overheating issues...

Hello All,

I have yet another question for everybody. I have my car running now but it gets about 1/4" to the red line on the vdo gauges. Once it gets this hot I have a hard time getting it started. It will turn over but I get no fire. Once the motor cools down it is fine. I tought it was a vapor lock so I bought a larger hose that is insulated that you run your gas line inside of. I thought this would fix my problem but it hasn't. Any ideas? and is it supposed to run this hot? Should I add a larger bolt on oil sump and maybe add a external oil cooler and electric fan?

I live in houston texas and the heat index is really starting to climb. I used a prop rod to help cool my engine and it makes a huge difference (check my pics). It only makes sense. The trunk is enclosed and very little cool air gets into the carbs and fan. So, by slightly proping open the trunk lid the car lets out the heat and lets in the cooler air. Stop by your local home depot and spend seventy five cents. It will be one of the best performance investments you can make.

I just wish I would have thought of the prop rod when I had my 87 911. That poor car would heat up during the summer and die on me when I was sitting in rush hour traffic.

You need to buy a cylinder head temperature gauge. The guage you have is for oil temps and can be very misleading. You must measure both temps.

Mark
Check the oil temp with a meat thermometer to calibrate your vdo guage. Then you'll know just how hot it is.
ed

I agree with Ed.......get either a meat thermometer, or one of those electronic kitchen thermometers with a long probe and stick it down the dip-stick hole. With the engine running, you can then calibrate your VDO gauge so you'll know how hot it's really getting (right now, you only know it's hot).

Another alternative is to get a dip-stick thermometer from www.mainelycustombydesign.com/ made for VW engines. Very well made, mine was right on for accuracy and they are easyily re-set if you screw them up (just put it in gently boiling water and adjust them). Then, once you calibrate your VDO gauge you can just leave it in there as a cool dip-stick (it even has the high and low oil marks on it).

gn

Go with a 1.5qt sump, an external cooler with in line stat and a fan switch with overide. Put on the CHT, and either run the oil temp off the dipstick, or sump, or as I do, with an adaptor that allows both the pressure and temp senders off the case behind the distributor. The sender is an -055D VDO part # (all have the same prefix, just remember 055D if you are running at the sump or at the adaptor.)