Dennis, thanks for  the tips.

In 2000 I had this engine completely rebuilt. Since then all things have
been fairly consistent. The temp gauge reads what it reads and always
shows what it shows. After 11 years I know what to expect from that
gauge, so even if it's off a bit, I would be reluctant to tamper with
it.  However, if it changes significantly or takes on some erratic
behavior, then I would make changes, event to the extent of replacing it
if need be. At this point, I have been alerted to something going on, so
will keep a weather-eye out, so to speak. Definitely want to head off
any crucial/critical issues.

John

John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com

On 6/5/2011 8:55 AM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
> You may have a bad gauge or thermostat. Get some means to test actual
> coolant temp such as an infrared thermometer. Normal gauge position should
> be at or at the top of the center warning light. Bad sensor, poor
> connections, wiring problems, or the gauge being out of adjustment can
> through things off. If the gauge is right 1/2 way between the bottom and the
> light is too cold. 87C = 188.6F. The gauge dose have an adjustment in it. It
> can be re-calibrated.
>
> Dennis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> John Rodgers
> Sent: Sunday, June 05, 2011 9:28 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Spooked!
>
>    A bit more as followup on this subject.  -  I drove my '88GL to my art
> show as planned. No problems. OAT coming home was 97F plus. Traffic was
> trudging along at about 40-45 mph, and I watched the temp gauge like a hawk.
> Half way home the temp guage was showing a very slow rise. The needle
> normally rides halfway between the bottom mark and the warning light in the
> center. It was now at the bottom edge of the light. Slowly the needle
> continued to move towards Hot. When the bottom edge of the needle touched
> the top edge of the light, I set the heater lever to full hot and turned the
> blower on hi-speed. In a little bit the needle was back down one needle
> width below the coolant warning light. It stayed there the rest of the way
> home. It got mighty hot IN the van, but I never got the low pressure warning
> horn nor the warning light.
>
> I'm going ot keep my eye on this situation. I've been using Mann and Mahle
> oil filters and Mobil one 15W50 for 10 years in this van. Has
> 120,000 or so miles on the engine since rebuild. Never had the oil light
> problem and warning horn this way before. Only happened once when a belt
> broke and knocked the wire of the pressure switch at the pulley end of the
> engine.
>
> John
>
> John Rodgers
> Clayartist and Moldmaker
> 88'GL VW Bus Driver
> Chelsea, AL
> Http://www.moldhaus.com
>
>
> On 6/3/2011 7:28 PM, John Rodgers wrote:
>>   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
>>
>>
>