On Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 6:10 PM, Rocket J Squirrel
<camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:
> B-but, where's the temp sender? When the engine is cold and the thermostat
> is closed, it matters not how long the hoses are, yes no? My wife's Subaru's
> temp gauge comes up quite quickly compared to Mellow Yellow's. I reckon it's
> not until the engine reaches operating temperature and the thermostat opens
> that the extra burden of heating up the fluid in the hoses matters. And
> heck, we're only talking about maybe 20 feet of fluid in the rad send and
> return hoses being the differments between the Subi and the Vanagon. There's
> what -- a liter or two of fluid being the diff?

Its probably a bit more than a liter or two.  As a diesel driver, I
have the same problem, but to a greater degree.  Do you notice that
the temp gauge goes down when the thermostat opens?  It is obvious on
my van.  In cold weather, it takes a while for the entire cooliing
system to reach thermal equilibrium.  You might explain to Mrs.
Squirrel that this is an advantage in warm weather and on steep hills,
protecting the fragile engine from overheating and whatnot.  I won't
be surprised if she is unimpressed, but its worth a try.

--
Michael Snow
1982 Westfalia 1.9TD
http://slowmachine82.blogspot.com/