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Date:         Tue, 19 May 1998 20:52:39 -0700
Reply-To:     Austin <austins@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Austin <austins@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Subject:      Re: Lowering Coolant Pressure for Headgaskets
Comments: To: "Mark B. Magee" <condor2@FLASH.NET>, vanagon@vanagon.com
In-Reply-To:  <355F8825.8F7C47C2@flash.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 08:00 PM 5/17/98 -0500, you wrote:

>harald.nancy wrote: > >> Steven X. Schwenk theorized: >> > >> > Is this an old already rejected theory? Wouldn't running the engine say >> > 10% cooler...or any cooler than stock set up, have some adverse >> > consequences?

>Additionally, lowering coolant temps and pressures would have little bearing >on the head gasket issue. The issue is the corrosion, not pressure. And the >pressure comes from the other side in a failure, that is the combustion side. >><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> >Shalom >Mark B. Magee

I believe the pressure level from the coolant side is obtained from the 'radiator' cap (on the expansion tank on the v'gons): used to be one could slow down leakage temporarily with a lower pressure rated cap, not available to us in any case. The real danger of lowering hot coolant pressure is the localized hot spot 'flash' boiling that occurs inside the coolant passages, usually near exhaust valves, which reduces cooling because the gas (steam) is a lousy conducter of heat, thus the heat stays in the metal rather than flowing to the coolant (can lead to a vicious circle). Higher pressure helps subdue the micro boiling, and is engineered to be balanced against the coolant temperature.

Austin


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