Yes, there are engine cases (not blocks that I know of) that are made of
mag.  I believe the years were posted yesterday.
bmc  :)
"Faith will move mountains, but you'd better bring a shovel...."

> From: Clive Smith <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM>
> Reply-To: Clive Smith <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM>
> Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 21:05:59 +0100
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Fire Extinguishers
>
> Hey I said engines not anciliaries  :-)
> Let have the gospel on this from someone who knows..
>
> ...are there any VW engine 'blocks' made of magnesium alloy - definitely,
> not supposedly?
>
> ... and I hope my Syncro transmission case isn't mag ally...
>
> Clive
> '88 Syncro Transporter
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stan Wilder" <wilden1@juno.com>
> To: <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM>
> Cc: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Friday, August 30, 2002 2:38 AM
> Subject: Re: Fire Extinguishers
>
>
>> Ho! Ho! Ho! and a bottle of cheap gin is awarded to Clive.
>> The Type IV engines have Magnesium Fan Shrouds and Transmission Cases.
>> Get that fire under control early even if you have to use vigorously
>> shaken cold beer for fire extinguishers.
>> (That has worked for me, not on a VW).
>>
>> Stan Wilder
>>
>>
>> On Fri, 30 Aug 2002 01:54:59 +0100 Clive Smith
>> <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM> writes:
>>>> Two questions
>>>> 1.  Do Vanagon engines have magnesium in them?
>>>> 2.  Wouldn't fire depts know this (if true) and avoid putting
>>> water on
>>> these
>>>> car fires?
>>>
>>> 1) NO, despite it having been said in this list a few times, the
>>> alloys in
>>> the any auto engine, are not magnesium based, they're alumium based,
>>> and the
>>> alloying elements mainly used for casting alloys are silicon and
>>> manganese
>>> (and I can't remember what else).
>>>
>>> I may be wrong, but you'll have to go some to prove that anyone
>>> would cast
>>> any significant quantities of mag ally's into an auto engine - for
>>> one, all
>>> the threads would have to have inserts.
>>>
>>> 2) The question therefore doesn't arise, but if it did in
>>> prepoderance,
>>> they'd soon find out that mag ally's were being used a lot.
>>>
>>> Maybe someone should try setting a (real) mag ally wheel on fire -
>>> bet
>>> that's be a job - then spray it with water.
>>>
>>> Clive
>>> '88 Syncro Transporter
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Dan Erlandson" <danoer1@ECLIPSE.NET>
>>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>> Sent: Friday, August 30, 2002 1:37 AM
>>> Subject: Re: Fire Extinguishers
>>>
>>>
>>>> Well...  This is what I heard from a former student (I am a high
>>> school
>>> Chem
>>>> teacher) who was also on the emergency squad in his town.  I can
>>> speak to
>>>> accuracy of the Chemistry aspect of this, but you'll have to fill
>>> me in on
>>>> the accuracy/truth of the story...
>>>>
>>>> My former student told me that he was on duty on night when they
>>> received
>>> a
>>>> call about a vehicle on fire on Rte 287 in NJ.  When they arrived
>>> the
>>>> vehicle turned out to be a Vanagon and luckily no one was injured,
>>> but as
>>>> the fire dept arrived and began to put out the fire the whole
>>> thing
>>> started
>>>> to really get going... the more they put on it (what were they
>>> using ???)
>>>> the worse it got...  The Van was reduced to cinders (supposedly).
>>> What my
>>>> student told me was that one of the firefighters said that the
>>> engine must
>>>> have a fair amount of magnesium in it.
>>>>
>>>> Ok so here is the chemistry info...  Magnesium (they stuff they
>>> used to
>>> use
>>>> in the old time disposable flash bulbs) is pretty slow to react at
>>> room
>>>> temperatures with air, water...  Acid makes it react very quickly
>>> at R.T.,
>>>> but turn that water into steam and Magnesium really reacts
>>> quickly...
>>> almost
>>>> like the floating fire effect if you have ever seen sodium or
>>> potassium
>>>> react with water.  So it is true that if an engine had magnesium
>>> in it
>>> (what
>>>> % ???) and that engine caught fire, then the conversion of any
>>> water in/on
>>>> the engine to steam would simply accelerate the fire.
>>>>
>>>> Two questions
>>>> 1.  Do Vanagon engines have magnesium in them?
>>>> 2.  Wouldn't fire depts know this (if true) and avoid putting
>>> water on
>>> these
>>>> car fires?
>>>>
>>>> I'd weigh in on the fire extinguisher question and say any (except
>>> for
>>> water
>>>> based) would be ok.
>>>>
>>>> -- -- Dan Erlandson
>>>> 99 Passat
>>>> 91 Vanagon GL
>>>> Flemington, NJ
>>>>> danoer1@eclipse.net
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> From: Steven Dodson <steven@EPOCHDESIGN.COM>
>>>>> Reply-To: Steven Dodson <steven@EPOCHDESIGN.COM>
>>>>> Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 11:08:36 -0700
>>>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>>> Subject: Fire Extinguishers
>>>>>
>>>>> What is the best type of extinguisher for our Vanagons?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -Steven Dodson
>>>>> Kneeland, CA
>>>>> "Inga" the 87 Syncro
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On
>>> Behalf
>>>>> Of Larry Chase
>>>>> Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2002 8:09 AM
>>>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>>> Subject: Re: vanagon Digest - 28 Aug 2002 to 29 Aug 2002 -
>>> Special issue
>>>>> (#2002-1044)
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> OK, yah got my attention.
>>>>>
>>>>> "extinguisher would have eaten the metal of the engine block".
>>>>>
>>>>> What's this about?
>>>>>
>>>>> Happy Trails,
>>>>>
>>>>> Larry Chase
>>>>> 85 Westy "RoadHaus"
>>>>> 90 Westy Syncro ... Soon
>>>>> Mesa,  AZ
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> - - - - - -
>>>>>
>>>>> Date:    Wed, 28 Aug 2002 22:51:10 -0600
>>>>> From:    Eric Nettles <enettles@IRAKUSA.COM>
>>>>> Subject: Re: Spare Parts List - Input
>>>>>
>>>>> Oddly enough, and just to add debate, I was lucky that the fire
>>> extinguisher
>>>>> didn't work when my van's fuel lines went up... The fire was
>>> small and
>>> out
>>>>> early, but an extinguisher would have eaten the metal of the
>>> engine
>>> block,
>>>>> doing more damage than the fire did.  'S just what the friendly
>>> local
>>>>> firemen said as they swapped stories about all the vehicles
>>> they'd
>>> burned
>>>>> themselves.
>>>>>
>>>
>>
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