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On 13 Nov 97, James Kramer wrote:
> 1) COOLING: I know a well-maintained flat four will withstand hot weather
> driving, but I've heard that the tight fittings around the T3 pancake
> design make cooling more of a problem. Any comments? This car will be for
> regular driving in the tropical climate of Queensland, Australia. What
> things can be done to keep the engine running cooler?
These engines have no trouble with cooling as long as all the
important cooling parts are in place and in good condition. Common
problems are caused by cracked, poorly installed, or missing intake
cooling air bellows, allowing the engine to suck in warm/hot air
from around the engine to cool itself, and from missing sheet tin or
air seals, such as the small tin parts and rubber seals around the
spark plug connectors, allowing a lot of cooling air to leak out
before it has finished doing it's whole job.
> 2) A/C: Related to the last comment, just how much of a monstrous thing
> would it be to install A/C in a squareback? Would the extra strain on the
> engine be just be tempting overheating fate? Or does anyone have advice
> for how this can be done effectively? For that matter, ARE there any
> practical aftermarket A/C solutions? I know it was a rare option...maybe
> modern compressors can handle the job in some managable manner?
As you may have seen, I have been quite willing to express my dislike
of the AC as implemented on the type 3s. This was not a factory
option, rather it was installed by the dealers on a car that had not
been designed for it.
IMHO, the worst part is the butchering necessary to install the drive
belt for the compressor. This leaves a large hole where hot engine
air will get sucked in. Exactly what I warned against above. There
is also the fact that the air cleaner never gets a chance to do a
good job again and will also suck in hot air. The extra load on the
engine is not a BIG issue, but shouldn't be ignored especially in the
face of the reduced cooling efficiency.
Sorry this is just not the news you wanted to hear. In spite of the
fact that it gets over 100F where I live, I would choose better heat
if I could.
Jim
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Melissa Kepner Jim Adney
Laura Kepner-Adney
jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin
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