Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2007 10:36:32 -0400
Reply-To: Benny boy <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Benny boy <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Subject: Re: In praise of aircooled vanagons
Mmm... i did more than 50k miles with my 1700-1800 Single weber-dual solex,
before that first rebuilt, i went to Mexico with a cooked 1700 Dual Solex
(just bought the Bus, didn't know much on AC engine, to lasy...), i left
Montreal with a sick engine and came back with a Sicker engine. 0
compression on 3 cylinders, 90psi on #1 (3 burned valve), still, i made it
back. Every single possible problem happen to me on tht trip, still again, i
met quite a few nice folks including Mark Drillock. Anyway, when i came back
home, my last leg from Toronto was a nightmare, 40mph... limping home.
So at that time i didn't have much money (don't have some still today:-) so
after oppening the engine, i had just enough money to fix the heads (good
thing that the heads were the only problem):
http://www.benplace.com/head/heads014.jpg
http://www.benplace.com/heads.htm
As my oil consumption was nothing, i re-use the same pistons, put 2 rebuilt
heads, clean the whole engine and tins, put a single weber on and did
another... pfff... 20k miles driving that thing as hard as i could. So when
i got a bit more money, I sold that suberb engine for cheap, kept the superb
weber and built me a semi use 1800cc with rebuilt heads, new german pistons
and an old core that was in great shape, did another hard 15-20k miles.
Driving 10 to 15 hours a day at 65mph.
When i met my actual girlfriend, a few month later we went to Florida, she
ask me (as i was tired and she didn't want me to fix my van in vacation):
will that old 73 make the trip without any problems? I said that this Bus
would make it everywhere (now), i told her to have no worry, this van is
more solid than all vehicles we have, we made a nice 5k miles trip, one leg
was my longer ever, 869 miles. This van is still running like a champ today
with the same engine.
Now, one thing with Air-cooled, they are air cooled, and air contain dust,
dirt... those engine leaks oil, dust stick to oil, with time, they become
dirty, pistons and heads cooling fins become filled with dirts, this is when
the engine overheat and suffer. Keep it clean!
Now, i don't agree with Bob on the VDO subject (and all know i repect the
men), in Baja, a platic bag went into the engine bay (my fault), cover the
cooling fan.... yes, no more air! both my head temps gage and oil gage went
into the red... 550f at head and 260f at oil... so without those, the 73
would have end it's life in Baja. VDO are a must on air cooled, mostly the
Head temp!!! i agree that the oil temp is slow to react but NOT the head
thermocouple, it react instantaneously. I also think that the OEM oil cooler
(when working and clean) is more than enought on pancake engine (1700-2000).
Adjust valves at each 5000miles on solid lifters and at each 10-15kmiles on
hydro.
I'm not finish!!!!!
I do a LOT of Aircooled Vanagon in the shop (i think that i'm the only one
who want to work on them in Quebec?), i always find the problem (the reason)
when an engine is cooked, and believe me, it's NOT the engine fault!!! it's
always a bad FI (running to lean) or a dirt problem.
Last exemple: in the shop today i have an 81 AC, new GEX engine put in by a
stupid mechanic 2 years ago, fist it's a GEX (first problem), second, the
engine was put together with missing tins!!! yea, 5! including the 2 lower
one that direct the air on the oil cooler and head. she did about 2k like
that and after that, she began having overheating problem (pinging...), she
didn't trust the first mechanic so she came at the shop, this is when i
found out about the missing tins, not much i could do at the time (she had
no more money) but put back the missing tins and hope for the best, the best
never came. So now, she as about 3k miles and the engine almost seized. She
paid 4k$ for the job + engine 3 years ago (it's a sad story, she is a nice
lady).
But there is NO way out now, i'm building her a semi used engine, with good
used parts (that is all she can afford) and i we will hope for the best, and
believe me, the best WILL come!!!
Conclusion, go see a Air-Cooled mechanic for your AC Van.
Ben
http://www.benplace.com/vw2.htm
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"I'm not sure of any particular problem specific to airheads except the
overheat problem which is operator-controlled."
I think the other word for it is "denial".
Heat is the main culprit with aircooleds but to believe it's solely operator
controlled is misleading.
Air-cooled engines in Busses and Vanagons are usually short lived.
When octane was lowered the air-cooled was doomed. They are from an era that
had higher octane, leaded fuel, and when the average car was owned only a
few years.
Simplicity? So were 8-track players.
Puddlers? Waterboxers, glorified flat -four engines. They last longer
because they run cooler. Heat is the enemy of motor oil.
Savor this moment of momentary air-cooled bliss.
As I remember on a plane flight long ago, the mayday was sent after the
radial engine swallowed a valve, billowing black smoke. The pilot had spoken
to the co-pilot minutes before'Amazing how well it runs for not having had
an overhaul in 25 years".
Capture the moment .
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