At 09:12 PM 7/30/2001, Stuart MacMillan wrote:
>The Vanagon cooling system is twice the size (4 1/2 gallons) of
>comparable 2 liter four cylinder engines, there is no need to modify
>it.  If you are overheating you either have a problem with the
>thermostat or the radiator. Start by replacing the t-stat, it's cheaper!

I agree that the Vanagon cooling system is plenty big enough -- however I
get itchy when people start talking about the amount of fluid it holds as
an indicator of its cooling capacity.

Cooling capacity is controlled by how fast the radiator can shed heat -- a
matter of radiator area, internal radiator efficiency, airflow, and the
ability of the pumping system to supply hot water as fast as the radiator
can cool it.  Fluid capacity has little to do with any of this -- it's a
result, not a cause.

The Vanagon carries a lot of fluid, partly to fill the radiator, partly to
fill the long tubes running fore-and-aft and also the big hoses around the
periphery of the engine compartment -- and partly to fill those two great
big aquariums surrounding the cylinders.  Everyone who thinks those aquaria
are there because VW were too lazy to do it properly, please raise your
hand (me! me! me!).  People who think that VW discovered a new method of
efficient cooling and that the rest of the automotive world will soon be
adopting it please move to the right...

cheers
david
who is Not Very Happy with his Vanagon just now as it is demanding a
head(s?) a lot sooner than it has any right to, not to mention other sort$
of irritating malingering.

David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"