1970 VW Bus Thermostat? Cold Weather?

[jacobcallaghan]

Hello,

I am currently out in Brekenridge, Colorado and it is cold. I am worried my engine is running way to cold. It rarely gets above 120 oil temp! So my question is does the 1970 1600cc engine have a thermostat and flaps? I cant find much info on it. I know my engine does not currently have one.

Also any other winter cold temp tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Jacob

[70Crew]

From the factory, yes, but they often got removed. If you get to the point where you want to replace them, I was able to purchase everything (flaps, thermostat, connecting rods) from www.awesomepowdercoat.com.
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1970 Crew Cab

[airschooled]

I went through the Rockies twice this year in similar weather. The first time was with really thick oil, and the second time was with really thin oil. Interestingly enough, the car started, warmed up, and sounded WAY better with the thinner oil. Make sure you're following VW's oil recommendations for the climate if you can.

Just tooling around Breckenridge, your temps don't sound catastrophic, considering the following chart was made for the Australia desert. (Ambients have a HUGE affect on oil temperature.) Get out there and climb a pass or two. Vail has a nice second gear interstate climb and a German beer garden with free parking in the shoulder season. That will burn off any moisture left in your oil!

Robbie

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[Wildthings]

In Colorado I would be using something like a 5w40, 0w30, or 0w40 oil during the winter months.

Yes you need to find all the parts and piece that make the thermostat system work. You can feel around to the front of the fan shroud to see if the levers and rods for the flaps are there or not. Much bigger job is they have been removed and you need to pull the engine and shroud to replace them.

[SGKent]

the engine oil should be around 160F once you drive it 10 - 5 minutes. Follow VW's recommended oil viscosity. My instinct tells me that 10W - 30 would be a good all round oil for town and highway driving but maybe 5W - 20, or 5W - 30 if the engine is tight is good too. Just watch your oil pressure to be sure it stays in an acceptable range. You can also consider a block heater or heated garage. No gunning it until it warms up. Sunday will be a low of 7F and a high of 32F. You really need to be sure you have a working thermostat in that kind of temps to stabilize the oil temps once the engine warms up. One thing you don't need is moisture in the oil from condensate if the engine never warms up.

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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[Mispeld]

I had a type 3 fastback when i lived in New Hampshire many years ago that had a bad thermostat. A rod bearing went bad due to oil being thinned with fuel from the engine not getting hot enough.

That's what the guy who rebuilt the motor for me said.
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Tom
1977 Westy. 2.0 Fuel Injected.

[airschooled]

[Wildthings]

[timvw7476]

Gas was used to thin oil for aviation radials too.
But the gas evaporated when the engine temp went up,of course.
No thermostat, no good oil temp, no gas evaporation.

[Abscate]

[Jeff Geisen]

Any ACVW needs to have a working thermostat and flaps regardless of geographic location or ambient temps. Period. Don’t really care what anyone else says or thinks.
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I Corinthians 4: 1 thru 5

‘63 ragtop - ‘68 single cab

[Buggeee]

[Wildthings]

[Mispeld]

X3! I'm still haunted an paranoid about thermostats after my fastback incident. But back then it cost me $450 for a rebuild. And my luck... my bus is missing the thermostat, bracket and cable. Stuff I still need to source before I really run it. And tires too. And (insert here).

Air cooled or not, engines need proper temps.
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Tom
1977 Westy. 2.0 Fuel Injected.