Date:         Sat, 28 Mar 2015 00:30:35 -0400
Reply-To:     mkriley@FUSE.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mike Riley <mkriley@FUSE.NET>
Subject:      Re: Air cooled head gasket
In-Reply-To:  <E4.65.23032.74726155@mx01.cbt.cmh.synacor.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

stuart'
 It wasn't the deck height it was the fact that the oil cooler was in front of cylinder #3 and preheated the cooling air. The #3 lobe on the distributor was retarded a few degrees to compensate on the bus engines. Putting one of those 009 distributors that did not have this feature also made it worse. the dual port engine moved the oil cooler to the back of the shroud to eliminate this problem.
mike

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I never understood why #3 runs hotter than the others, maybe it's the fan
design.

I built that engine for a friend and his family in the '70's for his Westy.
They immediately took off for Yellowstone Park, and it blew on a long climb
in Montana.  They left it by the side of the road, and it was gone when they
came back to haul it to a shop. They could not locate it, so they figured it
was stolen. They flew home, and got an insurance settlement.  A few months
later, the sheriff in that county called them to tell them they had picked
up the van from the side of the road. They really "impounded" it, because
even the insurance company couldn't find it.

They did not want it back, lucky for me.

Stuart


> I'm sure others have more useful advice, but the one thing I know from
> my air cooled days is that deck height is critical for the proper
> compression ratio.  If you lap them in, you may need to raise the deck
> height using shims between the jugs and the case.  An experienced VW
> machinist should know what to do, but that would not be anyone under 50.
Probably 60.
>
> I burned up a 1600 engine by not paying attention to this years ago,
> but maybe the 2.0 is more forgiving.
>
> Stuart
>

> I never understood why #3 runs hotter than the others, maybe it's the =
fan
> design.
>=20
> I built that engine for a friend and his family in the '70's for his =
Westy.
> They immediately took off for Yellowstone Park, and it blew on a long =
climb
> in Montana.  They left it by the side of the road, and it was gone =
when they
> came back to haul it to a shop. They could not locate it, so they =
figured it
> was stolen. They flew home, and got an insurance settlement.  A few =
months
> later, the sheriff in that county called them to tell them they had =
picked
> up the van from the side of the road. They really "impounded" it, =
because
> even the insurance company couldn't find it.
>=20
> They did not want it back, lucky for me.
>=20
> Stuart
>=20
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Roy Nicholl [mailto:RNicholl@NBNet.nb.ca]
> Sent: Friday, March 27, 2015 5:15 PM
> To: Stuart MacMillan
> Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Air cooled head gasket
>=20
> You beat me to this one, Stuart.  Over the bench in the garage, I have =
a
> piston from #3 in a 1500sp which serves to remind what happens if the =
deck
> height is too low :(
>=20
> On 27-Mar-2015, at 21:00, Stuart MacMillan wrote:
>=20
>> I'm sure others have more useful advice, but the one thing I know =
from
>> my air cooled days is that deck height is critical for the proper
>> compression ratio.  If you lap them in, you may need to raise the =
deck
>> height using shims between the jugs and the case.  An experienced VW
>> machinist should know what to do, but that would not be anyone under =
50.
> Probably 60.
>>=20
>> I burned up a 1600 engine by not paying attention to this years ago,
>> but maybe the 2.0 is more forgiving.
>>=20
>> Stuart
>>=20

rote:
>=20
> The guy who already owns the most Vanagons in the east coast.

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End of vanagon Digest - 26 Mar 2015 to 27 Mar 2015 (#2015-143)
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