Engine overheating??????

[onlybayinthevillage]

I know this is probably an old topic but i would appreciate some advice.
I am going down to Esher next weekend and this will be my van's longest trip yet - probably 3-4hrs.
In the absence of an oil temp guage what is the best advice to ensure the engine does not overheat. Someone told me to drive no more than 2 hrs then 1 hr rest before setting off again. Others have said that after a period of steady driving (50-60) slow down to 40 and let the engine cool itself down.
Which is right?
Any advice?

 

[chrisby]

I cant see no reason why you shouldn't be able to drive all day at that speed as long as everything's up to scratch,ie timing, valves set correctly, fresh oil,complete tinware,fan belt adjusted correctly etc.
I often do 7 + hour journeys with short breaks for toilet and tea breaks with no problems.

 

[Doris]

WHS^ as long as everything is adjusted & in order,for example all tinware & seals etc present & correct then no problem. VW wouldn't have designed an engine that needs to 'rest',in fact one of the selling points & its reputation was/is the flat 4's ability to sit at cruise speed all day long. There is some sense in limiting your speed to say 55 for fuel economy,noise & to take into account that the engine may be a few decades old.
I'll stick neck out here & say I'd sooner my engine be working at a steady speed with a good air flow than sat in traffic ticking over.

p.s. make sure you don't store anything like paper towels,rags etc in the engine bay that could be sucked into the air intake & restrict the flow of air.

hth's

 

[Trikky2]

I agree with the replies. A stock engine in reasonable condition, with everything in place and working is wholly reliable.

In the 40 or so years I have been running air cooled - both bugs and buses I have always just driven them normally. For example, 1600 tp buses will happily sit on the motorway all day long at their manufacturers quoted top speed of 68 mph (on the flat). These vehicles were bought at a premium in their day because of their reliability and they were unique in that the manufacturer clearly stated that the top speed was also the cruising speed. They could do this because they were heavily over engineered and the restricted breathing and power sapping fan were designed in such a way as to make the engine "unburstable".

Its only when you start modifying the engine to make significant gains in power output that it becomes wise to have a temperature gauge.

If an engine (any engine - not just air cooled) is in such a bad state that it will only run at 55 mph and needs rest periods to cool down then theres something seriously wrong with it and it will soon fail completely, however careful you are with it. The reason I say this is because if you monitor the stresses and temperatures on any engine during driving it quickly becomes clear that climbing a long hill in third gear at say 40 mph will easily equal the temperatures achieved cruising the motorway at 68.

Contrary to water cooled vehicles, air cooled dont get hot stood in traffic. This is because water cooled rely to a large degree on forward motion ramming air through the radiator and when stood in traffic they rely on an auxiliary fan to cool the rad. The air cooled fan supplies more than enough cooling air at tickover and the engine actually runs cooler in traffic. Its one of the reasons there is a thermostat fitted - to stop the engine running too cold.

 

[K@rlos]

1 of the critical elements of keeping an Aircooled engine cool is have the engine oil on the mark. The term 'aircooled' is not entirely true, a large percentage of the boxers cooling is done through the oil. a lack of oil will result in a lack of cooling and that could lead up with a overheated/seized motor.

 

[onlybayinthevillage]

Thanks guys. Seems i have been worrying about something that may not really be an issue.

 

[Marvel]

I was thinking about the traffic issue just the other day. Thanks for putting my mind at rest. I love this place.

 

[BJ1]

I agree with the replies. A stock engine in reasonable condition, with everything in place and working is wholly reliable.

In the 40 or so years I have been running air cooled - both bugs and buses I have always just driven them normally. For example, 1600 tp buses will happily sit on the motorway all day long at their manufacturers quoted top speed of 68 mph (on the flat). These vehicles were bought at a premium in their day because of their reliability and they were unique in that the manufacturer clearly stated that the top speed was also the cruising speed. They could do this because they were heavily over engineered and the restricted breathing and power sapping fan were designed in such a way as to make the engine "unburstable".

Its only when you start modifying the engine to make significant gains in power output that it becomes wise to have a temperature gauge.

If an engine (any engine - not just air cooled) is in such a bad state that it will only run at 55 mph and needs rest periods to cool down then theres something seriously wrong with it and it will soon fail completely, however careful you are with it. The reason I say this is because if you monitor the stresses and temperatures on any engine during driving it quickly becomes clear that climbing a long hill in third gear at say 40 mph will easily equal the temperatures achieved cruising the motorway at 68.

Contrary to water cooled vehicles, air cooled dont get hot stood in traffic. This is because water cooled rely to a large degree on forward motion ramming air through the radiator and when stood in traffic they rely on an auxiliary fan to cool the rad. The air cooled fan supplies more than enough cooling air at tickover and the engine actually runs cooler in traffic. Its one of the reasons there is a thermostat fitted - to stop the engine running too cold.

Good grief - someone else has had aircooleds as long as me :shock: Everything above is exactly right - the "drive 2 hours then let it rest" myth is total bowlocks.

We came down from Edinburgh to Devon in one run last year in our 1600tp Westy with 4 people aboard at 65mph constant speed. The engine was running spot on (I actually service my vans every year ) and was at the same temperature when we arrived as when we left - I use the John Muir dipstick test

 

[Pickles]

Thank goodness for no resting hours required, I had envisaged this years planned trip to scotland taking several days

 

[Trikky2]

Thank goodness for no resting hours required, I had envisaged this years planned trip to scotland taking several days

:lol: :lol: Like staging posts - where you changed the horses on the carriage :lol: :lol: