Date:         Thu, 15 May 1997 22:40:08 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         kelphoto@mail.bright.net (mark keller)
Subject:      Engineering give me Cold power?; Capt'n she wont do anymorrgh!!

Since were ifin on the subject of more power and better cooling . I have a
few of questions.


1.  How do I figure the road horsepower on a vanagon.  I've got a 91'which
I'm told is lower to the ground.  I've read that for a syncro which sits
highest, its above 60 hp. at 70 mph. Can this be true?

2. Stock 2.1L motors a listed as are a 9.0 :1 compression, can an increase
be made to up the umph?

3. Since the road hp. is seemingly high in ratio to the available power, is
the VW pwrplant considered a high or constant duty cycle motor? Which would
explain the expensive parts in part, but its sounds like der deutchlander
is makin a Dm here and there too!

4. Is taxing the cooling system really a problem, folks in Kennedy
Engineering say the system is "a massive thing that can cool a very big
engine?

5. Is an oversize water pump pulley a route to increase coolant flow velocity?

6. I've heard that there is dissimilar metals in the motor which sets-up a
galvanic corrosion process.  Does the phosphate free stuff have an additive
that acts as the sacrificial anode? Or is this VW's secret ingredient,
which is why the stuff is exhausted every two years? Four gallons of
coolant is a lot of volume, it seems that cooling the beast is the least of
the system's deficiency, although as think, cooling a motor that's pumpin
50 plus horses, twice the road horse power of a car, to move you to your
destination at the speed limit plus 10 probably requires a massive thing to
cool it.

Scotty, this Kirk, more power and cool it too!

TIA

Mark Keller
91' Vanagon Project