Date: Sun, 13 Sep 2015 09:11:49 -1000
Reply-To: "SDF ( aka ;jim lahey' - Scott )" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "SDF ( aka ;jim lahey' - Scott )" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Organization: Cosmic Reminders
Subject: Re: Thermostats...question(s)
In-Reply-To: <CAHTkEuJVGF3AWwDBZ8GUnxhEO51G7Ec9+WKESEzNTmWx_vzYtA@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
hi Don,
re "The thermostat housing it front and center on the top of my inline
motor,
I don't believe that is correct.
It's more 'under and buried' and these VW inline 4 engines, gas and
diesel ..
have their t-stats on the bottom ..( where the return-from-rad main hose
is )
It controls controls coolant being returned to the engine from the
radiator ..
and not what used to be common..
t-stat is on the top, and it controls water exiting the engine ).
IMO it's unlikely that a varying temp gauge indication would be caused
by a t-stat acting differently at different times.
For Sure ...just get a dang german t-stat from Halsey Parts in Portland.
then all this speculation about your t-stat can be over.
it does sound like your installed-2-yrs ago stat has been working like
it should.
you want a t-stat made in Da Fatherland ...a good german one , that's
usually a Behr or a Waller brand I think it is.
that part btw....you could/should have one in your on-board parts stash
..a good new german on in da box.
Regarding gurgling sounds.
Usually that's a bad sign.
fwiw........ I had on a car of mine...significant gurgling and pulsing
sounds whenever I shut it off ..for a few minutes after shut-down.
I always figured that was a cracked head or head gasket as that
particular type of engine is known to have head problems like that.
I had that going on at least a year.
Finally the pressure bottle failed ..like on the bottom where a main
hose goes .
I put on my spare good pressure bottle..
and whatiya know ! ..the gurgling stopped !
all that time it was due to a cracked plastic hose nipple on the bottom
of that pressure bottle.
No other systems particularly either.
generally though ..you do not want any gurgling sounds ever ...usually
means air somewhere, and that ain't good.
Scott
On 9/13/2015 3:56 AM, Don Hanson wrote:
> Thanks,
>
> When I noticed the Van's 'bubbling sounds' I was un-aware that my
> oil/coolant heat exchanger had a small pin-hole coolant leak at that time,
> which I have fixed....Replaced the part..(thanks, Jim Felder)
> .But during my repair I was messing with all my hoses as I bled and
> re-checked everything and I could not confirm that the thermostat was
> passing any/much hot coolant back from the radiator. It MUST be working,
> at least partially, because the van runs down the highway without
> overheating, but usually the temperature gauge stays near the very top of
> that zone marked at the cool end of the temperature gauge....and it often
> doesn't act consistently ...it acts like the thermostat is behaving
> poorly..(I think)
> What with the List chat about poor parts quality, specifically a number
> of people citing brand new thermostats that don't work, I want to either
> confirm I have a good one, then install that tested one, or get a reputable
> brand new. part, and install that one, for my own peace of mind. I have
> abused this little ABA inline VW gas motor enough already.....Ha...
>
> The thermostat housing it front and center on the top of my inline
> motor, so it's an easy task to remove, test and or replace.....The current
> thermostat was installed about one year ago and has gone about 20k
> miles....almost always sitting right at the upper edge of the cool zone at
> low end of the temperature scale on the temp gauge, never coming up to the
> LED like it did, usually, in the past....
>
> Why the significant parts price difference? and which one is most likely
> to NOT be faulty from the factory and to keep working over a reasonable
> amount of time? Any recommendations as to brand here? Thanks all.....
> DonHanson
>
> On Sun, Sep 13, 2015 at 5:40 AM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Yes, I meant NOT properly pressurized. The system could also pressurized
>> but with air or vapor pockets.
>>
>> Dennis
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>> Of Larry Alofs
>> Sent: Sunday, September 13, 2015 8:15 AM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Re: Thermostats...question(s)
>>
>> did you mean *not* properly pressurized?
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Sep 13, 2015 at 1:20 AM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Bubbling and gurgling in the cooling system is a sign that the system
>>> is properly pressurized and parts of the engine are hot enough that
>>> the coolant is flash vaporizing. This is a great way to cause parts to
>>> warp and other nasty stuff to happen. Begin with testing the pressure
>>> cap and making sure the system is fully filled-bled. If this continues
>>> you need to look for the cause of either lack of pressure or if the
>>> system continues getting air in it you need to find the source. This
>>> is often the early signs of head gasket failure or cracked heads.
>>>
>>> Dennis
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>>> Behalf Of Don Hanson
>>> Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2015 2:58 PM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Thermostats...question(s)
>>>
>>> Is there an accepted method to test the function of one of our double
>>> style thermostats? I am skeptical about the proper operation of my
>>> currently installed one.... lately....I have had some other issues
>>> with cooling and recently replaced my oil/coolant heat exchanger (mine
>> had a pin
>>> hole water leak to the outside). But I also noticed once recently that
>> I
>>> could hear some bubbling in my coolant system when I shut the van off,
>>> and I have not heard the fan recently.
>>>
>>> Anyhow, I have a spare used thermostat sitting on my bench, unknown
>>> condition....I'd like to see if it actually works and maybe swap that
>>> in....If no worky, what kind or brand should I buy to get a good
>>> dependable part?
>>>
>>> So can I drop the spare I want to test into boiling water and measure
>>> it, testing for function, or some such? It would be good to know, even
>> if
>>> I do just buy a replacement, that my spare is OK and working..
>>> I have calipers to measure mechanical things.
>>>
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