71 Bus overheating and shutting down - need help...

[scrabbley]

I just bought a stock 71 bus (1600 motor) and drove it home 200 miles. It only overheated and shut down twice in some not so good areas on the highway. What steps can I take to cool this bus down? The tin looks like its got some big gaps in it. And the heater boxes are rusted away which I think is letting some heat rise up to the engine. So I think I will address those problems first. Do you think this alone will solve my problems? But what about a new oil cooler? Will that help? Can I do anything else to keep this bus cool? Suggestions will greatly be appreciated.

[llamas1]

I'm also a new 71 Bus owner of a few months. I think that sealing the engine compartment is a must.

If you havent already done it replace your plugs, plug wires and change your oil. Also degrease the bottom of your engine & oil pan. It's a good place to start.

I had a plug wiggle loose on me a couple weeks ago while driving to Austin. It was still firing but pumping heat into the engine compartment.
I was running very hot that day. Didn't realize til i got there what was causing it.

[regalasr]

I got the same year and engine as you. Set the ignition timing and valve clearances. Make sure you have the proper spark plugs. Check the fan belt and pully for proper tension. Make sure you have all the engine tin pieces in place (search on this site and the Type2 site for diagrams). Set the carburation. If you are running lean, that will make the engine run hot.

I bet you are also missing many of the cheese head screws that hold the tin together and the pre-heater hose hole in the tin is open and you are missing most of the rubber seal around the perimiter of the engine. Mine was in that condition. You can get a pack of the cheese head screws at the local VW parts house. Plug the hole in the tin where the pre-heater hose is supposed to be with either the missing pre-heater connection or go to Home Depot and get a 2" (I think) galvanized bathroom sink hole plug thingie. Get yourself a new engine seal. Pull the bumper and apron and you can replace the engine seal in a '71 without dropping the engine. That can be an all day job if the bumper bolts are rusted together and the channel that the seal goes into is pinched (you wil have to bend out the channel so the seal can slide in, lube everything up first with KY jelly).

Don't drive the bus until you take care of the above or you are sure to cook the engine, if you already haven't. Do a test drive and stop the bus every couple miles. Grab the dipstick, if it feels too hot to handle, back to the drawing board.

[shiningstar76]

In a nut-shell, seal the engine compartment well, and check to make sure that all of your cooling tin is there. That preheater hose that goes from the oil bath to a hole in the engine tin near the apron is usually missing. replace it or cover the hole. get creative if you have to until you can collect all of the missing pieces........

[llamas1]

Speaking of the preheater tube from the oil bath to the apron. I was wanting to plug it up. At a glance it looks like a tennis ball would work
until I could fab something permanant.

[regalasr]

Measure the pre-heater hole, then go to Home Depot plumbing section and purchase the metal sink plug thing. It costs like $1. It has little tabs running along the circumference. You bend back the tabs to hold it in place. It is galvanized metal so you can paint it black to match the tin, it looks like it belongs there.

[crofty]

Why not just replace the hose(s), it's not like they are expensive or anything.

Post a pic of your engine it might help us with our ideas!
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[vwsrus]

I've seen people leave out large sections of cooling tin and not over heat. Plugging all the holes is a good start, but from the discription of the engine (rusty heater boxes, missing tin, etc.), I'd say either this bus sat for a long time before you bought it or the previous owner didn't take care of it. My point is coming. Change the oil. Is the oil screen clean? A gummed up oil screen will result in low oil pressure and lead into overheating. It's also possible that if it sat, a rodent made a nest in the fan cage. This will block the oil cooler.(Doh!)

It would be worth the investment of an oil pressure gauge. As would an oil temp. gauge. I'd find out how much oil pressure your working with first. You should have areound 60 psi when starting it or during engine revs. 20 is good while idleing. Let us know what you come up with.

[llamas1]

All my tubing is new. I just don't have the tubing from the oil bath to apron installed. I live in Texas, don't have a need for warming up the carb.

[Mr. Electric Wizard]

[AlohaMyFriend]

@regalasr or anybody else.
How would I know if my carb is running clean?
My engine is also overheating. My fan shrouds are plugged up & my heater is disconnected & I've been driving the Bus with oil to the line.
Could any or all of these be factors to making it over heat?
Thanks.

[Wildthings]

Have your set your valves? Is your engine well tuned up with the timing set at 28° BTDC @ 3500+ rpms, hoses off? Is all your tin there and in good condition and the engine compartment gasket like new? Why do you think your engine is overheating? What symptoms are you having?

Some particulars on your bus would be nice, like the year, the type of carburetion, and any power train modifications. Let us see some photos of your engine.

[vincesco]

it sounded like you were asking about a remote cooler... Not sure if this is the case but if so, I would say try that after everything else checks out. I just did mine and am a fan of it.
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[AlohaMyFriend]

Here are some pics. I recently got my Bus worked on. He change the fan, did the valves, sealed up exhaust leaks, and timed it 32 before top dead center. I still need to change the oil & spark plugs.
My Bus is a 71 with 34 pict-3 carb.
Symptoms I noticed are the Bus is hesitant & putty taking off in 1st and it seems more hotter and oil burning smell on short distance drives.
The Bus is way noticeably quieter than before it was worked on, I never knew it can be so quite. I feel it may be too quite and the carb is burning clean and I'm not getting enough fan power. I was also told in the past that it should be timed at 10 before top dead center.
I'm looking to get a temperature gauge. Which type & model do you recommend?
Thanks for all your help.

[Wildthings]

At what rpm did he set the timing? 32° BTDC at 3500+ rpm with the hoses off would not be too bad. If set it at 32° BTDC at idle then it would be way advanced. You need to learn how to do this yourself. Most mechanics today don't know anymore about setting the timing then you do even if you have never done it before, and for what you paid to have it done once you could have bought a cheapy timing light from Sears.

To set your timing at idle you need to know what distributor you have and if everything is working correctly or not. Setting you timing at full mechanical advance eliminate as lot of variable caused by old worn or wrong parts.

[AlohaMyFriend]

How do I find out what kind of distributor I have? & do you think this is a good timing light to get http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/pts/3058233552.html ?
I also have an electronic ignition.

[bsairhead]

Plug up your breast plate holes.

[aryue]

Yes, the Craftsman timing light will do.

[CBRUNO]

I would check under the fan shroud,on top of the cylinders, and around the oil cooler, for a rodent nest, this is a common problem if the vehicle has been sitting idle for some period of time and will cause a severe overheating problem.

[rippofunk]

your missing the engine compartment seal. look in the picture of the 1-2 side from below, i can see the firewall.
without the seal the only thing that might keep it cool is add a radiator and water jackets.
a link to a seal kit http://goo.gl/5ebFc