Speaking of buying ( and studying ) books on automotive tech subjects ..
I get the impression very people do.
Really.
Lately I ask people how much they read ...< about *anything* >
astongishingly I find many people that barely read on a regular basis
..not even half  an hour a week.

Any half smart 6 year old can say if brakes lights are working or not.
My daughter sure could.
I had her help me service her faimily's volvo when she was about 12
maybe , including fuel filter under the car.
  a month later they break down in Idaho..
some shop is telling them a component under the hood is the fuel filter.
She or someone , told them they were wrong.  12 year old female knew
more about it than they did. They didn't seemany volvos in that neck of
the woods in the 90'sevidently.

On 4/23/2013 2:07 PM, Steven Johnson wrote:
> Charge the professor a consulting fee & tuition and have him by several
> books on the
> subject and then he can come to your class and you can slowly tell him how
> it works
> and assign several hundred hours of homework and then maybe he'll arrive at
> an answer....
>
> Steven
> 91 Westy
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 23, 2013 at 1:57 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans <
> scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
>
>> I know a guy ..
>> a real college professor .  Was a vanagon owner too. He asked me to help
>> him check his Subaru car brake lights.
>> So I'm at the controls..
>> you know the drill ...one person says what they are doing ..the other
>> person says if the lights are working.
>>
>> I'm asking him to tell me if the brake lights are working..
>> he has to tell me that he honestly does not know what to look for, and
>> cannot tell if the brake lights are workingor not.
>> Licensed driver too. College professor.
>> an extreme case perhaps, but true story.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 4/23/2013 1:46 PM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
>>
>>> Interesting to me that so many folks find the expectations in higher
>>> education to be more than they are willing and able to tackle.  Yet, the
>>> same people will fly in and attempt to rebuild a high tech machine like an
>>> automobile engine, then trust their lives and that of family and friends to
>>> the result.  The latter impresses me, with three degrees and 40 years as a
>>> professor, as much more difficult.  mcneely
>>>
>>> ---- Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Of coursethere are.
>>>> There are thousands and millions of ways mistakes can be made.
>>>>
>>>> 'generally' ....rebuilding mistakes cause things more like oil
>>>> consumption, noises, oil pressure issues ..those sorts of things.
>>>> Even incorrect timing can cause overheathing ..or contribute to it is
>>>> more accureate.
>>>>
>>>> head fitted poorly ..on wbxr's you bet !
>>>> Not everyone does it ..but it's smart to test fit the heads on with just
>>>> the metal rings on top of the barrels..
>>>> and measure the cap for the outer water gasket.
>>>> That gap can be too big, or two small,
>>>> or even tilted.....like not the same all the way around.
>>>>
>>>> the first time I ever ran into that issue , some 20 yrs ago ...brand new
>>>> AMC head on one side of a 2.1 wbrx .......rubber gasket pinched out in
>>>> about a year ..
>>>> I researched it like crazy .......finally a dealer tech told me you
>>>> dry-fit the head to check that gab and it it's off ..
>>>> get this ...*try a different cylinder head*  !!
>>>> ( which is true. )
>>>> but I was flabbergasted ...since standard fitting parts that allwork
>>>> right due to being built to the exact same dimensions is about a 100
>>>> year old idea in gunand car production.
>>>> Prior to stardanized parts guns and even cars were hand fitted part by
>>>> part.
>>>> In something like 1918 ...
>>>> it was a big big deal when 3 Buicks or whatever were driven to an Expo
>>>> in NY and the 3 cars stripped down, all the parts jumbled and them put
>>>> back together.....an amazing feat at the time..
>>>>
>>>> so to find out that all waterboxer heads may not be made exactly right
>>>> to fit right ..
>>>> pretty dumb !
>>>> and .....no 'regular' engines have the issue that waterboxer heads have.
>>>> "Normal' cyinder heads are flat on the bottom. ...on virtually all
>>>> engines off all types ( not rotaries of course ) ..
>>>> so sealing on those is pretty straightforward.
>>>>
>>>> a waterboxer is a converted VW air-cooled design ..most obviously so.
>>>> the bottom of the head is not flat.
>>>> how much the outer rubber gasket is squeased depends on the head sitting
>>>> on the barrels just right ..
>>>> and the 'step distance' between the combusion chamber area of the head,
>>>> and the outer flat surface being exactly right, within a few thousands.
>>>>
>>>> so yeah....that area can be done poorly.
>>>> and ...talk about mistakes..
>>>> you know how I love to carry on about that ..I seethem constantlyin
>>>> engine, car , and vanagon repair.
>>>>
>>>> On the other hand .
>>>> I think it's *extremely* risky for people to turn out rebuilt units like
>>>> engines and transmissions...
>>>> for 'who know' whatever back yard mechanic or shop to install it
>>>> incorrectly, or with a half-glogged radiator or whatever. The idiot
>>>> factor is huge.
>>>>      I talk with Ken at German Transaxle about that a lot ....they send
>>>> out a good unit..
>>>> and have almost no control over what someone does it.
>>>>
>>>> it's all fun though.
>>>> Scott
>>>>
>>>> On 4/23/2013 12:10 PM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> hmmm..... .  Aren't there things that can cause overheating that would
>>>>> be due to a bad rebuild?  Heads badly fitted, for example.  Just wondering.
>>>>>   My expertise is on the low side.  mcneely
>>>>>
>>>>> ---- Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> lol..
>>>>>> guess you haven't bought many used engines from junkyards.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> it's a round metal glue-on thing ...silver in color .. about the size
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> a dime.
>>>>>> changes to dark color in the middle if temp gets too high.
>>>>>> Very common on any junkyard used engine.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> so if you have a problem and say 'hey ..that engine you sold me is no
>>>>>> good' ..
>>>>>> and they see their ( sometimes hidden a little ) heat tab has changed
>>>>>> color..
>>>>>> then they cansay 'dude, you overheated it.It's not on us. "
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 4/23/2013 11:24 AM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> What are these "melt tabs"?  mcneely
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> ---- Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> No doubt you are fine, those tabs melt when the engine melts down.
>>>>>>>> You probably had some boiling around the cylinders, but I don't think you
>>>>>>>> caused any damage in a mile and a half.  Just fix it and run it!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Stuart
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.**com<vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>]
>>>>>>>> On Behalf Of william landsman
>>>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 10:45 AM
>>>>>>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>>>>>> Subject: Possible...Overheating
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Hello,
>>>>>>>> Today I was out driving (about 2 miles) and my alternator froze up
>>>>>>>> and the belt broke.
>>>>>>>> I took off belt and did not think about the water-pump being run by
>>>>>>>> the same belt, "other stuff on my mind" regardless I drove another 1.5
>>>>>>>> miles and then it hit me. Pulled over immediately and turned engine off.
>>>>>>>> Engine temp was still not up to normal operating temp as I had just
>>>>>>>> started driving and it is currently below freezing where I live.  The gauge
>>>>>>>> was rising quickly before I shut it off in a safe location. Opened up
>>>>>>>> engine compartment, I could hear water gurgling but nothing was spewing out
>>>>>>>> anywhere and it had not hit a temp that caused the coolant to go from
>>>>>>>> expansion tank to overflow tank.
>>>>>>>> Here are my questions.
>>>>>>>> 1. Have I ruined the motor...I did not see any coolant leaks
>>>>>>>> anywhere.
>>>>>>>> 2. What temperature do the GoWesty Melt tabs actually melt and where
>>>>>>>> are they located. (Just had a new engine installed recently...) 3. If the
>>>>>>>> heads fail, would they leak immediately?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I will get alternator and belts replaced.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> 4. Is there anything I should watch out for when I do start it up
>>>>>>>> next?
>>>>>>>> Thanks for any advice.
>>>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>>> Bill
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> 🎭
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> David McNeely
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>   --
>>>>> David McNeely
>>>>>
>>>>>   --
>>> David McNeely
>>>
>>>