What Oil Temp Is Too Hot For a 6.7 Cummins? (Temp Sensor)
If you have a newer motor, you may see an oil temperature gauge on your dash. However, according to some owners, there is no oil temperature sensor and the gauge may just be estimating what the actual temperature is.
It is said that the computer is doing the calculating and not sending a real temperature level to the dash gauge. No one has reported any engine trouble at oil temperatures reading above 210 degrees F. It is the transmission temperature you need to worry about.
To learn more about this topic, just continue to read our article. It explores the issue to make sure what has been said is correct. So far, no reliable website has popped up to explain that little oil temperature gauge and what temperature level your oil should be at.
What Should The Oil Temp Be on a 6.7 Cummins?
According to some diesel forums talking about this topic, it is normal for oil temperatures of the 6.7 to reach 240 degrees F. That may be so but the word is that conventional oil starts to break down at 240 degrees F.
That is a lot lower than the reported oil temperature high of 280 degrees F. If you are in the low 200s, then you will be okay. There is nothing popping up in any search that talks about this issue.
According to one owner, the gauge on the dash is just bling that creates an issue out of a non-issue. He also said that there is no oil temperature sensor on the engine.
This is the information that we are finding as we explore this topic. No one disagrees with that owner and none of them have anything factual to contradict what he has said.
What Oil Temp is Too Hot For a 6.7 Cummins?
It has been reported that 280 degrees F will be too hot for a 6.7 diesel motor. But that figure is not set in stone as no one has ever reported getting that hot even when pulling uphill, on a steep terrain, and pulling a heavy trailer.
The highest we have seen reported under those conditions was 240 degrees F and the owner reported having no problems with his engine. There are owners seeing 250 degrees F and that figure does not bother them. The oil temperature drops almost immediately after going over the peak.
In other words, what we are saying is that no one is concerned about high oil temperatures. They only seem to peak and then drop back down to the low 200s and no one has reported any real problems. Unless they have an engine that suffers from a lot of problems.
6.7 Cummins Engine Heat Temp 225
From what we can gather, this is not a bad temperature level. It is well below what some owners describe as normal. If the oil temperature gauge you have goes below this mark, you =still do not have to worry.
Being at or below 225 is nothing to worry about. Even if the gauge says 250 you should still have nothing to worry about. No one is warning anyone about having their oil temperature too high. The problem will come in when the oil in the crankcase starts to break down.
That can be around the 250+ mark or even at 280 degrees F. The best thing we can advise is to talk to an experienced Cummins 6.7 mechanic and see what they say.
They would be in the best position to provide the right information. As it stands right now, all the owners who have expressed an opinion on this topic are not concerned about high oil temperatures.
If the transmission temperature is pushing 225, then you should be concerned and have the transmission checked out.
6.7 Cummins Oil Temp While Towing
For the Ford model 6.7, the average oil temperature is between 240 to 245 degrees F. This is where you want the oil temperature for towing. This is a very good level and you can go up to 290 degrees F with no trouble.
However, you should start to watch your engine if the oil temperature gauge reads over 300 degrees F. At 350 degrees F you should slow down and if it gets above that temperature level, you should stop.
Other than that, there is no official guide to help answer many questions. We checked the Cummins website and they did not mention this issue at all. We have seen no one concerned about this except the original poster on the many threads we have looked at.
Their fears are calmed by the other posters. But other than what we reported for the Ford 6.7, we have not seen any official oil temperature guideline.
6.7 Cummins Oil Temp Sensor Location
We have looked at a sheet that has all the sensors placed on a Cummins 6.7. There is an oil pressure sensor but there is not an oil temperature one. There is an intake air temperature sensor and an EGR and engine coolant temperature sensor but not one for oil.
There are 16 different sensors added to the 6.7 and not one of them will measure the oil temperature. It seems that the owner saying the oil temperature gauge is giving you fake information is correct.
That gauge may be reading what an algorithm sends its way and does not state the actual oil temperature.
Some Final Words
There are a lot of bells and whistles on the newer engine models. One of them seems to be the oil temperature gauge. This gauge does not seem to provide accurate information about oil temperatures.
Also, no one is warning anyone about high oil temperatures. The only thing to worry about with oil and heat is at what temperature level the oil you use breaks down.
When you drive be more concerned about the transmission temperature level as that has lots of warnings about going too hot.
