Re: [engine] Cracked head/oilcoolers/random camberplate note

[Iain Mannix <mannix@privateI.com>]

On Mon, 12 Jan 1998, aventari wrote:

> At 10:19 PM 1/12/98 -0600, you wrote:
> >today i went to start my car, and had some difficulty. i checked the
> >radiator only to find SLUSH in the overflow, dark slush at that. so i
> >went to my neighborhood Canadian Tire store to get the rad flushed and
> >filled. they found oil in the anti-freeze, not good. does this mean a
> >bad head gasket? or does this mean a crack in the block or head? i can't
> >remember if oil in the anti-freeze means cracked head and anti-freeze in
> >the oil means head gasket or visa-versa.

> >Sean Penny
> 
> Most likely a blown head gasket. You could get mixing of antifreeze and oil. 
> Do a compression test, and see what the readings are. Check the oil, see if


Good advice, but I'd look to the infamous oil-water cooler, if so
equipped(most US 84 Sciroccos had them, AFAIK).  They are prone to
leaking, and have been known to put oil into the water - a friend has an
84 GLI with this "cooler," and when he got the car, it had oil in the
water.  We simply took the coolant lines off the cooler, flushed the
coolant, bypassed the cooler, and there's no more oil in the water.  Sean
- you said your engine had 73k on it?  That's not much.  I could be
wrong(maybe you said 273?), but IMHO, a 73k JH should still be strong -
73,000 kilometers is less than 60k miles - my engine has 140k or so on the
bottom end, it still runs strong.  Do a compression test, also eliminate
the "cooler" as a potential oiling device for your coolant before you take
the head off.

On the water-oil coolers, I am personally against them - for a mildly
street driven car, they seem fine.  They help the oil heat up faster, as
the water tends to warm the oil, and if the oil gets hotter than the
coolant, thewater cools the oil.  For a car which is driven aggressively,
however, they still get pretty darned hot - I've seen 130C on a car with
one on the highway.  We were going fast, but not _that_ fast(95mph?).  At
track events, my oil stays at about 125C on hot days - it used to get to
130-140 on the highway going skiing on cold mornings (without the
oil-water cooler).  For autocross, it seems to be OK without a cooler,
yesterday(40F outside), after my 4th funrun, the oil was at about 120 with
no cooler whatsoever.  Warm, but not bad.  For Trials events, without it,
it used to get to 150c.  Yikes.  A good external oil cooler is IMHO
something of a necessity for track use.  The stock thing just can't keep
it cool - it does help it warm up faster, and is OK for daily driving, but
if you plan on racing your car, get an external. 

An external cooler does NOT have to cost $500, $300, whatever ridiculous
prices Autotech and Neuspeed charge.  A good cooler should cost about $80.
Mine(which did crack, but it was bent from the onset) can be had for $35
through Racer Wholesale.  I'm going to buy one which is $60-80, depending
on size.  Then you need an adapter plate - RW has them for $20 or so, it
goes between the filter and mount.  Thermostated ones are more cash, but
IMHO not worth it - nice, but you can easily make something to block flow
to the cooler when it is cold out.  Hoses are the expensive part - I
believe I spent $70 on mine, Aeroquip cloth hose, brass fittings.  You can
get the alloy fittings and braided hoses, but those cost more.  Better
abrasion resistance, look better, someday I'll get some, but the cloth
ones are fine if you route them carefully.  I also bought more hose than I
needed - if you measure accurately, you can probably get out for $50-60.
So, anywhere from $110-$200 should do it.  Also, at one of the aircooled
shops here, I have seen kits from Empi which cost $130, I believe.  All
parts included, sandwich plate, hoses, cooler.  The plate _looks_ the
same, with the spring loaded bypass if the pressure gets too high, etc.  A
possibility.  They come with coolers similar to the one I had which
cracked, but mine was a little bent - I see no reason why a straight
cooler would not last if properly mounted.  I might buy one of these kits,
use my hoses(which are probably better than the ones in the kit), and have
spares.  Don't know.  So, don't spend $350 on a cooler - you'd be throwing
money away.  Thermostats are nice, but I don't see the need for them.  To
determine the plate you need, bring a filter to a drag shop(they'll just
look confused if you ask for one to fit a VW), make sure the bolt fits the
filter.  Pretty simple, really.  Seems to me that the aftermarket places
are charging more because they have done the legwork - they know what you
need, and get it for you.  IMHO, if a cooler works on a drag car, it'll
work on our cars!  A lot of this stuff can be had for much cheaper than
the "euro VW" places, you just have to figure out what fits your car and
get it.  Coilovers come to mind.

Another random note, a guy showed up with Eurosport's camber plates this
weekend - he had driven the car less than 50 miles, and they had already
bent.  A bad pair?  I don't know, but I was unimpressed.  


I.Mannix

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