[Vwdiesel] Overheating 81 Rabbit & diesel vs. air cooled

[W. Kennedy]

Eureka!

K.I.S.S. shone through!  I replaced the thermostat, flushed the system, and changed the oil.  Temperature normal.  Even running A/C! The pressure seems to be normal.  No real resistance when I squeeze any hoses.

How do I spell relief? "No evidence of overheating due to head crackage or other expensive situation."

For good measure, once every thing was sealed back up, coolant mix added, I lifted out the reservoir, and tilted it side to side.  Fluid leaked out from the overflow and return lines.  I trimmed & refitted the hoses.  Something in me thinks that there was some reverse atomization happening with air getting sucked in with the coolant.  

Anyway, to summarize; always start with the basics.  It's seldom going to be as major as it appears.

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Water Cooled Diesel vs. Air Cooled Gas?

Diesel.  No question.  

Milage, maintenance, modernity, practicality (out of M's).  Air cooled VW's are cool-as-all, no doubt.  They're quirky, unique, faithful, but also cantankerous, needy, and slow.  Diesels may be somewhat slow, but they are far less cantankerous and needy, especially considering that they've got more than enough quirky, faithful, and practical to compete with the air-cooled v-dubs in those categories.

All the valve adjustment, the dimes and epoxy, crappy distributor clamps, push starting, crapped-out points & their necessary periodic setting..  It's just too much.  PLUS, there's not a 5-speed among them (that's not aftermarket), and precious few with A/C.

I've had a bus, a bug, and a ghia, and NONE compare to a diesel VW for 'getting in and going'.  Give me a sparkling-clean diesel Jetta, and I'll drive it to my grave.
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