Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 08:32:05 -0700
Reply-To: mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Over heated and need more power!
In-Reply-To: <6.0.1.1.0.20040823231515.01cf6668@pop.sonic.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
That mountain pass is quite a cooling system test. I drove it 12 days
ago in my 87 Syncro Camper in the other direction, up from US 395. The
cooling fan came on HIGH speed and stayed there for longer than at any
other time in the 10 years I've had it. Did you hear your fan? My temp
gauge never got more than about 2 needle widths above the led.
I also have an 82 diesel Westy with a 1.9TD. The TD engines get hot up
long grades. I installed a new later type radiator shortly after I put
in the 1.9TD. This greatly improved the cooling over the old one but
that may have been mostly because it was new. On long hills the temp
still goes higher than I would like. I also added a manual switch to the
dash so I can turn on the high speed fan when I start up big grades.
This helps a lot but is not the real answer.
VW added cooling system enhancements to some vehicles including Vanagons
when they started offering them with TD engines. The 82 cooling fan is
the smallest type used. On TD Vanagons they used a much larger radiator
fan motor, the same one found in Syncros and 86+ models with A/C. These
bigger fans can be used in 82s along with newer radiators but the fan
wiring must be heavily upgraded including a bigger relay and a direct
power wire from the battery to the high speed relay. I have all the
required parts but am a little short on round tuits. In Euro models VW
also used a different radiator on TD Vanagons and Vanagons meant for
warmer countries. This happens to be the same radiator used on gas
models made for the North American market. Upgrading to the later
radiator is not quite a bolt in and you will need several other parts.
There is a list just for Diesel Vanagons. You might want to join if you
don't belong.
Diesel-Vanagon@yahoogroups.com
Mark
Gary Liess wrote:
> I just returned from a camping trip to the Sierra's around Lake Tahoe and
> south. I have an 82-diesel westy with a 1.9 TD. When driving in the
> mountains the temperature gauge was 2/3 when running at 55 MPH, its
> warmer
> than I would like but I can live with it. When I tried to climb (in
> second
> gear) Monitor pass (8000 ft.) the temp gauge went to 7/8 and then the
> light
> went on and the expansion tank blew its top and boiled water out.
>
> I have two questions for this group who seem to know everything about
> these
> vans.
>
> Would putting in a radiator from a gas model 1983 or later improve the
> diesels cooling and would it be adequate? While I was on the side of the
> road on Monitor pass I saw a Vanagon that had climbed the pass coming
> down
> from the other way, so I'm guessing that the water boxer cooling is
> adequate.
>
> I need more power for climbing in the mountains, at 6000 to 8000 ft.; I
> could only go 35 mph up some of the hills and was passed by a semi. I am
> installing an intercooler. Short of installing a TDI is there anything I
> can do to get more power or torque from this engine?
>
> Any help would be appreciated from the respected and honored geniuses of
> the group.
>
> Gary
>
