Engine temperture

1
Greetings everyone just wondering if you could put my mind at ease as i recently i have become obsessed with my engine temp gauge!!!! i agree that pretty much all syncros are different/ Re: Weather conditions etc but to gauge other owners where their needle sits may or may not? put this to rest!
On a current camping trip gauge sits @ approx half way on the red dot so to speak @ 100k run the speed upto 110 and it drops back to the left half a needle width past the red dot? now if traversing off road lower gear and/or idle, needle passes red dot (higher engine temp)by almost a needle width not quite until the thermo fan cuts in and brings needle down just slightly to the right still over red dot?
i just ran the bus on idle earlier for an hour as mentioned above the thermo fan cutting in say every 3 minutes?
My question is this quite a normal pattern for the Syncro's?
Any feed back appreciated , PS i am located central highlands in Victoria tested at outside temp of approx 17c
Richard.
2
Greetings ..
some of my thoughts ..

which thermostat are you running ? 'normally' where I am the choice in say Waller brand german thermostats is 80 C or 87 C ..
in any warm conditions I would run the 80 C which is usually just to the left of the red LED.
 - like what I call 45 % on the guage.

that's a bit on the coolish side actually I think ..but it's reassuring.

Are you aware of Water Wetter ?
great product ..helps heat transfer in the coolant.
On my own vanagon in warm conditons a few months ago I made to changes to my cooling system ..
I added an oil cooler/heat exchanger ...the same one you have ( this was on the earlier 1.9 wbxr cooling system that doesn't use that heat exchanger, but I added on )
and put in Water Wetter..
it was a 1,300 mile trip ..
my temp needle looked like it was glued in place the whole trip ..driving at 110 kph or more the whole time...
up long hills at speed etc...

I think you are obsessing a little .
Variance by a needles width is not so bad.
If your radiator is original ..
I would probably replace it.
the only failure mode I have ever seen in this type of radiator is they don't remove heat as well after a long while..
say it's at least 15 years old...it's due in my book if there are any issues or concerns.,
I have not seen them leak ..
and I don't believe in 'radiator flush' anymore.

also ...what percent anti-frz are you ruining ?
In North America it has 'always been'  50/50 ...which is protection to 32 below zero F ...extremely cold.
On the side of the Water Wetter bottle they say ..
by dyno testing ......that a lower percentage of a-frz cools better..
and that pure water with water wetter cools the best..
not that I would ever run pure water in a road car ..
but consider all that.

Basically .if it runs around the middle on the temp guage ..
you know from testing temps o the engine with an IR temp gun that it's not too hot or cool...
and the radiator fan comes on when it should..
and the coolant mixture is fairly fresh and healthy ..
you're OK.

you could obsess about oil pressure  !
put say 10W30 or 10W40  in your high miles 2.1 waterboxer engine with an oil pressure gauge on it and watch how low the OP can be sometimes.
I expect you guys run 20W50 though.

what fun !
Scott
www.turbovans.com
Oregon, US.

On 3/21/2012 6:00 PM, Richard Nicholls wrote:
 

Greetings everyone just wondering if you could put my mind at ease as i recently i have become obsessed with my engine temp gauge!!!! i agree that pretty much all syncros are different/ Re: Weather conditions etc but to gauge other owners where their needle sits may or may not? put this to rest!
On a current camping trip gauge sits @ approx half way on the red dot so to speak @ 100k run the speed upto 110 and it drops back to the left half a needle width past the red dot? now if traversing off road lower gear and/or idle, needle passes red dot (higher engine temp)by almost a needle width not quite until the thermo fan cuts in and brings needle down just slightly to the right still over red dot?
i just ran the bus on idle earlier for an hour as mentioned above the thermo fan cutting in say every 3 minutes?
My question is this quite a normal pattern for the Syncro's?
Any feed back appreciated , PS i am located central highlands in Victoria tested at outside temp of approx 17c
Richard.

3

Richard,

Back to basics. 

The cylinders and heads are being cooled so long as coolant is being circulated through the cooling system in liquid form.

The thermostat ensures that the temperature in the cooling jackets (heads and cylinders) does not boil.

The actual temperature of the coolant is of less importance than the proper circulation of the coolant in the system

The position of the needle is only a near approximation of the temperature of the coolant.  The needle position can vary from Syncro to Syncro for the same actual temperature in the cooling system.

Be assured that, so long as your needle does not go off the dial and stay there and so long as you fan does not come on and stay on, your engine temperature is well within the design limits and your cooling system is performing adequately.  It is working as intended.

Nothing that you have said below even hints at a cooling malfunction.

Now stop obsessing and enjoy driving your Syncro!! 

Les

 

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Richard Nicholls
Sent: 22 March 2012 12:00
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Engine temperture

 

Greetings everyone just wondering if you could put my mind at ease as i recently i have become obsessed with my engine temp gauge!!!! i agree that pretty much all syncros are different/ Re: Weather conditions etc but to gauge other owners where their needle sits may or may not? put this to rest!
On a current camping trip gauge sits @ approx half way on the red dot so to speak @ 100k run the speed upto 110 and it drops back to the left half a needle width past the red dot? now if traversing off road lower gear and/or idle, needle passes red dot (higher engine temp)by almost a needle width not quite until the thermo fan cuts in and brings needle down just slightly to the right still over red dot?
i just ran the bus on idle earlier for an hour as mentioned above the thermo fan cutting in say every 3 minutes?
My question is this quite a normal pattern for the Syncro's?
Any feed back appreciated , PS i am located central highlands in Victoria tested at outside temp of approx 17c
Richard.

4
Thanks for the reassurance Les really appreciate the feedback your right!, time to move on and enjoy the ride
Regards Richard.


--- In Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com, "Les Harris" <leslieharris@...> wrote:
>
> Richard,
>
> Back to basics.
>
> The cylinders and heads are being cooled so long as coolant is being
> circulated through the cooling system in liquid form.
>
> The thermostat ensures that the temperature in the cooling jackets (heads
> and cylinders) does not boil.
>
> The actual temperature of the coolant is of less importance than the proper
> circulation of the coolant in the system
>
> The position of the needle is only a near approximation of the temperature
> of the coolant. The needle position can vary from Syncro to Syncro for the
> same actual temperature in the cooling system.
>
> Be assured that, so long as your needle does not go off the dial and stay
> there and so long as you fan does not come on and stay on, your engine
> temperature is well within the design limits and your cooling system is
> performing adequately. It is working as intended.
>
> Nothing that you have said below even hints at a cooling malfunction.
>
> Now stop obsessing and enjoy driving your Syncro!!
>
> Les
>
>
>
> _____
>
> From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Richard Nicholls
> Sent: 22 March 2012 12:00
> To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Engine temperture
>
>
>
> Greetings everyone just wondering if you could put my mind at ease as i
> recently i have become obsessed with my engine temp gauge!!!! i agree that
> pretty much all syncros are different/ Re: Weather conditions etc but to
> gauge other owners where their needle sits may or may not? put this to rest!
> On a current camping trip gauge sits @ approx half way on the red dot so to
> speak @ 100k run the speed upto 110 and it drops back to the left half a
> needle width past the red dot? now if traversing off road lower gear and/or
> idle, needle passes red dot (higher engine temp)by almost a needle width not
> quite until the thermo fan cuts in and brings needle down just slightly to
> the right still over red dot?
> i just ran the bus on idle earlier for an hour as mentioned above the thermo
> fan cutting in say every 3 minutes?
> My question is this quite a normal pattern for the Syncro's?
> Any feed back appreciated , PS i am located central highlands in Victoria
> tested at outside temp of approx 17c
> Richard.
>