Re: 1978 Westfalia Camper Some updates on the Westfalia:
We haven't really driven the van much since we got back from Mahableshwar, just some small drives on the weekend, and a team-bhp classic car meet last month.
Some used parts we had ordered online (from bustedbus.com) arrived about a week ago:
A orignal Westfalia interior light which was missing. The piece of tin that surrounds the alternator (this is supposed to be a part of the original engine tin but was missing). And the cooling flaps which are supposed to be inside the engine tin.
We installed the light yesterday, here's the before and after pics:
The cooling flaps on a VW Type-4 engine are located in the engine-tin/fan shroud, originally they are connected to a thermostat which is supposed to be at the bottom right of the engine. When the thermostat is cold, the flaps are closed and restrict airflow over the cylinder heads to allow the engine to warm up properly. Most aircooled VW's in India have had this system removed as people think it's not needed for our warm climate(which is not entirely true but not such a big deal on a Type-1/2 'upright' engine), but on a Type-4 engine like this the left side flap is also designed to direct air to the oil cooler when open, therefore when the flap is missing, the oil cooler does not get sufficient air flow.
More info on this here: Thermostats Explained
One more link: The Air-Cooled Thermostat Explained
We plan to either just put the flaps on in the open position, OR may be try to find a thermostat, get the bracket, cable etc and reinstall the full system.
After doing a bit of research online i found that while the engine will run all right even without the thermostat if the flaps are in place in the open position. It would still be better to have the thermostat reinstalled as it would result in slightly less engine wear.
Last edited by RandomUsername : 3rd February 2012 at 23:03.
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