-- [ From: John H. Rodgers * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --

Kevin, some lessons I have learned about heaters.....(1) if the engine is
running warm or hot turn on the heaters to full blast......it is like adding
additional radiator cooling surface to your cooling system, and all things
being equal, the temp should drop.(2) If you have the heaters turned on and
get nothing but cold air.....watch the temp guage closely....maybe even shut
it down.....you probably have split a a hose or something and lost some or
all of your coolant. This happened to me in my Jeep Wagoneer once when I
lived in Wasilla. Unknown to me a hose had split, and suddenly the
temperature of the air coming out of the heater began to drop. A minute or
so later the engine temp began to rise then started to fall. As soon as I
lost enough coolant the temp guage was no longer in the coolant stream. The
temp guage measures the temperature of the coolant, and when enough is lost,
it has nothing to measure, so the guage will begine to do weird things. In
this case, it first showed hot then started to show cooler....which was
erroneous. Had I not been alert to the heater temp thing, I may have wrecked
the engine. That sudden cold air from the heater combined with the funny
acting temp guage was enough for me to shut it down, thus saving the day(
and the engine.)

Normal operation of the heaters will cause the temp to rise and fall
slightly and the heaters are turned on or off.

John Rodgers
A Soldotna, Alaska person in Alabama driving an '85 GL and getting ready to
go back north soon -------- REPLY, Original message follows --------

Date: Thursday, 21-May-98 10:43 AM

From: Kevin J. Turinsky        \ Internet:    (turinsky@juno.com)
To:   Vanagon                  \ Internet:    (vanagon@vanagon.com)

Subject: Why does engine run cooler w/ heater on full-blast?

Hi Volks:

We've been having a great time zooming around with the Syncro up here in
South Central Alaska.

However, I've notice that I can get the coolant temp. needle to drop about a
needle's width by cranking the heat to FULL. The needle will drop even a
little further if I turn both fans on full. Why is this? Anyone have any
ideas? I've never heard this topic come up on the List before. I like having
a cool engine, but I getting roasted in the Westfalia! :-)

TIA

Kevin...turinsky@juno.com
"Anchored, down in Anchorage---Alaska"
61:10:42 North
149:11:11 West
Elevation: 101 feet

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-------- REPLY, End of original message --------