Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2007 16:42:45 -0500
Reply-To: Walter Houle <whoule@ECSCONTROLS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Walter Houle <whoule@ECSCONTROLS.COM>
Subject: Re: New thermostat funky?
Mike -
There's too many coincidences here. I have the same engine, I just
installed the same low temp thermostat and a new temp sensor, and every
week or two I make almost the same drive home. Mine takes me from the Pine
Hills area to San Diego via Engineers Rd, Hwy 79, and I-8. Not quite as
high as Mt Laguna, about 5200 ft, but still plenty cold (for me), usually
in the 40s coming home. There's about a 40 mile stretch where you lose
5000 feet and the throttle is barely cracked - there's not much load on
the engine.
My temperature gauge behaves exactly as yours does. I also saw a
difference in the gauge after the new T'Stat was installed - it certainly
settles a lot lower now than it used to. However, my temperature gauge has
never gotten anywhere near the LED on the way home in the winter even with
the standard range thermostat. I've been doing this drive for over ten
years and I always stare at the temp gauge, (paranoid, I guess - a couple
of hose failures and a 22 year old van will do that), so I have lots of
history with this.
I was curious about the lower temp reading but I quit worrying about it. I
use my heater output as an indication that the engine is warm. With the
temp gauge at "1/4" or less and the heater valve cracked slightly open, it
provides plenty of warm air on my feet, opening it any more gets too hot.
What would be interesting would be knowing how much a 10 degree coolant
temperature change will move the gauge needle. I await your findings!
Walter
85 Vanagon 1.9
On Sat, 1 Dec 2007 09:33:30 -0800, Michael Elliott
<camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>A couple months ago I replaced the water pump -- it was making an ominous
>grinding noise. Felt crappy when it was removed, too. Installed a new Temp
>II sensor and thermostat at the same time. The thermostat came from one of
>the usual online presences, can't recall exactly who but could find out if
>it's relevant. The packing list noted that it was one that was set for 10
>degree cooler than stock.
>
>Indeed, with normal city driving at outside temps in the 70F range, the
>temp gauge seems to rest just at the left edge of the LED whereas
>previously it rode straight up, bisecting the lamp.
>
>This morning I just returned from a two-night camping trip in the San
>Diego mountains. It was 35F this morning and the first 2/3rds of the drive
>are mostly downhill, a 6,000 ft elevation drop in about 60 miles. For most
>of the downhill portion, the temp needle sat between the painted "box" at
>the left-hand side of the meter face (this is a 1984 1.9L) and the left
>edge of the LED, mostly closer to that painted box than the LED. In other
>words, at about halfway between left (dead cold) and straight up.
>
>The engine was so cool that the ECU went open-loop during long downhills
>(auto transmission in "2," holding road speed down), as determined by the
>Ken Lewis O2 monitor.
>
>Once I got to the flats, in 55F temp, freeway speeds of 70 mph or so, the
>needle rarely kissed the left edge of the LED.
>
>This is new behavior, I'm not used to seeing the engine run that cool. I
>know that a thermostat with a cooler set point may make it run cooler when
>it's not being worked hard, but it should keep the engine warm. I can't
>recall seeing the coolant that cold during downhills. That said, this was
>the coldest weather I've made that run in. But still.
>
>Next month I'll make the same trip, and it could be 20F cooler. I want to
>be certain that the thermostat isn't, like, stuck open or anything.
>
>--
>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
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