Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2015 09:21:15 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Oil pressure light and buzzer Checking engine grounding1
In-Reply-To: <564361D9.4030103@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
More grounds are not always better. You can go so far as to actually crate ground loops and have stray currents causing interference issues. Just think of audio humming with unbalance circuits or alternator and ignition noises to your radio.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of vw_van_fan_Mark
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2015 10:42 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Oil pressure light and buzzer Checking engine grounding1
Add all the grounds you like, I don't mind a bit if done safely. But there is already a huge amount of torqued down metal to metal contact between the heads and the block and the cylinders so it won't change that in any meaningful way IMHO.
Just because some VW mechanic says something doesn't make it factual.
Don Hanson wrote:
> That is very insightful of your old mechanic. It makes sense and
> explains why the WBX motors seem to have such a nasty habit of leaking at the heads.
> Now before everyone chimes in with "Well, MY Vanagon, it went a
> million miles with the factory motor....." or the like, In the real
> world, other than Vanagon List, that motor doesn't seem to be particularly dependable or
> well designed. The engineers seemed to have overlooked
> electrolysis, and they 'sent on' some of the problems from the air cooled pancake VW motors
> If I had a WBX motor in my Vanagon, I'd certainly add some grounds
> to the heads...makes sense and as Stuart says, can't hurt...I guess.
>
> On Tue, Nov 10, 2015 at 7:23 PM, Stuart MacMillan
> <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> This is so important. I bought my first Vanagon, an '84 Westy, in
>> 1986 with 30k miles on it. At 45k one of the heads leaked, and the
>> dealer replaced both heads under a "partial" warranty--VW gave me one
>> new head, the other for 50% off ($400) and a gasket kit, but the
>> dealer charged $1000 for the labor to install them. This was in 1988, about $2800 today!
>>
>> I also got 205,000 out of this engine before I replaced it with a
>> rebuilt 2.1. It was running well, I just wanted more power.
>>
>> I had a conversation about why this happened with the tech who did
>> the job, and he thought the head corrosion problem he saw so much of
>> was from bad/failed engine grounding. They also replaced the engine
>> ground strap and he recommended that I run a 6 ga wire from each head
>> to the case, and showed me where to attach it.
>>
>> Makes sense when you think about it. The heads have a rubber gasket
>> between them and the case, rubber hoses connect them to the intake
>> plenum, and the cap nuts on the studs have sealant under the flange.
>> This leaves the cylinders, exhaust system, and push rods to complete
>> the ground connection to the case, which is completed to the chassis
>> by the engine & transmission ground straps. This is a connection
>> system that is ripe for high resistance over time and floating
>> micro-voltages that can cause electrolysis.
>>
>> Extra grounds can't hurt.
>>
>> Stuart
>>
>>
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