[Vwdiesel] fuel use

[James Hansen]

Brian, plan on a litre per hour, divide by two for a safety margin. You
never get stranded with a full tank, you had to get there somehow. On a
regular route, you will know roughly how much you have at that point.

Excellent road kit Sandy. I carry everything except the filter.
  I would only add a couple things.
A tow strap, small tarp, gallon jug of kerosene- or fill one of your road
jugs with kerosene.  Dissolves clouded fuel, can be used as fuel in a pinch,
and used for heat. Matches.Lighter. Spare belts. Fuses. Jumper wire for glow
plug fuse. Quart jug of either everclear or isopropal alcohol. Small can 2/3
full of sand, with another that fits over top of the whole mess to act as
windbreak and hold your snow melting pot. To melt snow for drinking water
(your worst problem after staying warm) you put fuel in the sand with a
twist of paper wick to get it going, drop the bigger coffee can with both
ends cut out and a couple welding rods poked through near the top as a
grate.  Light it, and it burns for a long while.  diesel gets smoky, but
alcohol burns well.  I like everclear, it's a good fuel, melts ice in your
fuel line, is a reasonably good antiseptic, and not really poisonous like
most of the other alcohols, which, in -40 and stranded at the bottom of
bugtussle pass, you might appreciate. Also burns with minimum of carbon
monoxide if you have to use as a space heater. A giant toblerone bar, and
some powdered soup round out the top of my winter ammo box. Check out a
penny stove, which is smaller, and a tad easier to carry around than a sand
can stove. Burns hotter and more efficiently too.
Remember, if you carry chains and haven't really used them before, you need
to have some repair links, and a wheelbarrow of bungee cords to keep them
from flailing around. Test fit them. If you've never used them, you'll be
pleasantly surprised just how poorly they fit, what a PITA they are to keep
on, and appreciate just how well they could destroy anything car-like in
their blast radius when a link lets go. Don't ever expect them to just work
out of the box and be easy to put on.
You may not be able to tell, but I tend to prefer good winter tires, and
would rather stick pencils in my eyes than use chains.
-james


-----Original Message-----
From: vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com [mailto:vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com] On
Behalf Of sandy cameron
Sent: January-08-13 12:28 PM
To: Brian and Ruth Decker; diesel
Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] fuel use

On 1/8/2013 12:23 PM, Brian and Ruth Decker wrote:
> HI Folks;
>
>                  Does anyone have any Idea how much fuel per hour a 
> 1.6 diesel would use at a continuous idle?
 From experience, but not doing the math, I would think 18 to 24 hours.

Of course (from the land of log cabins and 2 story snowbanks) you will also
have the following on board.

1. An empty soup can and some candles. Matches. learn how to use them as a
space heater 2. Blanket or 2.
3. Food, and esp, drink.
4. LED flashlight.
5. Suitable clothing, boots, mitts, touque. (Bush pilot's motto, always wear
the boots you would want to walk home in) 6. Oh yes! 5 gallons of fuel in
the trunk in an approved container with spout, Better, 2 x 3gal. containers,
easier to handle.
      or more if you are traveling light. 1gal ready-to-use antifreeze.
7. A shovel.

Goes without saying, good snow tires, and if govt requires them, carry tire
chains, or they may not let you attempt the passes.
If parked for a long while, pull out the cold start for faster idle
(post-1986) or arrange something on the accelerator to get a fast idle.
You will get more heat, and it will keep the battery charged, especially if
you plan to leave the headlights on.
You probably would not have to, but keep an eye on the temp gauge, to avoid
overheating the engine, just turn up the heater (Ha!) Print the above and
put in your glove compartment.

My milk crate in the trunk of the A2, 12 months of the year, has a small 12v
air compressor, tire plugs and the tools to install them, a hatchet, a cheap
hunting knife, booster cables, spare fuel filter, (primed and
capped) A standard swivel power bar with 17mm socket (wheel wrench) quart of
oil, 2 qts antifreeze, pliers, bits of wire, 10ft plastic tubing, fuel line
size.
And finally, a concession to my age, a 12v power jack and a board to set it
on!

The merit of the 10 feet of plastic tubing, the under-body fuel line system
on an old A2 is fraught with peril. so many places where it can suck air.
You can quickly rig an independent fuel system by putting one of your
emergency containers on the passenger side floor, (assuming it's
intact)  running the lines to the filter under the hood, (supply AND
return) out the window and under the hood at the back right corner. This
will take you 200 miles on a fill-up. There is a rubber bung up behind the
heater box that will let you into the engine room directly if you should
desire to make the fix more permanent. In Goldie's (my former 87) final
summer, she ran on an outboard motor tank in the pass. side floor, and to
her final rusting place after the fuel tank had detached and been left
behind some time back.

Sandy
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