From: b645zjo@utarlg.uta.edu (Rick Homard)
Subject: Re: Air cooled engine is HOT
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: New engine hot
Organization: The University of Texas at Arlington
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 20:41:00 GMT

In article <78917@ut-emx.uucp>, sjk@ut-emx.uucp (Phil Alvin) writes...
> 
>Greetings VW fans,
> 
>I just put a new engine (and tranny) in my '66 Ghia and all seems
>well, but the engine is running  hot.  After a 5-mile or so trip,
>the dipstick, for example, is hot to the touch - I mean I wouldn't
>want to hold onto it for any length of time.  The new engine was
>rebuilt by a good mechanic out to the cylinders.  I re-used my old
>heads (after taking them to the machine shop.)  Here are my ideas as
>to what could be wrong:
> 
>1) Oil cooler messed up - I cleaned it and put the proper seating
>gaskets on when I installed it - no sign of an oil leak.  Any other
>way to test it w/ the engine in the car.  Would taking an oil
>pressure reading help diagnose a bad cooler?  (The cooler came off
>my old engine.)
> 
If there was a restriction in your oil cooler it would show up as a 
seized engine.  This is probably not the case.

>2) I am running too lean. How do I check this? A new cam maybe changing the
>mixture a little and I may need to enlarge the Carb main jet.  
> 

Is there any popping out of the carb or the exhaust?  This indicates a 
lean condition.  If you maintained a stock motor then most likely this
is not your problem.

>3) My timing is off and/or my distributor is not returing the
>advance after high rpms.  I set the timing to 7.5 deg BTDC intially with a
>static timing light as I always do and it seemed fine. I got a
>stroboscopic light and saw the advance working and returning okay -
>though my carb return spring does not quite return the acc. lever
>back to idle after high revs.  The distributor is an 009.  Is 7.5 BTDC
>still the right value with this new block?
> 
Timing can be off.  This will cause over heating.  Just because you set
it initially at 7.5 BTDC doesn't mean that your total advance is 30 degrees.
Some 009's advance 12 degrees while others will advance 15 or 16 degrees.
You need to find out the total advance of the system.


>4) My valves are too tight.  I set them (0.006) before I put the
>engine in and the following morning after testing the engine the
>previous day - most of the valves were tight.  Since then, I have
>put about 50 miles on the engine.
> 

Did you correct the tight valves?  I hope so.

>5) A vacuum leak somewhere.  No obvious sign, but there may be a subtle one
>I am trying to track down.  It's hard to tell for sure by listening.
> 

You cannot hear a vacuum leak, at least not a small one.  The best way
to check for a vacuum leak is to spray something like WD-40 for some oil
over the suspecting area.  This will temporary seal the leak while you check
the engine performance.
===============

You stated that you reused the old heads.  Did you go with larger pistons
with the rebuild?
If this is the case then what you have done was increase your compression
ratio quite a bit.  When the machine shop probably fly-cut your heads.
This decreased the volume of the dome where the valve heads are and increased
your compression ratio.
If you went with larger pistons then this automatically increases volume
of the cylinder which increases the compression ratio.
Also if you "trued" the case where the cylinder jugs mate, then this will
also contribute to increased compression ratio.
If any of this was done then you need to tear down your engine (heads and
cylinders) and install cylinder shims to reduce the compression ratio.


>All my sheet metal and heater hoses are on and connected.  I put new rubber
>molding around the engine compartment.
> 

Did you remove the fresh air hoses going to your head exchangers.  If you
did then did you plug up the holes in the fan shroud?
Also did you plug up the holes in the lower shroud so the heat from the 
exhaust doesn't go into the engine compartment?


Hope this helps in some way.

Rick 

From: newlin@hpfcdc.fc.hp.com (Doug Newlin)
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 22:28:38 GMT
Subject: Re: Advice on Westphalia campers needed.
Organization: HP Fort Collins, Co.