Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:18:50 -0400
Reply-To: ------------- <VW4X4@VERIZON.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: ------------- <VW4X4@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: Re: Radiator removal
In-Reply-To: <00ad01c6cd01$eb182f90$650fa8c0@DELL>
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"van even seems to have more power now"
Very possible. If running to cold, this would mean the
the ECU would richen up the fuel mixture. If it was running to
lean, like many vanagons do, this would bring it back in spec.
Kenneth Wilford wrote:
>I just replaced one on an 86 Westy. The old one was a replacement copper
>core one (so I am pretty sure it was not original). Before the swap the van
>would get hotter, and hotter, and hotter until it would boil (very slowly).
>New Aluminum one and it will not even go all the way up to 1/2 on the gauge.
>Runs super cool. Put in a new fan switch (grey one) and when it gets up to
>half the fan comes on and takes it back down to below half. I believe it
>must have an 80 C degree thermostat since that is where it is running now.
>
>The crazy thing is that the the old copper core radiator (which said made in
>Germany on the bottom) looked in good condition. It was not noticeably much
>heavier than the copper (didn't weigh them) and I didn't see the normal mud
>looking substance inside. There was a thin film of slime inside the
>radiator that I could feel with my fingers.
>
>The van was running fine temperature-wise until the radiator fan debacle
>(see last month's post about this) and the van threw the water pump belt
>while going down the highway. Not sure how this effected the radiator but
>perhaps it let the coolant get so hot that it liquified sludge in the
>coolant system and then pumped this up to the radiator. I have no idea.
>
>PS Yhe van even seems to have more power now. I have now idea how this
>could be. Maybe I am just insane!
>
>Thanks,
>Ken Wilford
>John 3:16
>http://www.vanagain.com
>http://www.strictlyvwauctions.com
>http://www.eurovan.org
>http://www.vwcabrio.org
>Phone: (856)-327-4936
>Fax: (856)-327-2242
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
>Bob Mac
>Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 7:56 PM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Radiator removal
>
>
> I just bought a new radiator for my 84 westy. Someone posted how to tell
>how old the radiator is in my van so i went out and looked. Sure enough it
>was the original. Had a date of 1983 on it. I took the old one out and
>couldn't believe the difference in weight between them. Sooo i weighed them.
>The old 22 lbs, the new 11 lbs. I found it very hard to believe that their
>was 11 lbs of dirt in the old one. The old one is made of copper and the new
>is of aluminum. Curiosity got the best of me so i had to operate on the old
>one. I took both tanks off the old one and looked for all this dirt. Their
>was none. Outside of some white corrosion in the bottom half their was no
>dirt. I held a light on one side of the fins and looked thru each fin and
>saw that light could be seen thru every fin. Which means nothing was
>blocked. Outside of a little oily film, the rad. looked fine. My point
>being, other than having the satisfaction of knowing i have a new rad. in my
>van i changed it for no other reason. I guess that's the difference between
>copper and alum. Just thought i'd throw that out there.
>
>
>
>
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