none of that is going to help your apparent low oil pressure problem.
I believe you expressed needing to use the van badly right away this
weekend.

just tryin' to get you through the weekend.
I hope it's clear I NEVER recommend a cooler t-stat as any sort of repair.

just tryin' to save ya for the weekend.
Got any better ideas ?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Hargrave" <thargrav@hiwaay.net>
To: "'Scott Daniel - Turbovans'" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>;
<vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
Sent: Friday, June 03, 2011 6:59 PM
Subject: RE: Spooked!

>A cooler thermostat is a quick fix for a lot of ails but it rarely solves
> anything.
>
> A lower temperature thermostat will open sooner causing the engine to run
> cooler & consume more gas. It will also cause the engine to wear out
> faster,
> again because it's running cooler.
>
> But a cooler thermostat won't help overheating the least bit. When
> overheating your standard temperature thermostat will be open just as much
> as a cooler thermostat and your water flow will be the same. Either way
> it's
> just too hot.
>
> If you have a overheating problem you need to look for restrictions in the
> system, most likely the radiator, or causes for the excess heat like lean
> fuel mixture or incorrect timing. Even dragging brakes can cause a engine
> overheating problem.
>
> Thanks, Tom Hargrave
> www.stir-plate.com
> www.towercooler.com
> www.kegkits.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Scott Daniel - Turbovans
> Sent: Friday, June 03, 2011 8:32 PM
> To: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
> Subject: Re: Spooked!
>
> How many miles on the engine ..
> or specifically the bottom end ?
>
> I was searching for some diesel AAZ connecting rods ( anyone got a set for
> sale ? ) last night and stumbled onto 'how 2.1 waterboxer rods fail.'
>
> long report by a guy. He was driving a 2.1 wbxr with about 150K miles on
> it
> ..
> and he was driving it with about 9psi oil pressure at speed, and 3 or 4
> psi
> at a hot idle !!
>
> Sure blew that engine. His main point is without knowing what the actual
> oil
> pressure is ( with an OP gague on the dash ) ..........and miles are very
> high on a 2.1 wbxr bottem end, you're taking a real chance.
>
> Oil pressure varies by the oil clearance at the bearings ( as the rod
> bearings wear ) ....
> and by temperature, and by weight of oil.
> So hot engine, many miles on the engine, and say ...10W40 oil can result
> in
> very low oil pressure at times ..
> down to just a few psi at idle..
> and at say 60mph ..it should have about 25psi at least. 20 min for sure.
>
> 2.1 rod bolts are the stretch type. You can read about that all day long
> on
> the internet ..
> which is a factor in why 2.1's with high miles can have a rod bearing
> problem.
>
> in the short term ..
> it sounds like it was really hot., by your discription of how hot it
> seemed
> by the engine.
> This is cheating ..
> and it's only to get you through the week...
> but you can help your situation by putting in a cooler thmerostat ( 80 C )
> and thicker oil.
>
> Bear in mind that a cooler t-stat does not make it run cooler when it's
> really running hot ..
> it will just make it 'try' to run cooler. Like if you're cruising on the
> level, and it's not a hot day ..
> it might run at 170F rather than the desired 180F or a bit higher .
> If it's a real hot day, long grades, big laods, or stuck in traffic, it'll
> still try to run at 200 or whatever.
>
> and put in 20W50 oil. or .....
> if it's a tired old trashed waterboxer engine anyway ..and it's an
> emergency
> ..
> and you're not expecting miracles......like this is for emergency use only
> !
> ..put in racing 50W oil.
>
> Don't tell anyone I said thes though. ( joking, I know this is public )
> it's not any kind of 'repair' , it's pure band-aid and hope.  Extreme
> short
> term emergency use only.
>
> you should have an oil pressure guage so you really know what is going on.
> unless there is a sensor or gauge/warning system malfunction ..
> and miles are high on the engine ..
> it sounds like you have a real ( and fairly common ) oil clearance/oil
> pressure issue.
>
> Some people have improved this situation with new oil pump .. I don't
> really
> beleive in that ..might help a little.
> and you might start researching new engine options.
> the enhanced waterboxer I can recommend is the thecentife 2.2 better
> waterboxer, by Chris Corkin ..
> on thesamba.
> Scott
> www.turbovans.com
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Rodgers" <inua@CHARTER.NET>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Friday, June 03, 2011 5:28 PM
> Subject: Spooked!
>
>
>>  While driving my manual tranny 88GL  home this afternoon the oil
>> pressure alarm sounded and the oil pressure light came on. I killed the
>> ignition immediately, noted all the gages seemed normal, and being very
>> close to my house just  coasted on down the street, around the corner,
>> and halfway up my up-slope driveway and stopped. All the while I'm
>> thinking "Omigosh! What now?" ( I have an important art show to
>> participate in on Sat. and have to set up by 6 am -- this is not good!)
>>
>> After getting stopped, I sat for a moment, the turned the ignition on.
>> All the lights did their normal thing. I hit the switch, the engine
>> started right up, oil pressure light went out. I noted no strange
>> sounds, and the oil pressure alarm did not sound. I drove the remaining
>> 100 feet  up the hill to the house - all was normal.
>>
>> Today was extraordinarily hot - 100 plus degrees, driving was slow
>> coming off the highway home, and even though the temp gauge needle was
>> in the middle, nothing seemed wrong. I did note that at very slow speeds
>> the fan kept coming on frequently. I was poking along about 30 mph when
>> the alarm sounded and the oil pressure light came on.
>>
>> I opened the hatch, and noted the engine seemed really hot. The heat
>> just came boiling out. I looked for oil leaking, coolant leaking, etc,
>> but found nothing. Oil dip stick measures halfway between the marks, and
>> the coolant level is up. I checked the rear oil pressure switch, and the
>> wiring connector, but it was tight.
>>
>> I let the van sit a while with the hatch open to cool the engine, then
>> started it up. After Idling a minute, I revved the engine up to 3000. I
>> ran perfect. No lights, no alarms. I have tried several times now, but
>> cannot reproduce the event. Of course the circumstances have changed as
>> the atmosphere is cooling down.
>>
>> Anybody have any ideas? Can the engine oil get so hot under normal
>> driving conditions as to cause low oil pressure. Surely that is not a
>> good thing. But how can I avoid that in the common daily summer weather
>> here in the South. I'm afraid this event might repeat itself at a
>> tremendously inopportune time - as such events usually do.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> John
>>
>>
>> --
>> John Rodgers
>> Clayartist and Moldmaker
>> 88'GL VW Bus Driver
>> Chelsea, AL
>> Http://www.moldhaus.com
> -----
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