Date:         Fri, 24 Oct 1997 22:19:32 -0500
Reply-To:     Cary Chiang <ehoward1@MAIL.UTEXAS.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon mailing list <Vanagon@Gerry.SDSC.EDU>
From:         Cary Chiang <ehoward1@MAIL.UTEXAS.EDU>
Subject:      Re: fan aux switch how to?/ mark magee
In-Reply-To:  <3450D42D.4301@flash.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 12:00 PM 10/24/97 -0500, you wrote:
>> Has anyone wired an auxiliary on switch for the radiator fan?  I'd
>> like to be able to be proactive about the overheat situation by
>> turning on the fan.  This would be used when stuck in traffic, using
>> a drive thru window, etc.
>Dan,
>I would not do it for the following reasons:
>1) T-stat heats motor to 185 deg F
>2) Fan kicks in at say 200 deg F
>Therefore you have a small window in which to work with in operating the
>fan manually. Furthermore, this spread was carefully thought out by
>engineers back in the Fatherland and should you kick the fan in sooner
>than needed, you risk actually losing overall efficiency for wanting to
>cool the engine that the computer has determined is already "cool" (or
>certainly not hot enough needing the fan). Higher temp water cools more
>rapidly (efficiently) than relatively cooler water.
>Do not under any circumstances disengage the auto switch for kicking on
>the fan, for if you did, relying only on your manual switch and became
>preoccuppied and did not catch a "Hot" engine situation you risk an
>overtemp and loss of the engine.
>Also, I want my brother/sister Vanagoneers watching the road, not the
>temp guage! It's dangerous out there, No?!
>My $.02
>Mark B. Magee
>88 GL
>82 Diesel Westy
>96 Suzuki 4WD
>

"Carefully thought out by engineers back in the Fatherland"???  Hopefully
these were not the same engineers who carefully thought out the waterboxer
head gasket design!!

Cary