>Gauge reads very low. Never gets above 1/4
  >at the hottest. Heat feels decent, but in deep winter falls a
  >little short for all that air space.

  >I'm wondering if it's actually running too cool for best operation.

Jon,
        I ran all last winter like that. Up here in the great white north, the
needle would just climb to the top of the bottom white mark. It got a little
higher as we got into spring. It started when I had my heads resealed. Gas
mileage was in the crapper! 16-17 mpg.

When it got warm enough to work on the van, I replaced the Thermostat.
BINGO! Needle is right back dead on the led. Gas is back up to 20-21 mpg.
Thermostats are cheap and It's not hard to do yourself. Here' a how-to for
the 86 an up Vgons: http://www.vanagonauts.com/index.phtml?catid=53  If
anyone has written up the earlier procedure, I would love to post that too.

Good Luck,
John Meeks
Top of Lower Michigan
91 Westfalia MultiVan

sign up for the Vanagon Rescue Squad
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