With the WBXers and VW air cooled engines it is best to have additional
instrumentation.
I remember the first time I blew an engine in my 83 Air Cooled Westy.
The Westy just had idiot lights and I saw the impending doom coming when I
saw spots of oil on my rear window.
I'm sure the guy in that big Dodge truck tail gating me got his share of oil
too.
I had no instrument or lights warning me about the problem.
I blew the #2 ring on #3 cylinder but managed to drive back home at 35 mph
on service roads for 250 miles by stopping every 35 miles and adding a quart
of oil to the crankcase.
If I hadn't seen that oil on the back glass I'd have had a total lock up rod
throwing scenario that would have crippled my Westy and may have ruined the
crank case when it blew.
I installed instruments with the new rebuild job at 145K.
I installed an oil pressure gauge, oil temperature gauge, cylinder head
temperature, an additional oil cooler, windage tray and ran the Westy up to
287K miles before I sold it.
I had no more engine malfunctions for that 133K and that involved many 3000
mile trips over long weekends.
In fact I was quite pleased with the overall dependability and economy of
the Westy, although I continued to spend money on tires, brakes etc. etc.
.... You know how it goes.

Stan Wilder
Engine Ceramics
214-352-4931
www.engineceramics.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Reddick" <SVYOLO@YAHOO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 8:30 PM
Subject: Re: Re:       Eight Function Digital Display for the Vanagon

> Sorry Frank,
>    Gotsta dissagree.  But I do like the addtiional instrumentation.  oil
> Temp, pressure, boost, A/F ratio, stuff like that is good to monitor, but
> you don't need a big gauge with a needle like a tach or speedo.  I wiil
> probably use this in my subie conversions.
>     But I will retain the stock speedo and tach.  I like the vanagons
> instument cluster.  For experimental or not quite perfected stuff, some
> additional monitoring is nice.  Once that is perfected, I prefer idiot
> lights.
>      I think a totally perfected engine conversion would have stock idiot
> lights and be totally stealthy.
>
>      John
>      87 Westy SVX (17K trouble free miles)