Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:45:53 -0700
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Watching Oil Temp (long, as usual)
In-Reply-To: <CABToOY+NHjOZA6bHsFTgrUTA_F-c42V_aBc=v9BaMhXo8Bs9BA@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> It's always nice in the van when I crest a climb and start heading down to
> watch the temp drop. I say Ahhhhhhh for the van.
> Edward
>
> On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 8:39 PM, Mike Miller <mwmiller6@att.net> wrote:
>
> > That's the Sherwin Grade.
> >
> > I've come down it at 160 and my temp gauge never budged from normal.
> > Oh, did I mention? Not in a van.
> >
> >> I did that climb -- the Sherman Grade -- in my van in 2008 in August,
> >> pulling my camping equipment trailer, in midafternoon, easily over 100
> >> F. First gear was all I could use. I watched the coolant temp gauge
> >> like
> >> a hawk. I also watched my rear view mirror as more modern cars with
> >> better aerodynamics and stronger engines blew up the grade behind me,
> >> hoping they'd see my blinkers. I can't imagine what the oil temp was.
> >>
> >> I've blown the cooling system on two cars going up that thing in
> >> summer.
> >> Had to limp back down to Bishop. Guess which end of town the two
> >> radiator repair places are? North end, end closest to the grade. With
> >> all the cars that fail, they do a land office business, I can tell
> >> you.
> >> So do the cheap motels at that end of town, folk overnighting waiting
> >> for the rad shop to get the parts and finish the job. Bishop is not
> >> the
> >> most interesting town in the world.
> >>
> >> Same deal for the desert grades I clumb over last summer. Second gear?
> >> Forget it. Too steep, too much campin' and kayakin' tackle along. Just
> >> grind up the hills and hope for the best.
> >>
> >> -- RJS
>
> >>
> >
>
I came up Sherwin Grade this spring in my inline four 5sp, loaded with 3
months of camping gear and all my carpentry tools. I went back to 4th gear
at the start of the climb...just because I know the road (and that climb,
which I have done, on the old road, on my bicycle, in a race----another
story)....and continued on up in 4th gear at 60-65mph, watching things
closely. Nothing weird with either of the temp gauges, oil or coolant.
Near the summit...around the scenic overlook (one of my all time favorite
scenic overlooks) I ran it up to 70mph (about 4500rpms) and upshifted back
into 5th, just for fun and to see what would happen....by that elevation,
(8000'+) my van slowly lost speed in 5th...and it seemed to not like running
along at that low of an RPM, with that large a load (4800lbs on a highway
scale near Lakeveiw, Or) My oil temp seems to max out at around
220f-225f...even with that load and that grade...it was only in the 70s that
afternoon in March. I imagine I might see slightly higher oil temps this
time of year with 100f+ ambient temps..
I am planning an oil cooler anyhow, because I do push it (for a vanagon)
up hill and I like the oil temp to be around 200-210f..not much hotter. At
225f oil temp. my indicated oil pressure goes down a little from (at
cruising speed) 65psi with 15w 40 oil...I don't like seeing the oil
pressure decline.
| 
