Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Death Valley

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Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Death Valley

Post by Amskeptic » Sun Aug 02, 2015 10:49 am

The sign to Death Valley registered 113* in the shade at 2:20 PM, which means that I was gyped this year, a veritable cold front, icy gales of desert dust devils:

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Not one to complain, I soldiered bravely onwards to the sign promising something more to my liking, Furnace Creek, only 53 miles:

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This is as low as you can get on the Panamint Valley floor, we're looking east up the hill:

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Looking back:

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Looking further up the hill:

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Looking back further up the hill, yes, but look at how gorgeous it is above the outside rear view mirror:

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You can see the road that leads up to Father Crowley Viewpoint where I photographed both the BobD and Chloe on the edge of the world. This year I came in pretty much in the middle of the sandy floor where the sign said 53 miles outta here whichever way you choose:

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I don't know about you, but a view such as this, makes me think of exhaust valves . . . not. The engine had a fine day of puttering around:

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Here's the Uphill Clip:

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Every time I pass through Death Valley, some new spot goes all other-worldly on me and makes me giddy where I want to hug all of the planets:

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You must remember to congratulate me for providing you nice pictures of what looks like barren beauty, because today's Death Valley traverse actually landed on some international race where there were cooling stops and support cars and an endless parade of walkers, joggers, and umbrellas and water bottles. I won't tell you that I was non-plussed or anything so crass in the great beauty surrounding me, but I sure was pissed off:

At Towne Pass
(4956 ft from 238 below seal level for a total climb of 5,194 feet), I dodged the traffic to go check temperatures back at the engine. Everything was FINE:

Heat riser :
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(now you know why they have those silly gaskets and covers at the tins)

Left valve cover:
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Distributor:
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Favorite Spot On The Crankcase For Oil Temp Estimation:
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Tires were 137* front and 143* rear, these Eureka Maxxis tires had no idea what was coming . . .
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Here, we are descending into the real Death Valley.

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The uh-oh Downhill Clip

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It warmed up, barely, to a punk 115* in the shade, but the pavement was a more respectable 149 1/2 degrees farenheit:

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The 2015 It Actually Is Kinda Hot shot at 3:56 PM, just after I bailed off CA 190 and slow-tailed up the hill towards Beatty NV to escape the traffic, carscarscars, the walking, jogging, chatting, wandering-onto-the-pavement packs o'people, the stupid big ugly Ford Transit vans stopped in every pull-out that was worth a photograph, me cranky:

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As I left the hordes of humans, I regained the day. Chloe hit 407* max this year, did most of the hills at 403* and I must say, the engine compartment was as hot as I have ever felt:

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Death Valley

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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: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Death Valley

Post by zabo » Sun Aug 02, 2015 8:01 pm

yes thank you for the tasteful photo edits. the fiction of your serenity and solitude is beautifully captured.
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Death Valley

Post by 71whitewesty » Sun Aug 02, 2015 9:43 pm

Always enjoy the Death Valley report. Great photos too.
Maybe you should try baking a cake in the engine compartment next time through. :thumbleft:

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Death Valley

Post by dingo » Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:57 am

some great photos...love that country...maybe next time check out the road up to Mahogany Flats
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Death Valley

Post by Squeebles » Mon Aug 03, 2015 8:11 am

The little brown cow will become steak pretty soon at those temps.
1977 VW Bus, 2.0 FI

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Death Valley

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Aug 03, 2015 8:18 am

Squeebles wrote:The little brown cow will become steak pretty soon at those temps.
I have heard that.
Colin

(after 35 years of enjoying these temps with four different air-cooled Volkswagens, I skip through those ads in Hot VW for external oil coolers and deep sumps and full-flow oil filters and stand-offs and extractor exhausts and zuper-zing ignition modules and "cool tins" and . . . well, I skip those ads)
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: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Death Valley

Post by glasseye » Wed Aug 12, 2015 8:40 pm

Ah, Death Valley. Probably my favourite spot in North America. Always good to see those landscapes - like old friends. Thanks for the refresh, Colin.

Dunno about doing it with the 4/60 AC system, though. All those "big ugly Ford Transit vans" were undoubtedly like meat lockers inside.

I know, I know. "Cowards" Wimps". "N'er do wells" Frito's cousins. :cheers:

"I think I'll just stop here and retrieve an ice cold adult beverage from the fridge aft..."
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Paul Wolfowitz, speaking of Iraq.

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Death Valley

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Aug 13, 2015 11:01 am

glasseye wrote:Ah, Death Valley. Probably my favourite spot in North America.

"I think I'll just stop here and retrieve an ice cold adult beverage from the fridge aft..."

In Death Valley, I have experienced the alchemical reaction that occurs when Diet Coke hits 130*, it is like a most refreshing cup of hot Earl Gray Twinings with a hint of lemon, the perfect refreshment for the heat-stroke demented delirious who enjoy the carbonated back-pressure through the sinuses.

I have experienced the bewitching palette of natural colors in Death Valley that only come to you courtesy of clear plain automobile windows, I have the experience of full-strength sun glare reflecting off straight cut glass over the speedometer and fuel gauge, I have seen the amazing beauty of the negative image of speedometer numbers overlaying the sky as my eyes attempted to recover.
Colin :blackeye:
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: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Death Valley

Post by evenstarjm » Tue Sep 29, 2015 10:26 am

I'm very new to air-cooled vanagons. I have a 1982 West and wondered if driving in high temperatures also affects the oil temp? I have yet to take a lengthy trip, as I'm not a mechanic, just a retired old hippy woman, and don't want to be out in the boonies and have something happen. It seems the oil light flickers when stopped at lights after about a 45 min drive. Does the flicker at idle mean the oil is too hot....what if it becomes solid only at idle and the van has no power? (happened once this summer).
I had the engine rebuilt last year. It has 3000 miles.
Will you all be my go-to's when I have questions?

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Death Valley

Post by cegammel » Tue Sep 29, 2015 5:29 pm

We will do what we can! The manual specifies that some hot flickering is normal. When my 80 westy started flickering at every stop light, my end play was primarily to blame. Not sure about such a recent rebuild; you may want to go back to the builder and ask some questions.

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Death Valley

Post by TrollFromDownBelow » Tue Sep 29, 2015 6:33 pm

Oil light shouldn't be flickering after a 45 min drive.... and not on a 3k engine build. should probably move this thread...but ti does sound like your engine is either running hot and/or has poor clearances.

- Is all of your engine tin in place, and do you have a proper foam gasket? May want to post a pic of the engine compartment.
- What oil weight are you using? if you don't know, change the oil and filter and put 20w-50.

next I would check:

- valve clearances
- ignition timing and dwell. (you do have a timing light ...right? if not, get one).
- check for vacuum leaks (easiest way to do this is with a can of starter fluid. squirt on suspect vacuum lines/connections, if idle goes up, ding!ding!ding!ding!! you found one.)
1976 VW Bus aka tripod
FI ...not leaky, and not so noisy...and she runs awesome!
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