Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:04:40 -0800
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: coolant leak story
In-Reply-To: <6BEB8F59-C575-4937-B138-89D532663327@SHAW.CA>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
On Tue, Nov 27, 2012 at 9:43 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
> I'm not so sure. I have driven a '91 syncro with one and somehow it didn't
> impress as much as I thought it would. Don't get me wrong, it is a very
> nice engine and makes this particular van probably the nicest I have
> driven. What surprised me was the relative lack of power below 3k. From 3k
> up I like it a lot.
>
> Ah but it is all academic, 2.5 subie to expensive forme right now.
>
> alistair
>
> I don't know what all is involved in moving or modifying a Syncro gas
tank to work with an inline VW motor, but seems like that combo might be
worth doing. It is a relatively inexpensive way to eliminate some of the
problems you mention... If that gas tank is not a huge deal.. You might
have mentioned that you already had the diesel parts around....Discounting
the gas tank, you can easily swap in an inline VW gas motor for under a
grand (at least I did)....My ABA was $300 bucks off Craig's list and a
couple of hundred for a new clutch and some gaskets and an exhaust
system...Lots of the WBX systems can remain in use with the digifant.
I have the 2.0l ABA block (93 Jetta) with a 1.8 8-valve head (92 Jetta,
etc.) running Digifant injection in my 84 tin top chassis. Mounted with
all the diesel vanagon stuff including a 5sp. My coolant bottle is
accessible from the license plate door. I've used the older non-dynamic oil
pressure warning system with a simple low oil pressure warning light and
an oil pressure analog gauge. I also have an oil temperature gauge which I
use to double-check my coolant temperature and level. If I should ever
feel cold air from the heater and see normal coolant temperature on my dash
gauge I have the oil temp and pressure gauges to confirm whether I might
indeed have a coolant level problem.
Both the oil temperature and the oil pressure readings are very consistent
with my motor...I did have a hose leak/'coolant problem a few years ago.
The coolant temp gauge showed cooler than I thought it should. The oil
temp began to climb a bit higher than it should have been. I opened the
heater valve and felt cool air.... I knew then that I might be having a
coolant problem, not just a gauge problem, so I checked the overflow tank
level and found I was leaking coolant. The hose from the 'front' of the
inline head to the heater Y has a small split, which I quickly repaired
with Rescue tape and continued on my trip.
I like having gauges that function sort of in parallel. Over the years
I have had a couple of different German vehicles with faulty overly
complicated and finicky warning systems screw me up big time. I no longer
trust, completely, the instruments and gauges and lights. These 'widgets
that sometimes flash at me (or in the case of my P-car..they put the engine
into 'limp-home mode' suddenly, during a competitive event, causing a
moment of high drama) without any real problem other than a loose wire or a
faulty circuit...and other times, they don't flash or beep at me when there
is a problem, which can cause Big Problems. I now install my own gauges
to keep me informed on what might be happening inside my vehicles' systems.
I'd bet there are a lot of blown up German vehicles that are the result
of the "Cries Wolf!" functioning of the warning systems. We see it quite
often here on Vanagon List...."Oh, the oil light started flickering, but I
only had 50 miles to go, and it often flickered anyhow....." Or...."My
blinking coolant light went off but I kept going, because it goes off all
the time"..... A couple of the right gauges and all the 'guess work"
about whether that warning actually means something, that is gone.
Don Hanson
I spoke once with a Syncro guy I met in the desert SW who had an inline
powered syncro he liked a lot. I certainly like my 2wd.
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