Erratic oil temp indications on Ovation

[BorealOne]

About 5h into a long x-country trip yesterday, my oil temp gauge needle began to behave erratically. It went from being pegged at 200º to fluctuating between 200-240, and then going off the gauge well above the red line. All other indications (CHTs and EGTs on the JPM and the factory gauge) were fine, so I determined that it was a gauge issue, not an engine issue. The flight completed uneventfully, and on descent, the gauge seemed to behave normally.

Anyone have any similar experiences or other insights into Ovation oil temp gauge behavior? 

[N9937c]

I fly one that has the same problem with the tach. Is worse when it's really hot

larry

[Parker_Woodruff]

Do you have oil temp on your JPI?  I'd trust that one.  The oil temp gauge on my M20J was definitely not very linear in its presentation of oil temp, that's for sure.

[gsengle]

'96 Ovation here, identical setup, and about 10% of the time, the oil temp gauge does exactly as you describe.  Been told its probably the gauge itself.  I just watch the JPI, which seems to have more accurate readings, even when the analog gauge seems to be working.

[fantom]

If I believed my factory oil temp gauge I would have had 100 emergency landings.

Could be the sending unit, the probe, or could just need to be pulled out for a squirt of contact cleaner.

JPI can be counted on!