[Vwdiesel] Engine Carnage Shots

[pmdolan1 at sasktel.net]

Guys:

Don't want to be a party pooper, but VW already figured out exactly how 
to guard against sudden or even gradual accumulated coolant loss:  the 
float switch in the reservoir.  It will tell you you are in deep 
doo-doo before temp switch.  My non-mechanical daughter and her 
fiancée took Mamma's TDI to Edmonton many times this summer, and on 
one trip a rad hose chafed through (broken anti-chafe clamp from 
bodywork) - on a Sunday night, of course.  The level warning light 
allowed them to top up the system with slough water (ANY port in a 
storm) and with the rad cap left off to prevent pressure buildup, limp 
the last few hundred kms home without any real drama or trama. 

re: warning lights and buzzers:35 years ago my pride and joy - and 
daily transport up North - was a shiny new AA-5B (Tiger to you non aero 
types).  In 1977, the alternator was still controlled by a mechanical 
regulator, and your only clue that it had (often) failed was a 
voltmeter with a TINY arc of travel going from 14ish to 12ish and 
slowly sinking into the sunset).  More often you knew you were in 
trouble because the lights would dim and the ADF would point at some 
stray RF source under the cowling.  NOBODY can stare at a huge row of 
guages all day and night and notice such a tiny change in position 
unless they are super-human or super-lucky - and I ain't either!  My 
solution was to "temporarily" install a current automotive solid state 
regulator (that NEVER failed) and use the provided lug to run an 
indicator light also "temporarily" installed in the cockpit (NOT legal 
then, could do with a bit of paperwork now).  The comfort of seeing 
that light go off on startup (KNOWING it was charging) and stay off 
when travelling hundreds of miles away from ANY civilization at -45C in 
the dark was worth a million bucks to me (or the risk of someone 
noticing the guy who owns the repair facility was flying an illegally 
equipped airplane). 

Today, even the industrial stuff I build comes complete with an 
electronic monitor/control display, a mechanical backup for ALL 
critical systems and a frigging big horn that will blow you half out of 
the door when an upset condition presents itself.  Saved my bacon 
dozens of times. 

Regards - Pat

On Thu, 17 Oct 2013 09:38:57 -0600, James Hansen <jhsg at sasktel.net> wrote:
An alarm on the engine oil temperature should give reasonably similar
> results. If both the coolant, and engine oil fall out, you're so very 
> screwed anyway,
> there is nothing left to save. 
> I've learned a lot about engine monitoring from racing stock cars.  There is
> NO replacement for a giant red warning light, or in a reasonably quiet
> environment a horn such as Sandy suggests.  I know many people that have
> lost engines on the track, they have a sea of useless racerboy gauges in the
> dash, but are too busy to look at them, can't see them, vibration, etc, and
> really, while driving, you shouldn't be staring at gauges.  A good 
> gauge/switch combination would be one built by Murphy Switchgauge (if
> they still exist) that gives you a visual gauge to reference on occasion,
> with an adjustable contact that the gauge needle hits to set off an
> alarm/light etc. 
> There are also screw in sensor switches that can activate stuff like lights
> or buzzers. 
> On another note, I very much like engine oil monitoring to show you how
> loaded/overloaded your system is, and gives a better indication than coolant
> temperature in my mind.  I've melted plastic labels off filters on a motor
> that ran warm, but not excessively hot coolant, but had other issues. 
> -james
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com [mailto:vwdiesel-bounces at vwfans.com] On
> Behalf Of sandy cameron
> Sent: October-17-13 9:14 AM
> Cc: diesel
> Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Engine Carnage Shots
>
> On 10/17/2013 10:42 AM, Chris Geiser wrote:
> >
> > Sandy - where would you mount said alarm sensor?  In other words, > 
> what's the hottest accessible spot on the head or the spot likely to 
> > show excessive heat first during a coolant failure on an IDI 1.6?
> >
> > CG
> >
> I Don't own any TDIs, just old 1.6s and one AAZ. 
> But look for a non-critical (no head bolts!) fastener, like a bracket bolt
> or screw. Should be right against the head or block casting, might have to
> be mounted on a small aluminum plate captured by said bolt. Valve 
> cover screw might work, but damage might occur before the heat gets
> there. 
>
> Also out of the draft so heat is not sucked away too quickly. 
>
> I had a similar coolant loss meltdown years ago with my Mercedes 200D, but
> the stink woke me up in time, and she survived to run again without rebuild. 
> Alas, in a bus, the stink is behind you (sorry Dave). 
> A truly amazing engine! I did a manifold clean out once, it was coked up
> about half restricted, the car lasted 20 years, retired due to body
> disintegration. Drove it to it's final rusting place. The engine went on to
> other things, not sure where, or how long it lasted. 
>
> 73,
> Sandy,
> VE3AAC
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