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Date:         Mon, 25 Mar 2002 23:46:35 -0600
Reply-To:     Joel Walker <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
Organization: not likely
Subject:      Re: Longevity of Conversion Engines
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

one thing no one has considered about aircooled engines is air conditioning, something that car buyers began to demand in increasing numbers back in the 70's. air conditioning puts quite a load on the engines, especially at idle and low rpm ... like city driving and waiting at traffic lights/stop signs. trouble is, that's the time when the aircooled engine gets the least amount of cooling (from the fan) ...

porsche didn't have the problem as much, as it was essentially an oil-cooled engine, plus it had two extra cylinders to create the torque necessary for the air conditioning compressor.

so what to do? watercooled engines don't have the problem ... they have radiators with cooling fans to draw air through and cool the antifreeze. so a 4-cylinder watercooled engine can handle the air conditioning better than a same-size 4-cylinder aircooled engine. simple economics ... if you want to sell cars in the u.s., you have to offer air conditioning. how many aircooled buses out there actually have air conditioning? versus how many of the watercooled buses? i've only seen maybe half a dozen aircooled buses, in the last 30 years, that had air conditioning ... and that's down here in the southeast. on the other hand, i've only seen TWO watercooled buses down there that did NOT have air conditioning.

for what it's worth, i started driving vw beetles in 1958 ... moved 'up' to squarebacks in 1968, and into buses in 1970. it was 1986 before i ever had any car with air conditioning ... just never realized what i was missing. :) or i got too old to keep sweating like that. either way, it's a luxury that i like, and intend to keep getting in any car/bus/truck/house/boat/airplane/office/whatever that i get in the future. :) so i'm seduced by the wet side of the farce ... by that first 1986 watercooled bus. and i'm afraid i can't go back ... no matter how many water pumps i have to replace.

it's like diesel engines versus gasoline engines ... it's not 'more' maintenance; it's just 'different' maintenance. the trick is, do the maintenance that the engine (and bus) requires and you'll be ok. don't do it, and any engine will fall apart on you, sooner or later. like the old Bardahl ad used to say "pay me now, or pay me later." :)

joel


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