Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2002 10:04:40 -0700
Reply-To: joseph Trussell <joetruss@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: joseph Trussell <joetruss@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Engine Mgmt. Question
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
The temp gauge was all over the place...Going up hills, with the engine
really pushing hard, the needle would go up to about the half-way point, and
the heater would be cranking very hot air into the cabin. Then on the other
side, after I'd crest a hill and coast down, the gauge would go almost all
the way down to nothing and cold, cold, cold air would come in through the
heater vents. I figured that was just due to the fact that it was so cold
outside.
And with no rear heater (removed by the previous owner) the poor folks in
the middle seat (my fiance and my friend's fiance) just about froze their
butts off...
Joe T.
Denver, CO
'85 GL "bertha"
----Original Message Follows----
From: "Jay L Snyder" <Jay.L.Snyder@usa.dupont.com>
To: joseph Trussell <joetruss@HOTMAIL.COM>
CC: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Engine Mgmt. Question
Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2002 10:45:34 -0500
Did you notice any change in your temperature gauge? I have noticed this
phenomenon with my '85 Westy running the mountains in Shenandoah National
Park in the fall and early spring. The engine seems to get cooler and
loses some power. It runs much better when the temp needle is about half
way up. As I was climbing and it was getting colder outside, the gauge
stayed low and it didn't seem to have the same power. On the way home, I
got stuck in some traffic and the temp went up. It also ran like a bat out
of hell the rest of the way home. I am wondering if the thermostat is
sticking or it just runs too cool--too rich in cold weather? The idling
while you were peeing may have got the engine back up to normal operating
range and allowed it to make better power. I know the fan never runs in
these conditions--maybe I need some kind of radiator cover in cold weather?
The heater works great, so I don't think the thermostat is stuck wide open.
Jay
joseph Trussell <joetruss@HOTMAIL.COM>@gerry.vanagon.com> on 03/05/2002
10:16:53 AM
Please respond to joseph Trussell <joetruss@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sent by: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
cc:
Subject: Engine Mgmt. Question
Hi list,
I drove my '85 up to Breckenridge from Denver on Friday with four adults
and
a full load of ski stuff and weekend supplies. We headed up i-70 into the
mountains, and I had no power whatsoever...I was barely getting up the
first
major hills into the mountains at about 30 MPH, 2nd gear.
We stopped in Idaho Springs (about 25 miles, elevation 7500/8000 ft.) for a
bathroom break, and I left Bertha idling while we went into the gas
station.
At that point I also I met a guy in a '75 Westy, he and his friends were
freezing their asses off--it was about -15 degrees there and his heater
wasn't cutting it.
Anyway we came back out and climbed in and hit the road. For some reason,
I
had much, much more power as I went up the onramp back onto the interstate.
For the rest of the trip, actually, up to the Eisenhower Tunnel then down
the other side to Breckenridge, my Vanagon was running like it was
possessed--taking hills at 45 or 50 and not losing much power or momentum.
I'm just wondering if the engine mgmt system is smart enough to have
somehow
compensated? Just curious.
Joe T.
Denver, CO
'85 GL "bertha"
P.S.: BIG THANK YOU to the guy in the gold westy who offered me a jump on
Sunday when I was stalled with a completely dead battery in the middle of
the road next to the ski area at Breck...
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