In the Vanagon It makes sense to use the engine as a brake. In this
condition the fuel is off too the motor, completely. This does several
things: 1- cools the motor. 2- saves more fuel then idling. 3- saves
your brakes. I do it every chance I get. On the big hills here in PA,
the temp. gauge realy drops! All the air rushing pass the rad., the
water pumping, and the engine not burning fuel, sucks the heat right
out of the engine.

            Eric                   86-VW4x4
            vw4x4@fyi.net          72-240z
            Pittsburgh, PA USA     1936-Chrysler

On Tue, 13 Oct 1998, Robert A. Alexander wrote:

> Michael - Maybe it comes from my experiences with earlier VWs, but I
> always avoided use my engine for braking.  My philosophy has always been
> brake-jobs are much cheaper than engine-jobs!
>
> BOB - '85GL
>