[Vwdiesel] Engine Carnage Shots

Thu Oct 17 15:01:09 PDT 2013

Yes, the coolant level sensor (it's not a float switch) will tell you if
the coolant in the reservoir is low provided it is working properly, wired
up correctly and the flashing light is not ignored.  I've seen a couple
different vanagon threads where the engine was toasted due to coolant
loss.  The people driving saw the flashing light but were comforted by the
fact that the gauge was not reading hot.  It wasn't reading hot because it
was no longer submerged in coolant and insulated from the engine temp by
the plastic of the flange just like the later VW diesels.  In one of those
threads a mechanic had not properly tightened one of the coolant hoses and
they got him to buy them a new engine despite the fact that they drove it
to death ignoring the flashing light!

On Thu, Oct 17, 2013 at 1:01 PM, <pmdolan1 at sasktel.net> wrote:

> 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@**vwfans.com<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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>>
>
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