Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2007 15:16:57 -0500
Reply-To: Geza Polony <gezapolony@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Geza Polony <gezapolony@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: New thermostat funky?
Mike,
There are two possibilities. Either (1) the system is not really closed
even though the t-stat is closed, or (2) the engine is losing heat
elsewhere, as you suggest. The latter seems highly implausible, however,
since combustion temps are SO high and of course there are no fans, shrouds,
or ribs to aid in cooling. To test the theory that the engine is somehow
losing heat without the cooling system, one could remove the belt to the
water pump. I'd bet you'd overheat in 30 seconds, even at 20* below.
This tells me that, even with the t-stat fully closed, as we've determined
by bench testing that it is, the coolant is still circulating. Not just
through the heater system, which won't dissipate much heat, but through the
radiator. This, in turn, is why they run so cold. Coolant is circulating
when it shouldn't be.
What's wrong with this picture? I'm stumped. Anybody?
Geza
On Mon, 3 Dec 2007 10:53:22 -0800, Michael Elliott
<camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>I'd suggest that if the thermostat is indeed closed so no heat is being
>lost through the cooling system (heater doesn't dissipate that much heat,
>does it?), then the engine has to be losing heat elsewhere. Surely there
>is a minimum ambient temp that the engine can self-heat in? I reckon at
>-300 degrees the engine could never get warm.
>
>--
>Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
>74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
>KG6RCR
>
>
>
>On 12/3/2007 10:09 AM Geza Polony wrote:
>
>> Can someone explain this?
>>
>> "Even with the complete openings to the front of the radiator blocked
>> off, it wouldn't run "normally" during the winter. It still stayed colder.
>> I had to insulate all the plumbing under the van and around the engine to
>> get it to come close to normal on a cold, -20 degree F, day."
>>
>> Assuming the thermostat is completely closed, how come the engine won't warm
>> up? Shouldn't there be NO flow to the radiator with the t-stat closed?
>>
>> This is exactly what I would expect from mine (though I've never taken it to
>> 20* below)--and yet it indicates the cooling system is malfunctioning even
>> with a good thermostat, water pump, and all the rest.
>>
>> I'm baffled.
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