If you are speaking about an air cooled VW engine, it is because the #3
is the greatest distance from the fan, and shares (a portion of) its
cooling air with the oil cooler. # 3 can be 10-15 % hotter leading
(usually) to valve seat failure, or burned valves or burned pistons.

On water cooled flat fours, I haven't a clue.

From historic, walkable Mount Olive, NC,

G. Matthew Bulley
Bulley-Hewlett
Corporate Communications
Business: www.bulley-hewlett.com
Alliance: www.ntara.com
Home: www.MountOliveNC.info

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
Of developtrust
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 6:29 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Serious question

Why is it usually that #3 piston that goes?

William P.

> About five years ago I blew #3 piston trying to abate a tailgater.
> It blew about three quarts of oil out all over the front of his giant
> dodge pickup truck.
> He didn't back off.
> True story
> Thinking about that oil does make me think about a new way to recycle
> that old oil though .......... right through that small tube you
mention.
>
> Stan Wilder
>
> On Fri, 25 Jan 2002 17:46:59 -0500 "G. Matthew Bulley"
> <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM> writes:
> > If you want to talk about devious...
> >
> > ...this veteran slow-car driver/right-lane driver/tailgater-hater
> > has
> > often fantasized about a small tube leading out the bottom of the
> ________________________________________________________________
> GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
> Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
> Join Juno today!  For your FREE software, visit:
> http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.