Engine compartement sealing

I'm using decklid stand offs on my 1970 Beetle, so the engine compartement is no longer sealed. Since I currently have the engine out, and want to make a removable apron, I'm thinking of leaving the engine-to-enginebay seal out as well.

Would this create any proiblems ?

Also, do I still need the thermostat if I don't use the heaterboxes ?

Thanks,

Rob.

Reply to
Robv
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Forgot the last one.

Thermostat is there to help the eng> I'm using decklid stand offs on my 1970 Beetle, so the engine compartement

Reply to
john luckey

Yes. 100%. Definitely Keep the seals.

Yes. Heaterboxes are a whole different thing, not much to do with the thermostat and flaps. Only related in that the heaterboxes would start pushing hot air out sooner when teh thermostat is working properly, but that's a sideproduct.. the actual meaning of the thermostat is to allow the engine to warm up *at correct speed and in a controlled manner*, also faster. Without a< thermostat and flaps, the engine will warm up slower, and less uniformly. Resulting in more wear and poorer fuel economy and other maladies.

Jan

Reply to
Jan Andersson

Also teh rate of warming up of different parts is important, teh engine is a mixture of steel and aluminum components, and these materials have a very different thermal expansion rate etc.. the cooling system is designed to allow each part to warm up and expand just the right amount and at the best possible time, to keep the whole package expanding and contracting *just* right.. mess with it, and you will end up making one part of teh engine run cooler and another part hotter.. and the thermal expansion difference between the two will start causing problems like warping, weakening, binding, leaking, wear, and bolts loosening by themselves.

It was a carefully designed package, and should not be altered unless you REALLY know what you are doing. The various magazines are full "kewl" colorful ads that try to sell you all kinds of snazzy looking goodies that they promise will improve this or that or just plain look hip and earn you lotsa street credibility. But in fact they make your engine run worse in the end, when looking at it as a whole. The one who sells em, is not stupid.. the one who buys them is.. lol (again, I guess many of the "kewl" products could be used to actually improve something, but I don't believe there are many true "bolt on and forget" parts that would not require further modifications someplace else to keep the overall performance of ANY entity in balance.. be it cooling, power, or whatever..

Jan

john luckey wrote:

Reply to
Jan Andersson

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