Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2006 10:25:20 -0500
Reply-To: Mike Collum <collum@VERIZON.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike Collum <collum@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: Re: running hot....any ideas?
In-Reply-To: <1124874.1138976491354.JavaMail.root@elwamui-mouette.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
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It's more likely, Joe, that the old one was causing the engine to run
too cold and was giving (gauge wise) a false sense of security.
My '84, which I've had since '91, has always run with the needle just on
the hot side of the LED. I put a new radiator, thermostat, and
waterpump in it when I first got it and there was no change. I shrugged
and have been driving it without overheating and without worry.
The '85, when I first got it, ran too cold and indicated that it was
running too cold, too. The first winter I had it I had to put cardboard
in front of the radiator so the engine would run right and so I could
get some heat in the cabin. After that winter, I replaced the
thermostat and it now runs with the needle halfway between cold and the
LED and all is well.
As you can see, the "Normal" for the two vans is very different.
Mike
Joseph Fortino wrote:
> This is what my 85gl is doing with a new termostat/water pump, seems air is out. my fan does come
> on,my needle just moves up higher now with this new termostat in. little above LED but never blinks ;)
> good thing..
>
> new termostat gone bad early? sucks..
>
> Joe
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
>>From: Sam Walters <sam.cooks@VERIZON.NET>
>>Sent: Feb 3, 2006 4:22 AM
>>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>Subject: Re: running hot....any ideas?
>>
>>Robert,
>>
>>It has been pointed out many times, several times in this thread, and
>>hundreds more in the past, that the needles can be highly variable and
>>inaccurate.
>>
>>Before you start adding oil coolers or paying for new parts, get a
>>infrared thermometer device and point it at a number of parts of the
>>engine to determine if it is really hot, or is just giving you a too
>>high reading. Monitor it as it is heating up from cold and while
>>running to get an idea of how hot different points are.
>>
>>For years, I used to worry about this in my old 84 when it would read
>>pretty high and the fan would run a lot while in stop and go traffic.
>>Once I got the infrared and took some measurements and found out it was
>>doing just fine. The fan would come on and lower the coolant
>>temperature just fine.
>>
>>It doesn't take much fan time with the fan running to lower the
>>temperature 20-30 degrees. Get some real data on the issue.
>>
>>And as several people have said check the thermostat, even if it is
>>new. And before putting a new one in, check the old one in a pot of
>>water on the stove, and if it is bad, check the "new" one before
>>installing it to make sure it is good.
>>
>>Sam
>>
>>--
>>Sam Walters
>>Baltimore, MD
>>
>>89 Syncro GL, Zetec Inside
>>85 Westy Weekender
>>85 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel - to become veggie oil powered
>>
>>All incoming and outgoing email scanned by
>>automatically updated copy of Norton AntiVirus.
>
>
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