Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2015 10:42:43 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Oil coolers...The stock ones, are they all the same?
In-Reply-To: <CAHTkEuJgF3hQhThBv5_2G72sm7WPjN4nYUnekHy+wkkE0Lhi7w@mail.gmail.com>
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Rarely do these coolers fail but when they do they can make a mess. The usual breach is between the oil and coolant and symptom is oil going into the cooling system. Leaks at the hose connections are most likely the result of coolant leaking there and the dried crud then eating the aluminum. Coolant when heated and exposed to air makes for a corrosive mess. Same goes for water boxer cylinder heads. The corrosion did not cause the leak. The leak was first and that caused the corrosion that will tear up gasket.
Anyway what are you meaning a "mild overheat"? If you lost enough coolant for the system to stop working there is either neglect or that leak is fairly large. The major concept of the low coolant warning system is to get your attention before the cooling system stops working. The ideal is that once a leak occurs the warning is activated before the pump inlet can start pulling air. Once the pump doesn’t get a full supply of liquid bad things begin to happen even if the gauge is not yet indicating a problem.
As for your previous experience with the head gasket, the overheat did not cause the failure. The gasket failed, the cooling system stopped working as the combustion gasses got into the pump or otherwise stopped the flow. The heater circuit is usually the last to stop working with the radiator losing its ability to cool way before.
Dennis
-----Original Message-
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Don Hanson
Sent: Sunday, September 6, 2015 3:04 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Oil coolers...The stock ones, are they all the same?
I posted earlier on losing coolant and some mild overheating with my inline VW powered Vanagon (84).
At first it appeared to be a leaking hose adjacent to the Oil/coolant heat exchanger,,The one that sits between the oil filter filter and the block......, but I discovered, on careful examination, a small stream of coolant coming out of the side of the cooler-metal itself, right under where a hose and cooling pipe has been resting for some time...Must have worn through the thin aluminum of the heat exchanger...
I've found lots of listings for the part, many with pictures....all look to be identical....There is a range of prices, of course, and I'd like to save money if possible. My question comes because I have a conversion motor in my van...an inline VW 4...I think the cooler that is on it now came from a 93 Jetta ABA motor, but it is mounted on the head of my 92 8 valve Cabriolet motor, in my 84 vanagon...mounted with the diesel carrier bars, etc...
It looks just like every other VW oil/coolant exchanger that I have ever seen on most VWs, no matter what model, those made during that 'era' when these were installed......Is there a variety of them? Brand quality or anything else that might cause me problems if I simply look around for the best price/delivery and order one up?
I'd like to get one as quickly as possible...I can Amazon one at about
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