Oil Cooler Thermostat?

1-Any thing under 350'F (a temp compensated cylinder head temp gauge, sender under #3 spark plug) for just cruising is acceptable. Temps with an ir can vary over 100', depending on where the head is "shot", and the temp will be lower than with the cht gauge.

2- You'll have to trace the oil lines to figure out if there's a thermostat. I gather it's an "extra" oil cooler?

3- No idea.

4- These things are primarily air cooled, so ambient temps can affect a car/engine that's having cooling problems. Is it in tune? jetted correctly? hole in the firewall for air intake?

As Jack would say, "Get that shop towel out of my shroud."  (or)  maybe the engine thermostat bellows has packed it in....   Just some thoughts...

Pdrvr, your gauge reads oil temperature, while your infrared reading was head temperature.  That's two different things.

Air cooled engines can show CHT temps in the normal range, while oil temps hit the roof, or vice versa.

I would start with a new oil temp sensor - get the one used by the engine builder (I assume Roland Rascon), for your 1915 VS, but Kirk at VS should be able to help).  They're cheap, easy to install and if they don't either leak or get weird every 2 or 3 years then they seem to last forever.  

If it used to be OK, and now is registering much higher AND there's nothing blocking air flow to the fan (like a rag, huh Jack?), it doesn't smell really hot and/or is clicking, snapping or popping immediately after you shut it off and nothing else has changed, then I suspect the sensor is toast.

Since you have a infrared gun, when the gauge shows hot take a reading around the sump area to see what temps you get.

I've done that and the temp readings were fairly close to the reading I got from my dipstick thermometer.

Great replies.  Thanks guys.  This is why this forum is such a great resource.  No rags blocking the air vent.  I will check with Kirk about the oil thermostat and oil temp sensor.

Hello Guys, not to high jack this thread but same problem. Installed new Mesa cooler with fan, oil stat and temp switch. First road test today and temps got up to 230 so put it back in the barn. Grounded thermostat and relay clicks but no fan. I tried to spin the fan, its stiff to turn and hot as a pistol.I tested the fan before installing and tested it after install in the car and it was fine.

So much for new parts.

Follow-up:

I think the problem may be the oil cooler fan is not working.  I have noticed in the past that I can hear the fan for approx. 5 minutes after I shut the engine off.  I don't recall if that is still the case.  According the Kirk, the fan is controlled by a thermostat switch that may be mal-functioning.  The car has spent the winter at my vacation house in the mountains of Utah and I am driving it home to SoCal this next weekend.  I made an appointment with Blackline racing, formerly Art Thraen's shop in Salt Lake City, to diagnose the problem and possibly directly wire the oil cooler fan to the ignition switch so I can safely drive it home.

Running the A/C is life saving when driving across Nevada.  I'm tempted to drive an extra day to drive I80 west, then drive PCH from Monterey home to OC.  I can't think of a more natural environment for the speedster than PCH.

Blackline is a quality shop.  They'll find your problem and fix it.