Thanks to all who offered suggestions on what could have caused the water
temp increase.  After a 800 mile trip along the Blue Ridge Highway and
surrounding areas some of which were up and down some pretty steep grades,
the water temp gauge needle stayed inside the top part of the LED.  I like
the consensus opinion of that being normal behavior for the correct
thermostat.  Perhaps the dealer put in the lower temp one 70K ago or over
time it became weak and it was so gradual that I never noticed the change.

In any case, it was a great colorful Fall trip,

Harold

Harold Teer
1991 Westy -- VANGAUX
Harrisonburg, VA

On Wed, Sep 30, 2015 at 2:57 PM, Harold Teer <teer.vanagon@gmail.com> wrote:

> Up until the coolant tower, the thermostat housing, and numerous hoses
> around the engine area were recently replaced, the water temp needle sat at
> the bottom part of the LED.  My memory is that is where it has always been
> on this van since I purchased it with about 50K on the odometer.  I do know
> the thermostat was changed at about 90K with a dealer thermostat and this
> recent change was at 160K.  The new thermostat was a Wahler purchased from
> one of our regular vendors.  The engine has never overheated even when
> going over high mountain passes in hot weather.
>
> Should I just assume I had an old lazy thermostat that was opening too
> soon and the new thermostat is working properly?  Or, should I just order a
> thermostat from the dealer?
>
> Or any other thoughts would be appreciated.
>
> Harold
>
> Harold Teer
> 1991 Westy -- VANGAUX
> Harrisonburg, VA
>
>