'Let's Go! Scotland-Croatia and onwards in our Kombi!'

[Tcash]

If this is will work with your gauge. This replaces the plug.
VDO-323-064 - 323064 - 300F DEGREE OIL TEMP SENDER M18 X 1.5-WILL FIT VW OIL RELIEF GALLEY
http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VDO-323-064

Good luck
Tcash

I would say 14-18 ft lbs. Start at 14.

[1970fun]

I'm very curious Phil if the new oil and the longer spring can cure you's symptoms?

[mcdonaldneal]

[TDCTDI]

[mcdonaldneal]

I seem to have an amazing capacity to turn a half hour job like changing the oil into a three day marathon!
Admittedly, I have had to work out how to check the pressure relief spring tension, order a new spring and crush washer, order the wrong kind of oil, realise I don't have a drain plug crush washer, as I have a M14 drain plug, order one and remove and reinstall the thermostat, but even so, it shouldn't have taken so long!
Today, I calibrated my oil temp sender in a boiling kettle, and it's pretty close. I cleaned it beforehand, but it took a while to rinse the residual oil out of the kettle !
I decided to gently torque the sensor drain plug to Tcash's 14 ft lbs, which seemed fine.
The final straw was that the can of 10W30 that I thought was full, was only 2/3 full. I could try a mixture again, but I know we would all be happier if I ordered another can. So I have!

_________________
1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[Abscate]

Phil...cat question..

Can you leave a Fluffy in the Bus with the top,up,to stay cool for an afternoon or will it get too hot?
_________________
.ssS!

[mcdonaldneal]

[Abscate]

It's easy to figure out Fluff is a family member and you take great care of her! Our cats stay home but we do have two dogs -the time are too big to leave in car for any time though. We have similar laws in many states , by the way.
_________________
.ssS!

[mcdonaldneal]

So, life got in the way for a couple of weeks!
I had to wait for the 10W30 oil and the drain plug crush washer to arrive, but I have now changed the oil, including the oil in the filter. The filter was very new, so I emptied it of the old oil and refilled it. The thermostat has been refitted.
I drove the 'test route' again. The outside temperature was similar to last time, about 16degC. A mixture of hard driving on hilly dual carriageway at 70mph, roundabouts to accelerate away from and some steeper hills.
I have entered the new figures in bold below and, to be honest, I would say there is very little difference. The oil pressure readings are definitely lower (although when the gauge reads barely zero, the oil light is still not lit) and the temperature readings are very similar (although the 'save my bus' light came on less, only really flickering on the hills at the end).
The dash temperature gauge readings are fractionally higher, if anything. It might be that the connection is better, as it was connected/disconnected a few times and cleaned for calibration in boiling water.

My plan is to stick with the 10W30 for now, and see how things go. Our general driving though doesn't have the long motorway stretches that have caused the high temperatures in the past. I'm sure it's 'normal' for a camper bus engine to work pretty hard, and I'll still use the 'save my bus' light as a signal to ease off when it lights up. That corresponds to about 225F, which I don't believe is damaging. If I want to address the 'problem' further, the next step I can think of is to clean the oil cooler... I'm not there yet!

Cold start:
Time to oil light off, 5sec
Time to stable oil pressure, 12sec I couldn't replicate this, as the bus takes a bit of cranking to start when it has sat for 2 weeks!
Idle pressure, 35psi 38psi

Oil pressure under power with engine cold, 58psi (approx) 58psi

Gentle driving until temp coming up, then quite hard driving. Hills and 70mph on dual carriageway. Bus has Automatic transmission.

Time to reach 100degC (212F) on gauge, about 18 min 14 min. Maybe this is because the thermostat flaps are working now!?

First stop point:
Oil press at 70mph, 38psi 35psi
Temp gauge, 105C (221F) 110c (230F)
Oil filter temp 102C (215F) 102/215
Idle pressure, 12psi approx 4psi

Second stop:
Oil pressure uphill at 55mph, 35psi 30psi
Temp gauge, 110C (230F) *Save my bus warning light flickering 115/240
Oil filter temp, 112.5C (235F) 115/240
Idle pressure, 8psi approx 4psi

Third stop:
Oil pressure uphill at 55mph, 30psi 25psi
Temp gauge, 115C (240F) *save my bus flickering more strongly 115/240
Oil filter temp, 112.5C (235F) 118/244 (!)
Idle pressure, 7psi approx 1psi (oil light NOT lit)[/b]
_________________
1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[mcdonaldneal]

For info, here is a clip of the Kombi starting up from cold this morning. (No throttle after the single push to set the choke). It takes about 5sec for the oil light to go out and about 10sec to build oil pressure at idle.
Maybe I've not paid enough attention before, but this seems longer than I would expect. Can anyone compare with their own experience with a type 4 engine?


Link

_________________
1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[mcdonaldneal]

Changing subject from the engine!...

I washed the flies from the Kombi this morning and, instead of waxing the paint, I thought I would have a look at the rust spot I had noticed where the pop-top contacts the metalwork of the roof. It is 'protected' by a fabric strip, which I guess over time has held water and dirt (plenty of dirt!) and started to rust.
So far, I have peeled the fabric off, and I am cleaning up to expose the problem. There is certainly a trail of rust spots. I don't know how deep. I think I will drill out the rivets that hold on the awning rail so that I can get the best access.
My plan then is to grind off the rust, and if it is not too deep, to paint over with a rust treatment paint. If it is deep... I don't want to think about that yet.

_________________
1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[mcdonaldneal]

Sigh.

This doesn't look good. I didn't think it would, but as I clean up the roof gutter, the horror reveals itself...

_________________
1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[Spike0180]

Get out the wire wheel. Can't tell how deep it goes till you get rid of the rust on top. Good luck.
_________________
Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp

Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic"

[mcdonaldneal]

A few hours with wire brushes on a dremel, sandpaper and a small grinding stone has cleaned up the rust a fair bit. Sadly, there are a couple of pinholes through the metal. I don't know much about bodywork but I'm guessing that really needs to be cut out and welded. Because of where that is, I'm thinking it will be a major undertaking. Would it be out of the question to buy time by painting it with rust treatment paint? I know it doesn't solve the problem but maybe it will give me a bit of time before it needs the roof taking off?

_________________
1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[Spike0180]

Get out an angle grinder, or spend more time with your wire wheel. You have to get it to where the metal is shinny. Like new. Then look into treating it and seeing what you have to work with. I would think that you can probably delay that for a while before welding as long as you know it is a temporary fix and will need addressed in the near future, it is only going to get worse without replacing the metal.
_________________
Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp

Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic"

[1970fun]

Mmm... not very nice Phil, but i'm sure if you treat it right it can wait until the winter sets in.
And if it is all fixed and painted then i would use 3m paint protection film for rubbing protection of the roof.
Don't use that water trap cloth type again.

[mcdonaldneal]

Thanks both for the advice.
To be honest, I'm a bit despondent. This is worse than any rust I've treated before and it's really difficult to find a Bodyshop locally that can deal with the work. The guy I have used before is winding up his business and might not be keen to take it on. I can see that if the pop-top needs to come off there's a whole new level of complexity .
Anyhow, I'm ploughing on with the tools and skills I have at my disposal . I don't have a great selection of grinding wheels, and it's a pretty confined space to get in to. I ended up using a rough grinding pad on an electric drill, which has done quite well. I realise I will need to take a wider margin, but I am being cautious at the moment. I am seeing bare metal and there are four areas with pinholes right through. I guess I need to take it a little deeper?
Any suggestions for what type of grinder disc would work best here?

_________________
1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[Abscate]

Phil...stop right there , treat it with POR, primer and paint

That will buy you 5 years or more. Remember , you can keep that area dry, which is the key.

Don't let that stop you on your trips!!
_________________
.ssS!

[Spike0180]

[mcdonaldneal]

It's been a pretty wet week here in Scotland and my garage isn't tall enough to work on the roof inside. Today was the first dry day, so I drove out into the sun.
Ideally, I would prep and treat the inside of the panel where the rust is but, after exposing various layers of hammock, vinyl and laminate I discovered that there is a secondary skin panel between the outer roof and the inside which makes it impossible to access. The last pic in this set shows the screw holding down the vinyl top which appears on the inside.

This left me a bit of a dilemma. By definition any repair at this stage is temporary, especially as I can only treat one side. POR is a good, tough, rust covering paint but not UV stable. I was going to use a grey, general rust treatment paint but I made a last minute decision (against some trusted advice) to go with the POR and to paint over the top of it, which you can do once it has cured.
My last task was to remove the aluminium awning strip, which was attached with weird rivets that couldn't be drilled through, so I just drilled the top off instead!
Plenty of flash rust had formed during the week but I cleaned it off, prepared with phosphoric acid, dried thoroughly and painted with black POR. It looks cosmetically horrible at this stage but will actually be covered by paint eventually, and is mostly covered by the pop-top roof.

I can't know if I've done the right thing here, but the main goal is to slow down the rust progression. I'm hoping once it's painted and the holes filled it will have bought me time.

_________________
1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!