water temp.

Yes, running an oil cooler.

Oil pressure over temps but temps is also helpful on oil so you know if your over hesting your oil for the race or need to swap oil grades. Water is good to moniter but in racing its a quick thing to go bang so by the time its risen its likely too late

Yes definitely running an oil pressure gauge - particularly as my last two engines went due to oil pressure issues. Actually I only have the spare temperature gauge because the guy I bought the oil pressure gauge from threw the matching gauge in for free.

I've had situations in the past where both would have been of value. In the Audi TT I used to road-race, I had one situation where my coolant temps stayed perfect but oil over-heated and thinned out so badly after a 60-minute session that it was seeping out from the entire perimiter of the oil pan, where it had never leaked prior. Would have been good to have a warning that my oil-temps were way out of wack. In my Miata, I had an issue with a thermostat that failed shut and overheated the engine mid-session. I almost blew a headgasket or warped the head, but just happened to glance down and catch the temp-gauge pinned. Would have been great to have a flashing-red light at eye-level alerting me to the issue.
 
Defi ZD has warnings for both oil temp and water temp.

You can set it to beep at you when a parameter goes above a set point. Also works for: oil pressure, fuel pressure, EGT, WBO2, Boost, maybe other stuff I am forgetting...


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^^^^^
NICE!!! How come I don't have nice toys like that???
 
Me THREE.....!!! And I am HAPPY!!! :D
 
My CC doesn't especially like it (it is screaming at me for building a car with it) LOL. But I wasn't waiting paycheck to paycheck to get this, that and whatever was needed. Probably be 10 months before the car is paid for (on the CC).
 
Water temp over Oil temp.

Also, if you want another Apexi EL temp gauge I think I still have mine. PM me if you're interested and I'll dig it out.
 
Defi ZD has warnings for both oil temp and water temp.

You can set it to beep at you when a parameter goes above a set point. Also works for: oil pressure, fuel pressure, EGT, WBO2, Boost, maybe other stuff I am forgetting...


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That is very nice, but I'm already heavily invested in my OG Apexi EL setup that I committed to when I bought installed my first boost gauge 17 years ago, that was chosen over everything else available because I thought it looked cool (and I could get it in PSI). Can't justify scrapping and starting fresh now. I'm already dumping way too much money into a car that I only get to see 2-weeks a year and has been broken for 10 of the last 17. ROFL

Not to get off topic, but any more info on your in-dash setup with ECMLink? Is that a windows tablet?

Water temp over Oil temp.

Also, if you want another Apexi EL temp gauge I think I still have mine. PM me if you're interested and I'll dig it out.

Thank you - was hoping for some feedback from someone with track experience in these cars. I've autocrossed mine but never tracked it and from my experience with other cars I've tracked, understand that different platforms have different typical fault-points that need to be monitored.

I think I remember from seeing your pics that you have the black-faced gauges? I've got white...
 

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Link is running on a raspberry pi 3b+. I custom mounted a standalone 8" multi touch monitor.

Whole setup was about $150 all said and done.

It also runs android auto. Check out OpenAuto Pro.
 

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Link is running on a raspberry pi 3b+. I custom mounted a standalone 8" multi touch monitor.

Whole setup was about $150 all said and done.

It also runs android auto. Check out OpenAuto Pro.


Link running on android OS. Did I get that right ??
 
Raspberry pi runs a version of LINUX called raspbian. I am using the linux version of link in the raspbian os.

Android auto is separate from ecmlink entirely. Just more functionality for a touchscreen in the dash...
 
Link is running on a raspberry pi 3b+. I custom mounted a standalone 8" multi touch monitor.

Whole setup was about $150 all said and done.

It also runs android auto. Check out OpenAuto Pro.

Any how-to's/VFAQs/guides that could be followed?
 
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