Todd,
Congratulations on your new 85 Westy. I'm not sure = if I can be of any real help to your gage question. On my 84 Westy, the needle just = touches the left side of the light. Not real sure if that's normal or = not.
What really caught my attention about your post was = the 2 Newfs. My wife and I also have a Newf. We've got a black male, 16 months = old, named Harley. We were just talking the other day and wondering if any = other Vanagon owners were also Newf owners. What part of the country are you = located in? We're in West Bend, Wisconsin. Are you subscribed to the Newf = mailing list?  Harley loves to ride in the Westy. The front windshield is = always full of nose prints:)
Well, its great to hear that their are other = Westy/Newfy owners. I was sure we were the only ones. Maybe we should start our = own Westy/Newfy list and talk about topics like how to remove drool from the = dash or the best way to keep hair out of the refrigerator:)
Do you have any pics of your Newfs with the Van? I'd = love to see them if you do.
 
Best Regards,
John and Jean Langowski
84 Westy
98 Newfy 
----- Original Message -----
From: Todd Guttman
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Monday, July 19, 1999 = 5:20 PM
Subject: 85 Westy Temp Guage - = what's 'normal'?

Allo -
 
After lusting after one for = many, many years, we've finally joined the ranks of vanagon owners with the = purchase of our traum-wagen (dream car) - an 85 Westy.  So far, everything appears to work = great and "Wolf" (kids choice) survived his maiden family trip of 300 miles with wife, = kids and two Newfs as passengers.
 
I found a Bentley manual and = this list and have spent way too much time (if possible) planning = projects.  First item - change the coolant.  The prior owner had the car two years = and had never done it.  Unfortunately, the garage doesn't have enough = clearance due to a couple of beams; great for hanging up canoes - but bad for = jacking the front end up the required 15 inches.   Also, the drive = way is too steep to block and jack the van.   So, decided to have = the coolant flushed and filled at a local VW shop - highly recommended by = the list and a friend - and the cost seemed reasonable.
 
Great place, knowledgeable and friendly = folks.  Job finished on time at promised cost and drove off happily.  Wolf = seemed in good spirits first few miles down the road - but noticed the = temperature gauge was above the half-way point where its always been.  A few more = miles down the road - moderate stop-and-go traffic - the gauge is all the = way up and the little red light is flashing:  DANGER WILL ROBINSON - DANGER!
 
Let Wolf cool down and slowly make my way back = with frequent stops, the temperature  gauge hovering around three-quarters of = the way up and the fan humming along.  The shop is just about to = close  - and we agree to 'let them watch the patient overnight'.  The = following day the 'spezialist' confirmed my diagnosis - trapped air.  The = patient underwent another procedure claimed to be successful - bled the system = again and topped off the coolant. 
 
The patient is recovering = nicely from this minor procedure with one problem - the temperature gauge now = reads higher than normal - around 60-70% of the way up - when it was always right = in the middle of the gauge - squarely over the warning light.  Also, it = seems that I hear the fan running more often.
 
My query for the 'list-spezialists' -  where does/should the temperature gauge be 'normally' under routine city = driving conditions - right in the middle or three-quarters of the way up - or = is it not really precise at all?  Should this change after getting the = coolant changed?  I'd appreciate hearing some comments/other experiences = before I go back to the shop.
 
Thanks for any and all help.
 
Todd Guttman
85 Westy