Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 18:03:36 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: 2.1L engine failure? (Side question about the belts)
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regarding this engine-saving self-monitoring system ..
one existed for VW Bugs.
if engine temp got too high ...or oil pressure too low,
some of the ignition pulses would be shorted out, or cut off, resulting in a
'limp mode'...it'll run, but not enough to hurt itself, and you limp to
somewhere safe and see what's going on.
and modern cars have that too, for self-protection. They can go into limp
mode.....just run, but poorly enough you have to deal with it.
for our vans, they could made to work on our vans by sensing coolant temp,
oil pressure, oil temp, etc.
Not hard to do with a small electronic circuit.
re scanning the gauges, In flying it's called 'you scan' ....on a regular
basis you scan all the gauges and warning lights.
In a car it goes like this ..
and this Works.....you do this with your eyes ...
1. look all around the vehicle in front of you,
2. look as far ahead as you are able to see
3. look in the rear view mirror.
4. look at your speedo and check your speed
5. look at temp gauge, and warning lights.
repeat.
you do that constantly while driving over and over.
when someone gets hit from behind, my only thought is, they weren't
monitoring their '6' ( their 6 o'clock position ) properly . < but hey,
collecting insurance money off a smash rear bumper is profitable , so why
not ! ) ..
Like when you stop in a row of cars, you never relax until you see the next
car behind you see what's going on and start to slow down.
You gotta watch your rear end as much as anywhere else, even more actually.
regarding watching ..it's the 'forward 45's" that are the danger zones. Very
easy to see cars out the front, out the rear, even alongside, and the danger
of the blind zone ( rear 45's ) is well known...
but it's what's behind those A pillars that can get ya. Quite easily. It's
not even that hard to pull out in front a car coming down the road ....gotta
really be vigilant about those forward 45's. That's where real hazards are
likely to be lurking that are not readily spotted.
Stay safe !
and check them gauges and lights, and outside views in a regular pattern,
over and over.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Fisher" <garciasghostvw@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 4:39 PM
Subject: Re: 2.1L engine failure? (Side question about the belts)
> It may be that his belts gave first and that his early warning system
> (read:
> absolute last split-second chance to cut the engine off system) wasn't
> working properly (or he didn't notice). I've had belts go on the WBX at
> highway speeds and you'd be surprised how fast the temp gauge spikes, as
> in:
> alt light comes on; temp needle starts climbing like the fuel gauge needle
> when you start the car.
> I suppose that the momentum in the belts and the pulleys could generate a
> lot of heat for a moment, particularly the alternator, but I don't know
> that
> it's enough to pop the belts. I think generally one belt gives out and
> takes
> the other ones with it; that was my experience.
>
> You can get engine cut-off sensors for pressure washers that go on the
> pump
> head. If the pump reaches the sensor's set point it turns off the engine
> and
> hopefully prevents the pump from burning out. It'd be interesting if
> something like that could be put on a car engine. It'd be a rude shock to
> lose power suddenly, but I think that practically speaking you'd be losing
> power 40 seconds later anyway and for a much worse reason. The set-point
> on
> the pressure washer doohickey is something like 160 so it obviously
> wouldn't
> work in a car. I wonder what temp you would want that set at, if you could
> make/buy one? If you could add an audible alarm to it... (beep... beep...)
> when it went over a certain temp, and (BEEEEEEEP) when it went over the
> next
> set point, that would help. (It could give a Wilhelm Scream as the engine
> died, if you let it go that far).
> I don't know about anybody else but something about that windshield keeps
> you looking around outside the van. I have to try to discipline myself to
> look down at the dash every thirty seconds or so.
>
> Cya
> Robert
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel"
> Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 4:06 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: 2.1L engine failure? (Side question about the belts)
>
> Jack Reynaert wrote:
>> ... when we pulled the motor cover, both fan belts were off the motor
>
> If the engine just plain seized do the driven pulleys have enough
> momentum to blow off the belts?
>
> Note: this is a side question that may not provide anything useful for
> Jack, so I'm branching the thread with modified Subject. I hope that's
> okay. I'm asking because I'm curious.
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
> Bend, OR
> KG6RCR
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