Date:         Fri, 25 May 2012 19:36:38 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Low Temp Radiator Thermo Switch "Better"?
Comments: To: Marius Strom <marstrom@MICROSOFT.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <F64E4C16A120A148A007EAAE525AC5165684DC23@TK5EX14MBXC129.re
              dmond.corp.microsoft.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed

At 06:50 PM 5/25/2012, Marius Strom wrote:
>How about that from Van Café? Something that 
>automatically kicks the radiator fan onto low 
>speed when you're doing slow speeds.

But why?  Why is the Vanagon the only vehicle in 
the universe that when it isn't cooling right, 
instead of fixing the problem people start trying 
to outguess the system?  The fan has already come 
on before the thermostat is even fully open!  If 
you're running at extreme ambient temps or 
pulling 2,000# trailers (with brakes, of course) 
up hills and the cooling system in good repair 
really can't handle it,the answer is to get the 
450 watt fan that all the A/C models already come 
with; so that on high speed it can really move a blizzard past that radiator.

I think that people have gotten so used to the 
way the Toyotas and Hondas and Subarus run with 
the temp needle looking like it's painted on the 
gauge until the system  runs out of cooling 
capacity that they get bothered with the way VW 
designed this.  The gauge will rise 2-3 needle 
widths before the fan comes on, and more before 
it shifts to high speed.  That's the way it's 
designed.  I remember the first Toyota I bought, 
being shocked at how steady the temp gauge 
was.  Certainly not what I'd seen in my Horizon, 
Saab, Fiat, Sunbeam, Ford.  Now I've gotten used 
to it.  Fan comes on, fan goes off, needle 
doesn't even twitch. The Vanagon isn't that way, and isn't meant to be.

Yours,
David