Behr or Wahler.

On Tue, Jan 2, 2018 at 8:34 PM, Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
wrote:

> The Vanagon cooing system bypasses the thermostat to send heated coolant
> to the heaters when their valves are open and the engine is cold. This can
> be a problem for warm up when it's as cold as it is now because the
> recirculated coolant from the heaters will cause the thermostat to open,
> but then it can lower the temp too much from the quick dump of really cold
> coolant.  So, first try blocking off the front grilles. Cover one or both
> until you can run at the proper temp. If you are below zero, you may need
> to remove the grilles and put cardboard over part or all of the radiator.
>
> You might need a new thermostat, but try this first. Only buy the OEM
> 'stat though, no aftermarket versions, per Dennis's experience.
>
> Stuart
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> Of ddbjorkman@VERIZON.NET
> Sent: Tuesday, January 2, 2018 11:12 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: It's cold out there
>
> Ford battery died and the Bus (Vanagon) has been put into extra service.
> Always starts right up, hope I didn't put a whammy on myself with that.
> Well, it's into the single and low double digits here in New England and I
> have noticed the Bus has a hard time maintaining heat to the interior.  My
> temp gauge sits on the lower edge of the red light.  It takes the normal 5
> + minutes driving to warm up enough to move the gauge far enough off bottom
> to turn the heat on at all.   I am considering constructing some sort of
> bra to go over the upper grille to decrease air flow over the radiator.
> First I thought  I might post this question.  Is this normal in the frigid
> cold?  Have others experienced this?  Could it be a malfunctioning
> thermostat?  Does someone make said bra/cover?  I await your reply.
>
> Dave B.
>