Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:00:43 -0500
Reply-To: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: Climbing
In-Reply-To: <4D431B56.5000901@pottsfamily.ca>
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I, too, spoke to Bob Donalds on many occasions, both on the phone and at his
shop about VW engines. He knew more about VW engines than anyone else I'd
ever met (including Dean Lowry). His experience was extensive and he knew
how to do things the right way, which is the ONLY way that he would ever do
anything. He taught me many things about VW engines, and I will always
remember him, his lessons and his willingness to help anyone in any way that
he could. He gave me so much more than I could ever pay him for.
An ACVW engine lives and loves to be driven at higher rpms. This alone
keeps the cooling fan spinning fast enough to deliver plenty of air to the
engine cooling systems (both air and oil). Shifting up too soon and
lowering engine rpms, failing to downshift when it's time, or lugging an
engine will build up heat fast.
Imagine pedaling a 10-speed bike up a hill and leaving it in too high of a
gear; you're working very hard and fighting just to keep going forward. It
doesn't take more than a few impossibly difficult pushes on the pedals
before you overheat, give up and start walking, trying to catch your breath.
Shift to the lowest gear necessary to keep the pedaling forces light, and
you'll happily spin your way right up that same hill.
The aluminum/ magnesium alloys in the ACVW engine reach their elastic
state at these higher operating temps. They over-grow, stretch, warp and
will NEVER go back to their original shapes and sizes. Warped line bores,
shuffling bearing webs, out of round cylinders/ pistons, warped/ cracked
heads, dropped valve seats, melting bearing surfaces, pulled head, rocker
and exhaust studs, blow-torched pistons/ heads, carbon-ed oil deposits,
leaking heads, broken/ stretched exhaust valves, pounded-out case deck and
thrust surfaces, galled rocker shafts, worn cam/lifters all result from
running too hot for too long. The case suffers damage that no line-bore can
ever correct, and must be discarded, not rebuilt. Many other things can
cause some of these issues, but most are related to running too hot. If you
wouldn't abuse your body like this, why would you abuse your VW like this?
What was it that John Muir said in the Idiot book? "Come to kindly terms
with your ass, for it bears you. " ......a favorite saying of mine.
Mike B.
-----Original Message-----
From: Greg Potts
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 2:39 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Climbing
Hi Mark,
Once upon a time (Summer 2003) I got a chance to talk to Bob Donalds
(Boston Bob) about aircooled engines... He told me he had done extensive
testing while working with Gene Berg and had determined that "heat soak"
was the killer. The way he told it, the engine is a heat pump and that
heat is radiated first to the air, then to the oil. Once the oil has
come up to temp, it starts backing up the line and eventually heats up
the valve seats beyond their rated tolerances. And that's when failure
occurs.
As long as you are not lugging the engine, it should not make much
difference whether you take the slow road or the fast.
BUT...
It's easier on the engine to take the lesser grade. In the fall of 2004
I dropped a valve seat en route to a campout in Brunswick MD. The
planned route on that trip was to use backroads and state highways as
much as possible. Running on 3 cylinders made for a terrible drive.
Coming back, I was still on 3 cylinders, and we took the interstate. It
took about 2 hours off the trip, and the bus ran a lot better. The hills
were still unpleasant, but there was a much larger margin of error
available.
Given the choice, I usually take an easier grade where possible, but I
often over-rule myself in the interest of exploration, boredom or
applied stupidity. YMMV.
Happy Trails,
Greg Potts
Toronto, Ontario Canada
197x Westfakia "Bob the Tomato"
1987 Wolfsburg Weekender Hardtop (ND Graphics graphics wrap)
1988 Wolfsburg Weekender Hardtop (Colleen's ride)
www.pottsfamily.ca
BUSES OF THE CORN - AUGUST 12-14th, 2011
www.busesofthecorn.ca
On 1/28/2011 4:55 AM, Mark L. Hineline wrote:
> If you must climb 1000 feet in an aircooled Vanagon, is it better for
> the life of the engine to take the long and gradual route? Or to
> downshift and climb over on the short but steep route?
>
> Mark
> 1982 Westy
>
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