My oil temp guage works intermittingly and am wondering if this is a common quirk. Noticed the same problem on another plane I flew when shopping. Oil temp guage worked fine on my aircraft at first, but now only indicates when the MP and prop are at certain setting, so it seems a vibration issue or something. AC is a 2001 M7-235C with 350 hrs.
Am also wondering if it is related to oil quantity. Engine is IO 540 which holds 8 qts when full. Recommendation was not to run it full, but rather about 1 quart low(7 qts). Just had the oil changed and topped to 7 qts, and it is just a bit below that now.
2nd question - When checking the oil, should the dip stick be screwed all the way down for the check, or read without screwing it in, just lowered to the lip of the fill.

don't know the answer to your questions but here'ss another thought to ponder. I have a IO 360 M4. Last time I changed oil I put in 9 quarts,(it holds 10) Dip stick read 8 quarts. Let it settle for a day and same reading. 8 quarts. 9 empty oil bottles.
Checked floor of hangar for missing quart. Not there. Sup with that???????

iceman wrote:don't know the answer to your questions but here'ss another thought to ponder. I have a IO 360 M4. Last time I changed oil I put in 9 quarts,(it holds 10) Dip stick read 8 quarts. Let it settle for a day and same reading. 8 quarts. 9 empty oil bottles.
Checked floor of hangar for missing quart. Not there. Sup with that???????

Maybe you have the specially calibrated "seaplane dipstick"...

My M5-235 has been an experience in oil level reading.

When I got it it would blow out anything above the 10 qt level on the dip stick. 6.00x6 tires

On floats it happily maintained 11 qts on the dipstick.

Now on 8.50's it is happy w/ 9 qts. Which, by the way, is what it reads when I put in a case of oil and a new oil filter.

Gotta be an angle of the engine thing.

TD

Scoot, I'd guess it's a bad gauge. I've replaced the oil temp gauge in my 170 twice, Got about 7 years and 1200 tach hours out of the first replacement, a Scott. Replaced it with another Scott cuz that's about all that's out there that would fit and not be a big project.
If you replace your gauge, I'd suggest that you test it first if possible. Water boils at 212 at sea level, see where the gauge measures it.

Eric

Check to see if there is a fluctuation in the needle when you press the push to talk switch or when rotating the panel light rheostat. Also of course check the probe in boiling water as suggested. There is a short ground wire on back left of guage cluster to airframe that might need cleaning. Ptt fluctuation is a millevoltage through the wireing loom which carries the oil temp wire. Same with rheostat but worse.
Jeremy

Thanks for the tips on checking guage and the wiring from cluster. Sure seems that one of these is the culprit.
Thanks again

cmon Z what do you know about dip sticks????

iceman wrote:cmon Z what do you know about dip sticks????

I've been called one so many times, I figured I have some measure of expertise.

I was reading thru my Businessliner POH, and it says that the seaplane will read approx 1 quart low, as the stick is calibrated for the 3-point attitude. I wonder if Maule uses a different dipstick for their tailwheel and tri-gear configurations?

Maule has used so many different engines in so many of their models i wouldn't know. Jeremy would be the one to tell us. I'll ask him on the Maule web site since he's always there.

Iceman, if you know how to copy and paste you can bring the response over from maulepilots to here, it was a pm.
Jeremy

MX7 and MXT7 same engine and dipstick but different angle of engine.
This happens on Lyc Cont and Franklins dependent on fuselage or engine angle.
For instance on a Franklin ,in a taildragger the front 2 cam lobes are out of the oil at startup in a taildragger but not in a trigear

Thanks Jeremy, So it's an angle of the dangle thing.