Oil temperature gauge not working?

[jblc]

I noticed that my oil was 4 quarts low -- essentially nothing at the dipstick -- and there was a fair bit of oil splatter on the air intake tube into the throttle body / MAF sensor region. So something is off with the engine, perhaps a head gasket blown.

Question: Shouldn't an oil gauge shown an unusually high temperature as oil level drops, since there's less oil to lubricate and also carry heat away?

The gauge has remained at normal this whole time. I only recall one sudden "flutter" of the oil gauge a few weeks ago that my eye was drawn to since it also gave a small audible click as the needle hit the limit; i've never seen the oil temp gauge flutter 15 years of driving this vehicle.

 

[RonD]

Welcome to the forum

You won't have a stock oil TEMP gauge, there is an oil pressure gauge, but it is not a true gauge, it is either "normal" or 0 oil pressure.
It is run by a switch on the engine that is Closed when pressure is above 6psi and Open when pressure is below 6psi.

So there would be no variation of the needle on this type of pressure gauge between cold or warm or hot oil, as long as it is above 6psi the switch is Closed and the needle stays up in "normal" area.
Any other movement of this gauge's needle would be electrical changes, not oil pressure

 

[jblc]

Ah, I see, interesting. Wouldn't low oil cause reduced pressure, or only at a certain point, eg almost totally dry?

 

[RonD]

No, as long as the oil pump has oil "to pump" oil pressure won't change on Ranger gauge.

When oil level is low then when you go around a corner the oil in the pan can go to one side and pump goes dry for a second or two.
Might see gauge drop to 0 then back up to "norrnal" if that happens.

Best not to let oil get low