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panel
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 12:01 am    Post subject: Stainless steel coolant pipes? Reply with quote

Just wondered who is using stainless steel coolant pips? I see the RJES guy is against it.

http://www.rjes.com/html/material_choice.html
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syncrodoka
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 12:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lots of people are and have. I have been running them for 5+ years.
There is a bunch of info on it if you look around, a single example from the FAQ- http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=396063
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panel
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 12:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

thx
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syncrodoka
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 12:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

RMW offers a aluminum version if that is the way you want to go.
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insyncro
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 8:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

syncrodoka wrote:
RMW offers a aluminum version if that is the way you want to go.


Idea Wink
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malibu
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 8:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Im sure this has been asked before....why would you want aluminum over stainless? Wouldnt the harder stainless be better under the van?
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Crankey
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 8:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I decided it was more of an issue with VW magnesium alloy, but not so much with aluminum.

I did think about the aluminum vs stainless durability...but they have been just plastic for over 25 years w/o a problem. usually aluminum cracks when it's bent too much...at least more than stainless.
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Jake de Villiers
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 9:17 am    Post subject: Re: Stainless steel coolant pipes? Reply with quote

panel wrote:
Just wondered who is using stainless steel coolant pips? I see the RJES guy is against it.

http://www.rjes.com/html/material_choice.html


That's a really good technical explanation of why you shouldn't use stainless or copper in your cooling system. Should be required reading for Vanagon mechanics.
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dobryan
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 9:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have rubber inner tube pieces wrapped around my SS pipes at all points that could contact the body. Should be mostly electrically isolated from the engine that way. And flush coolant every two years too.
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bluebus86
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 9:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dobryan wrote:
I have rubber inner tube pieces wrapped around my SS pipes at all points that could contact the body. Should be mostly electrically isolated from the engine that way. And flush coolant every two years too.


not if the coolant is conductive, then it aint electrically isolated from the engine.
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PDXWesty
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

PLEASE - NOT THIS AGAIN!

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=436144

Read the 13 pages of arguments in the post above. It doesn't need to be rehashed yet again...

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bluebus86
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:10 am    Post subject: Re: Stainless steel coolant pipes? Reply with quote

Jake de Villiers wrote:
panel wrote:
Just wondered who is using stainless steel coolant pips? I see the RJES guy is against it.

http://www.rjes.com/html/material_choice.html


That's a really good technical explanation of why you shouldn't use stainless or copper in your cooling system. Should be required reading for Vanagon mechanics.



I read the linked page, it talks about corrosion and states copper is a bad choice for use in the cooling system. I guess VW never got that notice, My original Vanagon radiator is COPPER. Yes i know later ones are aluminum, but mine ran fine for 20+ years with that copper radiator.

Becuase the radiator was copper and lasted so long, I would have no hesitation to use copper elsewhere in my van without fear of corrosion.


Note as near as I can tell it was just after 1986 that the radiators become made of aluminum on the vanagons. Replacement ones are aluminum.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

syncrodoka wrote:
Lots of people are and have. I have been running them for 5+ years.
There is a bunch of info on it if you look around, a single example from the FAQ- http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=396063


Let us move on from this discussion.... We have beat it to death in previous threads.
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Terry Kay
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Amen to that.

Funny thing---

If in fact the stainless was harmful to a Vanagons cooling sytem & engine, why in the heck do all of the major distributor's of the pipes (me too) offer stainless only?

Old wives tale.

And the only reason aluminum pipes from RMW were offered in the first place is that you guys talked yourselves into that.
They accomodated just a few wild men--
Opportunity was knocking--ringing their door bell.
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insyncro
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Terry Kay wrote:
Amen to that.

Funny thing---

If in fact the stainless was harmful to a Vanagons cooling sytem & engine, why in the heck do all of the major distributor's of the pipes (me too) offer stainless only?

Old wives tale.

And the only reason aluminum pipes from RMW were offered in the first place is that you guys talked yourselves into that.
They accomodated just a few wild men--
Opportunity was knocking--ringing their door bell.


I'd be curious to know the percentage RMW sells...aluminum vs stainless?

Care too share Mike?

I would venture to guess 10 to 1 stainless to aluminum.
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Terry Kay
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

And just for the heck of it, I do check my anti freeze at least once / twice a year for corrosive activity.

Seeing as I was numero uno in having the stainless relacement pipes in a Vanagon.

I think that was 15--16 years ago.

Ya know what I have found detremental to my engine in the coolant?

Zip,Nada, Nothing.

But--I do change my ant freeze every two years--period.
No questions asked.

The tubing is basiclly hung under the van between two rubber hoses on each tube.
The cross member passage & the hanger's could very well be insulated real easy from any possibe grounding situtation, if a guy was worried to death regarding this unwarrated crazy magical engine corrosive phenomna--that somebody dreamed about one night & posted all about it.
Nuts.

I'd be more concerned about dumping the coolant in a regular, timely manner than stainless melting my engine.

And I do know folks side step this maintainence --often.
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theDrew
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 11:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh not this debate again! I thought this was put to rest!
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 11:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am using aluminum pipes from RMW. Close to 2 years now. Everything still nice and clean. No pitting I can see when I opened it up for a minor fix.

This is truly not an old wives tale. I have seen plenty of eaten out aluminum heads in my time. If you mix and match metals with different potentials you are going to get current flow. You must minimize this. Using aluminum pipes is a way to get a step closer.

As stated elsewhere I have old cars with custom stainless pipes. Unless we use zinc anodes in those cars, we have issues in a few years. It is a problem in Vanagons to add something like a Neutrarod which goes under the radiator cap because it does not ground. But you can add into a cooling pipe like the Burley pipe I use.

I am sure that the stainless pipes are just fine for several years. Just do not whine later when you find you have leaks because your heads have pits eaten in them.
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r39o
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 11:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

theDrew wrote:
Oh not this debate again! I thought this was put to rest!

Tempted, so tempted to lock....but hey, I am in the debate too, so it would be poor form. Smile Smile Smile
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Terry Kay
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 11:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Poor Form Bobby?

Naw--Just do as I say--not as I do---
LOL.

I know I have mentioned this somewhere in one of my rants--
And because I was my own test unit--
Plus the hundreds of folks I have manfactured the pipes for--eons before the other guys got into the act.

No-body , anywhere, at any time has reported any unusual electroletical meltitus..
And it's been an awfully long time---

And, again, if they were really that a bad of deal, I'm sure the rest of the supplier's wouldn't want to be purveying them.
Especailly the Van-Cafe who are top shelf, & very informed guys.

It's OK you can sleep better at night thinking your water jackets aren't melting with them aluminum pipes.
Whatever trips your trigger.

I just am cofident that it's a slight over reaction to some hype posted on the internet.

Do you know that Pamela Anderson is really a guy in drag?

I just read that on the internet--must be true.


Laughing
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Last edited by Terry Kay on Mon Dec 03, 2012 11:21 pm; edited 1 time in total
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