Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 00:28:38 -0800
Reply-To: Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: aircooled transaxle with 1.6NA diesel
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
>From: Frank Grunthaner <FrankGRUN@AOL.COM>
>Reply-To: FrankGRUN@AOL.COM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: aircooled transaxle with 1.6NA diesel
>Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 01:26:39 EST
>
>My advice is not to try unless your DNA shows that Job was part of your
>ancestry, or alternatively you need to dictate your first opus for
>secretarial transcription. At any given road speed (if no change is made to
>the primary gear ratios), the thrust or motive force available to you will
>be
>equivalent to about 26 horsepower (compared to the original rating of 42).
>That derives from a 28% reduction in available torque, and an additional
>28%
>reduction in hp because of the lower engine speed. As I have said too often
>in the past, the key is torque, so consider the power loss to be roughly
>the
>same as losing one cylinder in 4, or running the diesel with an air
>conditioner on full bore.
>
>On the other hand, everything that goes up must come down, so ... you'll
>make
>up some of the time with the lack of engine braking going down the hill.
>You
>could also fabricate a propane injector that just came on at full throttle,
>but I predict melted pistons. Trade the trans for a regular diesel.
>
>Frank Grunthaner
Robert
1982 Westfalia
Hello Frank, All-
I just test drove a friends 1.9 Diesel power Westfalia that has a air-cooled
Vanagon transmission, and it runs very well. It cruises freeway speeds and
gets great fuel economy.
The engine is a new 1.9 TD( but not turbo yet) 75 hp.
I noticed immediately the increased hp over the 1.6, and I was surprised at
the acceleration. It isn't as fast as my 115 hp Golf engine, but it is an
impressive improvement over the 1.6.
Clearly the extra hp eliminates the need for gear reduction.
I think that just as with the Type two ,when VW eliminated the gear
reduction boxes in '68 when they also began increasing the hp, that if you
go to a bigger Diesel, you don't need the gear reduction.
At a certain point gear reduction becomes unecesscary when the horsepower is
great enough to overcome the resistance.
This is the very reason I have a air-cooled Vanagon trans in my Golf powered
Westfalia. A Diesel trans would slow it down significantly.
My friend Derrek showed me this-he has the same engine as I -but he left the
Diesel trans in(formerly Diesel vanagon). He could not keep up with me on a
local hill climb.
The Diesel gearing is very effective at engine braking.Your brakes will last
longer on steep downhill driving.
But for acceleration , it's a sensation worse than driving with the parking
brake on, if you have a 75 or higher hp engine.
My 2 cents -
Robert
1982 Westfalia
1987 Wolfsburg Weekender
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