Poor Chloe, Sentenced To Death . . .

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Amskeptic
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Poor Chloe, Sentenced To Death . . .

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Jul 17, 2013 12:04 am

. . . Valley.

I offered to forgo such trials, but Chloe passed today's brutal test with bovine equinamity.
Here's our hill climb out of Bullhead City, hard to see because of all of this stupid MOISTURE in the stupid air on this stupid planet:
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Did I KNOW it was 106* as I flogged this poor cow up the hill? No WAY. I just fussed and adjusted and fooled around trying to get the CHTs to Death Valley Acceptable. These pictures were shot on lovely AZ 168 West into Nevada:
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The humidity was fooling with my own air-cooling system, but the stark beauty out in the middle of these wild rock lands was how do you say . . . fetching?
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The hill climbs were brutal on 168. From 600 feet elevation crossing the Colorado River to 3670 feet on some pass or another. Even in 3rd gear mellow 40mph @ 3,500 rpm, the head temps inexorably increased to 404*, then 408*, oh no 410* to I AM NOT LIFTING OFF 415*followed by a pull over to go play with the stupid timing again and the stupid carburetor would get slammed with heat-soak so fast that I could not adjust the fuel mixture in time! it would start percolating rich droplets that would hide my lean drop-off point.
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My own fat drop-off point was looming, ready to pass out in the dizzying shimmering waves of baking heat off the hot sands, yelling at little scrubby bushes that had enough to deal with, "you're no shade!"
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Here's the Fanbelt Change-Out Spot, a blistering hot path where I had to wring out perspiration from the few motley articles of clothing left clinging to me:
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Fortunately, the new fan allows the higher generator speeds without coursing vibration. Back onto the test track once more:
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The journey from Searchlight to Boulder City was the supreme test. Flat-out for as far as the eye could see up up up to Boulder City's main street at 5:00PM, the day's temperature peak, and Chloe's little Dakota said "404*". Good enough for Death Valley on Friday. Expected high will be 123* at 4:00PM.

Took a walk and a sunset shot over the Big O Tire Store:
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It is now five minutes past midnight, and 99* out. That is why I am still typing away, there is no way I can sleep. Tomorrow, we'll see if that poor piano has a note left to share. My brother is expected at 4:00PM.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Sylvester
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Re: Poor Chloe, Sentenced To Death . . .

Post by Sylvester » Wed Jul 17, 2013 11:11 am

I always wanted to challenge Death Valley in the Bus, but not without a fine tuned engine and Colin on the speed dial! That looks as brutal as Afghanistan was, funny thing it looks like there is more green there with you Colin.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue, I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace. Where never lark, or even eagle flew. And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod, The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

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Re: Poor Chloe, Sentenced To Death . . .

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Jul 17, 2013 12:31 pm

Sylvester wrote:I always wanted to challenge Death Valley in the Bus, but not without a fine tuned engine and Colin on the speed dial! That looks as brutal as Afghanistan was, funny thing it looks like there is more green there with you Colin.
Not a stick of live vegetation here in North Las Vegas on the approach to Pahrump. You can kick a bush and it explodes into fine kindling.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Poor Chloe, Sentenced To Death . . .

Post by airkooledchris » Wed Jul 17, 2013 12:42 pm

I took my 76 Westy through the Mohave desert back when I didn't know a thing about these busses. We installed one of those Gene Berg dipstick senders so it would flicker the oil pressure idiot light when it started getting really hot - which forced us to drive around 55MPH the whole time. The posted speed limit was 75 which made for some pretty aggressive passing along the way, but we never had a hiccup or stumble at any point.

It's funny how the more you know the more you worry about these things. =)
1979 California Transporter

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Re: Poor Chloe, Sentenced To Death . . .

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Jul 17, 2013 12:48 pm

airkooledchris wrote:I took my 76 Westy through the Mohave desert back when I didn't know a thing about these busses. We installed one of those Gene Berg dipstick senders so it would flicker the oil pressure idiot light when it started getting really hot - which forced us to drive around 55MPH the whole time. The posted speed limit was 75 which made for some pretty aggressive passing along the way, but we never had a hiccup or stumble at any point.

It's funny how the more you know the more you worry about these things. =)
Chloe has bitten me a few times at gas stops, so I just don't check the oil any more.
Problem solved.
:pirate:

(because the oil smells fine)
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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sped372
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Re: Poor Chloe, Sentenced To Death . . .

Post by sped372 » Wed Jul 17, 2013 1:08 pm

When we were out that way we tried to do the bulk of our driving early and late to avoid the heat, I can't imagine seeking it out! Hope you have plenty of water along.

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1984 Westfalia - 1.9 WBX

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hambone
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Re: Poor Chloe, Sentenced To Death . . .

Post by hambone » Wed Jul 17, 2013 5:14 pm

Thread title sucks! Don't do that.
I'm sure your average VW owner back then didn't futz so much on long trips. Set it and forget it. Maybe they like a little abuse. Buses too.
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Re: Poor Chloe, Sentenced To Death . . .

Post by Lanval » Wed Jul 17, 2013 11:51 pm

A reminder of my own ventures through purgatory with an air cooled:

"I have a confession to make: sometimes, I think Colin might be lying to me. Oh, not about the little stuff, like the nature of man, or the importance of socialized health care, but the big stuff, like whether an air-cooled vanagon can cruise around at 70 mph without overheating and risking death by thrown rod or seized engine.

Now, there are are conflicting data here; on the one hand, Colin is a master at the air-cooled art, and can spot a crappy rebuild at 30 yards; he can see through your lies about constant care, and fix crappy running with a single screwdriver. Therefore, he should know.

On the other hand, there is my vanagon, which has never done anything to suggest that what Colin claims is possible is actually possible.

So: after Colin's visit a couple of weeks ago, the van seemed to be running as well as it ever has, I decided to give it a stress-test; unlike government stress-tests mine was real and actually measured performance. I woke up early and drove to Vegas and back on the same day, starting at 7am and returning around midnight (I blew a couple of hundred bucks in the afternoon while waiting for evening). Here are some observations from that trip:

AM ~ running reasonably in the 380's on the way to east Riverside. Heat up the pass, ran at 400-410 going up hill, cooled way down on the backside. Oil temp stayed happily in the 110 C. range. (to convert C. to F. just double for approx value.) Speed on this section was 60-65 until the hill.

Ran from 390-410 across the desert, oil temp again happily in the 110C. range. I attributed the higher range to higher ambient temps. Not too hot that day, mid-90's or so at the world's largest (non-working) thermometer. Speed on this section was 55-60. Mostly 55.

I waited at Baker and had tacos for lunch, allowing the engine to cool before the big pass. Whoa baby! I had to drive 30mph in 3rd or sometimes second to keep the head temps under 430 F.! Oil temp an unhappy 128-130 C. all the way up.

Cooled off during the run down into Vegas, ran at 400/120 C. in traffic in Vegas.

I started the return trip at 6:30pm, by which temperatures had just started to cool. My question was: "will cooler ambient temps at night affect running temperature"? Answer = no. The same or higher on the return trip. Driving 55-60 kept the head temp at 410-430 all the way back, regardless of speed (during this section I discovered that the head temps would drop 6 degrees per 5 mph drop in speed). Higher for uphill, lower for downhill (headtemps in the 265 range on the downhill into Baker!). Oil temp stayed at 110 C if it was relatively flat, jumped to 120-130 C. going uphill. The later it got, the more stable oil temp was at around 110. "

ML

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