A survey... how hot are you?

[djkeev]

I've noticed in my 1990 tintop that the rear area above the engine is hot!
How hot?
92°-120° hot! On the metal around the engine cover.
This translates into hot air entering the A/C Evaporator resulting in less than frigid air out of the A/C ducts.
An good working A/C can only reduce heat by 30-40 degrees F . My 89° degree intake air comes out at 49°
Whereas 67° intake air would come out at 37°.

I'm not running with a mattress so I put it in.
The temperature dropped but a degree or two......
the mattress is not an insulator.

So I wonder, how hot is it in the rear of your Van above the engine?

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[Red Ryder]

Haven’t checked the temp above the engine cover on mine, but a layer of foil-sided insulation used for household HVAC installs placed might help. How is your rubber gasket seal under the edges of the engine cover?

Gasket is fine, the metal above the engine is radiating 120° F heat.

Dave
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“Most everyone’s mad here. You may have noticed I am not quite all there myself.” — Cheshire Cat, Adventures of Alice in Wonderland

“Scarlett” — 1990 Vanagon Carat Wolfsburg Edition
Tornado Red

[Captain Pike]

We talkin body fat BTU's?
Do you still have the deflectors?
Come see my skunkworks yo.
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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.......................

[Zeitgeist 13]

Random chicks used to be into me, but now I'm fat and grey. I'm not hot. At. All.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[skills@eurocarsplus]

when i was dialing in my conversion i ran without the mattress for a while.

fiberglass lid (although i have a steel one) after some highway time it was around ambient or on that day about 85*

BUT

i eliminated 87 feet off miserable vw coolant hoses AND my exhaust is such that it isn't in the engine bay at all

i did not find it offensive but it did get some heat soak at shut down, what that number was i can't tell you but i'd be happy to laser it next trip out
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[AndyBees]

As part of dampening the noise from the TDI engine, I had a piece of aluminized foil coated (both sides) foam sown to the bottom of the OE padding that come in my 84 Vanagon. That addition, as well as the other stuff I did for acoustics seems to have reduced heat in that area. But, without before and after temps, I cannot say how much those mods helped.
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'84 Vanagon Tin-top, ALH TDI. 1989 Tin-top
1983 Air-cool, 225k miles, 180k miles mine. Seven trips to Alaska from 1986 thru 2003.

[DuncanS]

At night the mattress is slightly warm, but not hot: maybe because it's two layers of 3" folded over. Try some 2" foil backed urethane foam and see what the measurements are. Part of the problem of the T3 is there is no way to get the back half of the cabin open. The slider and DS side sliding windows stop only about 40% of the way back. 60% is dead air space.. The back gets incredibly stuffy at night even with all the other windows screened and open. That's why idid this:

From the outside half way down.

And from the inside, closed.

[Captain Pike]

[Vanagon Nut]

"So I wonder, how hot is it in the rear of your Van above the engine? "

Not hot enough to melt the "canary in the coal mine" piece of Gorilla duct tape at hole I had to carve out to allow my ABA engine intake to clear.

I got in the habit of opening the license plate door or removing engine cover when arriving to a camp ground on a hot summers' day. Propping up the bed cushion as a heat blocker to interior helps.

Neil.
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1981 Westy DIY 15º ABA

1988 West DIY 50º ABA

VE7TBN

[Vanagon Nut]

[Robw_z]

I put a metal engine cover with very thick factory insulation from a diesel Vanagon into my van with a WBX.

No idea if it's cooler, probably even warmer due to it being metal, but it is the most effective sound deadening mod I've ever done to a vehicle. No need to pretend you hear a difference, you hear a difference.

Cool story bro, move along...

-Rob

PS: According to heat transfer principles, you cannot directly insulate against a constant heat source, only delay the transfer. But you can redirect the heat, so if not just for fun entertain the idea of cutting heat vents on either side of your license plate.

[leecat]

Eggscuze me...but am I seeing things, or is that a REAR SIDE, horizontally opening window in your van, DuncanS?? How the bleeping bleep? If that's what it is, that is one fascinating mod I would love to copy...I am just abrim with questions.

[do.dah]

YEAH!! ME TOO!! What is up with your rear windows?!?! That just seems like a rocken cool deal!

On the other hand, pertaining to this thread,, I quite like the heat soak from the engine,, on those cold nites. No idea of the temps, but, man,, there are times I would LOVE for more heat.

[DuncanS]

I'll start a topic on it called: "Rear drop opening window". Just so you know, there is no exhaust entry from the "station wagon effect". And it really cleans out the dead air zone, either at speed or while camping. I'm converting the other side to a slider as well. There is no room for a drop window there as the sliding door track intrudes into the space needed for that.

Duncan