TheSamba.com :: View topic - -s this Temp reading normal?

Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:23 pm

I've been drivin my van on a regular basis finally over the past few weeks and everything seems ok except when I'm at idle for bout five min or so after it warms up.
When Its warmed up temp reads jus over the red light (bout half way up). Its fine on freeway and in town but when I'm in a drive thru the temp starts to kreep up about 3/4 of the way up. It comes back down after I drive a bit.
Is this normal or is it a warning sign. I am scared to death of over heatin my engine. Any help or advice would be great.

Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:49 pm

mine runs up in that area as well when driving in town,but once back on the freeway the temp drops back down.

Mon Aug 25, 2008 9:10 pm

Assuming straight up is 12:00 noon. Well, my '84 temp guage runs at about 1:00 to 1:15 when the engine is fully warmed up. If the engine is at full operating temp, idling at say 85 degree outside temp, in about 3 to 5 minutes the rad fan kicks on.

I have purchased an auxillary temp guage to install as a back up. I have not determined a good location on the engine to install and keep the OEM gauge too.

Any ideas?

Mon Aug 25, 2008 9:35 pm

my '84 never quite reaches 11:00 (just left of the light) and my 1st stage fan will come on only when I've driven it hard in warm weather or idling for a very long time
I think 3/4 up the guage seems high but it might just be your temp guage or thermostat

Mon Aug 25, 2008 10:56 pm

My 86 (that I just bought a month ago) has new amc heads and the rest i have no idea, but... it was running at a consistent 3/4 and a little over. I thought that was high and switched to 15/50 mobile 1 and it dropped to between 1/2 and 3/4 (I also may have had too much oil in it before) Then I noticed that the a/c condenser was full of flaking paint and crap. I cleaned those out (got a lot of crap out of there) so the airway isn't as blocked. The radiator is a year old by the way (PO...) Anyway know it takes quite a bit longer to get to 12:00 and in the evenings will run around 11:00, it still gets up to 3/4, but not to often. The fan kicks in on low quite often and kicked in once on hight (ready for lift off, can't miss that sound) after climbing hills for about 15 minutes. That is purely my experience. [/youtube]

Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:01 am

3/4? yikes. my 1980 aircooled barely makes it past 210 degrees on a hot day.
so on a clock that would be around 11. 3/4 seems a bit high to me.

Tue Aug 26, 2008 4:40 am

sounds about norm,i would install lo-temp fan sw & shouldtake care of temp before it gets this hi when u are sitting in line etc.

Tue Aug 26, 2008 11:00 pm

Thanks for the feed back guys. I'm not use to a temp gauge movin so much and I don't kno any other Vanagon or Westy people(yet). My fan kicks on when its hot I didn't kno that their was a high and low fan speed. I'm gonna look into that.

Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:20 am

it sould be just above the red light,about a hair or two.

there are 2 fan speeds.

enjoy the van.......

ps welcome

Wed Aug 27, 2008 3:54 am

If you're running with the original radiator, chances are it's plugged with years of crud. If you don't know if it's been replaced, then it's most likely original and should be (replaced).

I replaced mine about a year ago along with a lower degree fan temp sensor (lower right side of radiator; remove lower front grill to locate). My temp never reaches the red LED; hangs just below it. I'm driving daily in the Texas heat (100 plus F). I also have the air conditioning condensor in front of the radiator. I have idled for over 5 minutes and it never climbs over the LED.

Your temps are too hot, even idling, they should not be 3/4's. Sounds like the radiator is overdue for replacement. About $150.00 to $180.00. Shop the usual vendors.

Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:15 am

krsrns wrote: I've been drivin my van on a regular basis finally over the past few weeks and everything seems ok except when I'm at idle for bout five min or so after it warms up.
When Its warmed up temp reads jus over the red light (bout half way up). Its fine on freeway and in town but when I'm in a drive thru the temp starts to kreep up about 3/4 of the way up. It comes back down after I drive a bit.
Is this normal or is it a warning sign. I am scared to death of over heatin my engine. Any help or advice would be great.

As your temp gauge creeps toward 3/4, but before the fan cuts in, turn on the front heater and fan. If the temp drops, you are probably looking at a clogged radiator.

On the other hand, without the air moving through the radiator (stopped at the drive-thru) the temp will rise to the point where the fan will cut in. That's what it is supposed to do. It's just a little scary cuz the fan is so damn loud.

Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:41 am

I had the same problem for a year or two. I replaced the radiator this year and still had the same problem. The needle was at about 7/8 and if I kick on the heat it would drop just above the light. I bought an IR temp gun and it showed normal temps at the radiator and the thermostat housing (there is a long thread on it somewhere. I plan on installing an aftermarket gauge soon.

My main question is, for those of you who have a normal reading during the summer, if you put the heat on does the needle drop down to 1/4?

I believe my temp gauge is just inaccurate in the scale and may need a resistor like Dogpilot.

Thanks

Wed Aug 27, 2008 9:49 am

hero419 wrote: My main question is, for those of you who have a normal reading during the summer, if you put the heat on does the needle drop down to 1/4?

When my engine is fully warmed up, if I open up the heater valves (front or rear) my temp gauge drops a wee fraction for a minute or so, then returns to its normal location at the right edge of the led. I'm guessing that it is due to the lower temperature coolant in the heater loop circulating past the temp gauge sender.

I've got the analog clock, and my gauge is at the top of the right dial on the dash. The needle stays parked at "one minute past the hour" of the clock unless I'm idling, or stuck in traffic. Then I usually turn on the (defunct) A/C switch to kick in the low speed radiator fan.