Date:         Sat, 12 Jul 97 20:29:00 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Don Gibbons <dgibbons@presray.com>
Subject:      Head gasket FIX!!!

This is a new idea. I have not seen it any where on the list or the internet
and it may solve FOREVER the problem of Waterboxer head gasket failures and
head problems in general. THINK ABOUT THIS !!!

Many cars today have engine compartments that have very bad air flow for
cooling. When the car is stoped and engine turned off Coolant and engine
temps can go up very high in a short time. Hey, sounds like Vanagon engine
compartments. What air flow?

VW has on water cooled cars put in either an afterrun fan thermo switch OR a
afterrun COOLANT PUMP and thermo switch (Many golf III's and all Eurovans
have this). MB also has this device on many cars. What it does is circulate
coolant thru the engine and radiator after the engine has shut off. This
keeps engine and coolant temps from sky rocketing after shut-off.

What would happen if vanagon waterboxers had such a system? Would the engine
stay cool after a hot run? Would the water jacket gasket stay cooler? Would
the heads stay cooler under the same conditions?

I am the chief engineer at a company that makes rubber seals. The single
most important thing in predicting the life of rubber seals is TEMPERATURE.
Life for seals can go down, way down for just a 20 degree rise in max temp.
It can be the max temp, not the running temp that determines seal life.

Would heads crack less if they were not left to hot soak after each
shut-down?

If vanagons are to go on for a long time we must keep in sight the things
that VW is doing on cars today, and adapt them to the cars they made
yesterday. 

93 EV MV
87 Syncro (Sold)
82 Ex diesel (near by)
89 golf 16V (sold)
73 super