Nope.  I included water-boxers in that statement since much of the tin is
reminiscent of the air-cooled motors.

Ah, the air-cooled motor's thermostat... I could see how that could be
affected.  Of course, 9 out 10 air-cooled VWs have had the thermostat
removed and the flaps wired open.  Perhaps that number is lowered in cooler
climes.

Cheers,

Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike S [mailto:mikes@flatsurface.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 4:13 PM
To: Jeff
Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Push covers/enging tins

At 06:43 PM 9/10/2008, Jeff wrote...
>Engine tin is pretty much standard when it comes to rear engine VWs.

You left out "air-cooled."

OTOH, "push rod cover" is a fairly common automotive term for what we
usually call a "valve cover." (
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22push+rod+cover%22 )

You can even find reference to it referring to push rod tubes (
http://www.cas4.com/engine/engine-pushrod-covers2.html ).

>Even on an air-cooled motor, the tin between the heater boxes and case
>is
>intended to protect the push rod tubes and stop road crap from getting
>into
>the cylinder fins.

Yes, but they're also involved in cooling. Those pieces of tin move the
airflow across the push rod tubes, and force it to exit to the rear of
the engine. If your right side one isn't in place, the thermostat won't
work properly, either.

Sorry for the confusion, but when someone says "push rod covers," that
describes valve covers or push rod tubes to me.