Date:         Sat, 9 Apr 2011 07:25:00 -0400
Reply-To:     Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: I guess if I'm putting on a tencentlife oil cooler . . .
In-Reply-To:  <BAY152-ds206A50E617855AB9AC9FB6A0A70@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"

-----Original Message-----
From: Dennis Haynes [mailto:d23haynes57@hotmail.com] 
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 7:19 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: RE: I guess if I'm putting on a tencentlife oil cooler . . .

Oil temperature and pressure is really one of the Achilles heels of the Waterboxer. As effective as the water cooling is (and it is extremely effective), there is little interface from the oil in the case and the water jackets. Engine speed and load heat the oil up at the bearings and bottoms of the pistons and no place to dissipate it except the bottom of the case and the oil cooler. The cam gear spinning in it just adds to the churning and heat load. It is why oil level is so critical and overfilling can become a problem. 

I have been an advocate of external oil cooling for many years. My solution is to plumb a cooler in front of the radiator. I find a 16 plate to normally be sufficient and of course a thermostat. I like to use a sandwich adapter, remote t-stat and if adding an oil temp gauge, drill and tap it into the sandwich adapter to sense the hot oil coming out of the engine. Hose of choice is Aeroquip "Socketless" and 5/8" copper tubing for the long run under the van. Hoses for the final connection to the engine and cooler for flexibility. 

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Courtney Hook
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 6:35 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: I guess if I'm putting on a tencentlife oil cooler . . .

Mr. Squirrel, your stock temp gauge will measure your water temp which is of course seperate. The oil temp gauge as found on early 80's etc, rabbit GTI's measured how hot your oil was getting, which in my mind is more critical to the aircoolers, not your waterboxer, although I'm sure more monitoring of engines in all aspects is gooder. :-) I also had one of these in my hopped up way crazy bug, because it was depending on oil for cooling, so an oil temp gauge was cool. You can end up going nucking futs on gauges, with head temps, oil temps, water temps, pressure, etc etc, but if your engine is in good nick, and you aren't running dual 48IDA webers too lean I think you're going to be fine with just the oil pressure gauge. Get a VDO but I'm not sure they make a digital one. If not, just learn the spots on it's dial where it seems "normal" and if it deviates from there, assume something is up. :-) Courtney

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Always be yourself, because the people that matter don't mind, and the ones who mind, don't matter.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rocket J Squirrel" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 2:32 PM
Subject: Re: I guess if I'm putting on a tencentlife oil cooler . . .


> Sounds like a plan.
>
> Okay, ignorance speaking here: does an oil temp gauge provide 
> more/better/other information than the stock temp gauge? Responds more 

> quickly to heating, or something like that?
>
> --
> Rocky J Squirrel
>
>
>
> On Fri, 2011-04-08 at 14:05 -0700, Don Hanson wrote:
>
>> VW vendors sell a VDO gauge for pressure that has a small can like 
>> sender with two electrical 'poles'...one for your existing 
>> system...the warning light..and one to run the aftermarket gauge.
>>
>>   I don't know about the Waterboxer motor but on my inline VW motor I 

>> put it onto the sender down at the oil filter flange and it works 
>> fine.  You will have to run a wire from back to front and what I did 
>> was use some 4-strand trailer wiring wire...I used one strand to get 
>> the pressure sender signal, one for my Oil temp sender and I have two 

>> left over for any other uses that come later on.
>>
>>   Don Hanson
>>
>> On Fri, Apr 8, 2011 at 1:21 PM, courtney hook <courtneyhook@shaw.ca>
>> wrote:
>>
>> > Mr Squirrel,
>> > Do yourself a favor and buy a good quality one that is electric, 
>> > NOT mechanical. What a nightmare running the capillary tubing for 
>> > mechanical gauges, not to mention the lag time. I used to run a 
>> > digital oil pressure gauge in my HP 2276cc Bug, which was very 
>> > accurate and looked good too.
>> > Nowadays you can get them from just about any big gauge manuf. Just 

>> > remember that the big ticket with these is consistency between 
>> > readings. It's good to know what the gauge reads as an average of 
>> > what you expect to be normal; not necessarily within 2 lbs. of 
>> > actual pressure. If it varies markedly from what you expect to 
>> > usually see, THEN you know something is up. Mine used to blink like 

>> > crazy if the pressure dropped below 20psi.
>> > Courtney
>> >
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
>> > Date: Friday, April 8, 2011 1:09 pm
>> > Subject: I guess if I'm putting on a tencentlife oil cooler . . .
>> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> >
>> > > ...I might as well look into rigging an oil pressure gauge.
>> > > Anyone got a
>> > > handy kit or anything?
>> >