'82 diesel conversion. Need to find or patch expansion tank.

Dave Walsh

4th of July got me. Alt. belt went and of course temp gauge wasn't working. Blew a dime size hole in the bottom of expansion tank and need to patch or replace before the best of the summer is thru. Any ideas on how to fix the plastic or find another? Much appreciated...D Shocked

ALIKA T3

danfromsyr · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:21 am Post subject:

Most people have made a change/modification to the 83+ coolant bottle & cap.
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MarkWard · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:37 am Post subject:

Dave, look over at Greaseworks. http://www.greaseworks.com/store/index.php?cPath=24_77 They have updated custom silicone hoses and the updated tank for the diesel. This is the best solution. If money is tight, PM me. I have a used one you can make me an offer on from my 82. mark
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Dave Walsh · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:45 am Post subject:

Jeez, Thanks a lot for all the tip top advice. I'm gonna look into this greeseworks thing cause it is a touchy thing to try to patch back together. Thanks mark and I'll get back.
D

MarkWard · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:53 am Post subject:

Dave, I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but if you overheated the engine, it is very likely you blew the head gasket and possibly warped the head. It does not take much of an overheat to do this. Running without a waterpump, it could have gotten guite hot. You might want to look over here. http://www.vwdieselparts.com/forum There are a lot of VW diesel experts that can guide you. mark
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Dave Walsh · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:03 am Post subject:

Mark, Mine's a scirocco conversion and my hope is that I did not warp the heads. Hard to tell without being able to fill it with water first. I looked at the greaseworks site and it doesn't look like their new parts will match the stock mounting set up that I have. I'd love to get yours if it is available. They're getting around $60 for new (but different) tanks at go westy so I would offer you something like that. Whatever is fair. I'd love to get up and running. Thanks,
Dave

Dave Walsh · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:12 am Post subject:

I just pulled mine and it is totally fried. Rotten out in several places on the bottom. If yours is not in perfect shape Mark, I might have to go for the new Gowesty version and modify the coolant lines. Anyone know if they are the same for the size for the '83 wbx and the 82 diesel?

Vanagonner · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:30 pm Post subject:

If you are not ready to spring for a set of hoses and want a new tank-
I replaced mine with a new WBX tank by cutting the protruding upper hose fitting off of the new tank, then tapping the plastic tank with threads for a brass fitting which yeilds the correct dia. for the old hose. Kind of rinky-dink, but it has worked for me for years.
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Sage
'82 Westy 1.6 D
the mighty n/a

MarkWard · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:34 pm Post subject:

Dave 1600/1700 or the big valve 1800? If you are using an 1800 head, the diesel hose kit should work. Since this is a conversion, you might want to consider adapting a expansion tank from a later model jetta golf. Here is what I did. Look in the far left corner.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Basically I am running the majority of my coolant from the cylinder head to the main pipe running to the radiator inlet. The return from the radiator goes into my thermostat housing. I am using the heater hose circuit that is similar to the scirocco engine. I tied my expansion tank into the heater circuit just like the factory did. The TDI engine has a small hose bib for bleeding. You could probably add a similar hose bib to your outlet on the cylinder head heater port. It works very well. I later added and after market inline radiator filler with a pressure cap where the "T" is center front and ran a hose back to the tank behind the license plate. I can't believe how easy it is to bleed this setup. Just a thought. mark
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Dave Walsh · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:50 pm Post subject:

very nice set-up! I haven't heard back from the greaseworks people yet so I just ordered a '83 tank, what they call and H-pipe and a new cap with the overflow bleeder on the cap vs. tank. I'm not sure that the plastic cap on the new tank will act the same as my existing radiator cap set-up tho. I'll figure out the hose connections. It is a 16valve 1.8 I'm pretty sure. If I did warp my heads I'm gonna get back in touch with you about where you got your TDI. I love that configuration. What did it run you if you don't mind me asking?
Thanks

MarkWard · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 1:01 pm Post subject:

Dave, Cost for a TDI conversion? Priceless. The hard parts had to be purchased. There was no donor car, so factory harnesses, ECU, and sensors had to be purchased in addition to the used engine. A custom transmission was built after the conversion was completed and had a couple long distance trips on it. I did all the fabrication and wiring myself. The 16 valve would be a nice conversion too. From memory the cylinder head coolant outlet is in the middle of the head. You must have had to adapt some of the diesel hoses to work with that engine anyhow. I'd like to see some pictures of your install. Did you have to raise the deck? Was there room for the distributor cap. Stock fuel injection or and aftermarket system. Inquiring minds need to know. mark
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Captain Pike · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 1:03 pm Post subject:

This may work as well

Diesel pipes to 2.1 Tank with various brass fittings.
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LEARN TO SELF RESCUE
59 Panel bus, 1966 Single cab. 73' 181. 73 Westy. 91' H6 Vanagon 3.3L.
.....................All Current.......................

Dave Walsh · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 1:57 pm Post subject:

I think that is what I'm gonna end up doing. thx!

Dave Walsh · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 3:23 pm Post subject:

Here it is Mark. It is a nice set-up. I didn't do it myself but I have done a lot to dial it in cause it wasn't quite right when I got it. Not really much more power than a 2l but a more dependable motor by far...and easy to work on. It has the air-cooled trans-axle. Someone did a nice Job. The deal with the scirocco motor is that it is rotated 15 degrees or something and it fits under the lid just barely. What do you think? I finally talked to grease works and they recommended that I get the '83 tank anyways. Thx. I'm going to look into them if I need a replacement.

Saguache · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 4:50 pm Post subject:

Hey Dave,

I just passed along an expansion tank from and '82 with coolant pipes to Scott Foss of TurboVans.com. Give him a call and see if he can help you out.
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Matt Thyer
http://zenoswagen.wordpress.com/

Captain Pike · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 7:53 pm Post subject:

That is a 50* tilt. Get the hose clamps off the fuel lines and replace them with zip ties.
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LEARN TO SELF RESCUE
59 Panel bus, 1966 Single cab. 73' 181. 73 Westy. 91' H6 Vanagon 3.3L.
.....................All Current.......................

MarkWard · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 6:35 am Post subject:

Looks like a nice fit. A gave the cooling system a lot of though when I did my conversion. A liquid will flow the path of least resistance. I don't know what VW was thinking, but if you look at the hose that comes off of the cylinder head there is a molded 5/8ths to 3/4 inch hose on it. It connects directly to the expansion tank. The other hose that connects to the bottom of the tank is also about the same size to the return of the waterpump.

So, think about the size of the opening of the thermostat and the size of the coolant outlet on the head. Then look at the hose returning to the waterpump from the tank. Which path is the easiest for the coolant to follow? All the way to the front, through the radiator, and all the way back to the waterpump, or this nice convenient short cut to the expansion tank and back? Plumbed this way, you are always bypassing some coolant past the radiator.

I know the system works, but it does not mean it is optimized for your application. The diesel engine had different temp requirements. The Scirocco, had a more passive expansion tank. It was a high spot for filling, but had an 8mm inlet filling it from the top of the radiator. After the bypass on the engine closed, all coolant was forced to the radiator. The way the diesel expansion tank is plumbed from the factory, this is under very high pressure continuosly. It is no wonder it blew out during the overheat.

Doing conversions, it is always easiest to use something that is already made that fits, but may not always be optimal. I realize there are those that won't agree with the above point of view. I am no expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once. mark
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Dave Walsh · Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:00 am Post subject:

I'll look into rerouting things. It was getting a little hot on the slow grinds up hills before any of this happened anyway. I'm going to put it back together the way that it was for the moment to determine if there was any other type of damage to the motor and then reassess. Thanks again for you help. You may not be an expert but we'll leave the light on for you anyway.

D

danfromsyr · Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:52 am Post subject:

RSXSR
the stock Diesel coolant system would have had a flow reducer in that top hose from the head to the expansion bottle.
effectively reducing flow to the capacity of a 5/16" hose

I agree if it was a full 5/8 hose it'd bypass alot of cooling coolant and hinder the Max effeciency.
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'82 diesel conversion. Need to find or patch expansion tank.
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