Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:13:37 -0800
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: Diagnosing temp rise issue
In-Reply-To: <CAK-ud2hT1d5NUzVMVq4G_Rr8ab3nWVmuVZR-NWPfkNna8Gy7jw@mail.gmail.com>
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Hi,
I don' see that you have a problem at all,
unless you think just the low side of the LED is a bit on the cool side,
which it is for winter...but that's not a 'real problem.'
Sounds to me like it has an 80 C t-stat installed, which is where it
would run on the temp gauge with that stat installed.
other thoughts..
no mention of the cleverly hidden Coolant Distribution Tower ...made of
plastic, and known to disintegrate eventually.
a heat gun is a gun you heat things with..
a Temp Gun is something you read temps with ..
if you wondering if there's a temperature running issue ..
start shooting things ...like the t-stat housing etc.
I usually put some guard ...like metal flexible heated-air hose, or
something similar, over that hose that runs across the top of the bell
housing/torque converter area. Heat and oil fumes from the torque
converter area blast right on that hose..
weakening it. Either a cover...
or convert to metal piple ( syncro vans have the perfect 'double pipe'
there....makes the perfect 'over bell housing' pipe for you application.
running non-VW coolant in it for years won't hurt things anymore than
running any coolant mixture, regardless of how special it is, for a long
time without changing.
I only rarely bother to use anything other than conventional green
coolant in all the vanagons I work on . I do however, run Water Wetter
in the summer, and I have been putting in a half cup or so water soluble
machinist's cutting oil as a water pump lube and rust inhibitor ...been
doing that for about 2 decades on hundreds of cars and vanagons. It flat
works.
also interesting ..
if you read what it says on the side of the bottle of Water Wetter
(there are other similar products besides Redline's ) ..
an a-frz/water mixture of less than 50/50 cools better than 50/50 .
Radiator ..the only failure mode I have seen on these radiators ever is
..eventually they just don't remove heat that well.
If the Rad is original ..it's due.
Got your rear heater valve on some ? I recomend keeping that valve at
least half way open at all times..
if it's kept shut ..........eventually the old coolant sitting in the
rear heater core causes it to leak from corrosion.
Some vanagon owners don't even know that valve is there.
first time I ever saw one ..I was surprised at how 'unfinished' by VW
that seems ....a hidden hand-operated valve under the back seat.
About running temp in general..
warmer is better.
Keeping up 'a good fight' to keep temps below the LED the gauge is
totally unnecessary.
You want it running right on the LED ...even to the right some,
esspecially in winter.
you have not mentioned heater performance ..
checking that out is always part of a good overall cooling system
check-out.
I do like the rad fan controlled by the stock temp switch ..
if the van can sit, engine idling....
temp on the guage where it belongs,
rad fan cycling off and on , and off and on ...
if it can do that consistently ..
it's a good sign that everything is working as it should.
it's not likely that the water pump is not circulating coolant like it
should.
Since you changed your main pipes..
I sure hope you got the coolant going in the right direction through the
Rad...
'down and out' is how you remember which hose and pipe goes to which
connection.
Pretty important that it goes through the radiator in the correct
direction !
water pumps last about 70K miles on vanagons like yours.
Regarding things like 'which coolant' ..
I am very big on saying ..'it's not the parts, it's the workmanship.'
Quality of materials used matters yes..
but not nearly as much as thorough good workmanship matters.
That's where the mistakes are usually made ..in how the work is done,
not what parts or materials are used.
have fun !
Scott
www.turbovans.com
On 2/24/2012 9:26 AM, Gregg Carlen wrote:
> Hey folks,
>
> After my self-induced challenges with my engine (90 Westy automatic in the
> DC area, ~70 deg F outside), I finally have Blueberry back and running. So,
> after having heads rebuilt and reinstalled (correctly this time), new
> gaskets/seals all around worked on areas, new SS long coolant pipes,
> various coolant hoses, thermostat housing and thermostat and pink VW
> coolant (bled), I've got a strange symptom that I had actually noticed
> before the head leak problem started. While the engine was being worked on,
> I took the opportunity to take care of several coolant related issues as
> well (see below).
>
> The issue that I observe is an unexpected rise in temp on the engine temp
> guage. Upon start-up, everything seems to increase in temp as exected.
> After reaching what I believe is operating temp, the needle sits just at
> the low side of the LED. It stays there as long as I'm driving.
>
> Once I stop for a few minutes (~3-5), like in typcial DC traffic, the
> needle will rise to just above the top of the LED. Once I get driving again
> (above about 20mpg and about 2,500 -3,000 rpm, she'll cool down to the
> middle or low end of the LED.
>
> Another fact: the PO replaced the fan with a non-Vanagon fan and a
> hard-wire on-off switch. I did my observations with the fan manually turned
> on all the time (e.g. during stop and go traffic when the temp rises, the
> fan is runnning). Also, the PO ran regular non-VW coolant in the van for
> years on end.
>
> Given almost all the cooling system has been replaced in the past year, the
> only components I see that were in the van before I got it is the radiator,
> upper/lower/rear over-transmission coolant hoses and water pump (an older
> dead one was in a box in the van, so I assume the one in the engine is not
> originall and had been replaced sometime in the past, but unknown when).
>
> I noticed when stopped and the temp rises, by increasing the RPMs for 2-4
> minutes, the temp would drop.
>
> My first thought is a failing water pump (no indication of leaks from it
> and the belt is new and properly tightened).
>
> Barring a water pump, the radiator is the only other thought I have. Anyway
> to prove or disprove these two components? Other things to look at? I have
> a heat gun, but haven't taken any measurements yet.
>
> Gregg
> 90 Westy (Blueberry).
>
