Re: Cooling flaps

Remove the 13mm head bolt that keeps the thermostat secured to the bracket. Bolt goes right into the heart of teh thermostat. Now you should be able to move the thermostat up and down when the engine is cold. In the UP position, the flaps should be open. There's supposed to be a spring in the back of the shroud that tries to pull the flaps open, so removing the thermostat bolt should result in the thermostat being pulled to the upmost position, against the top of teh bracket. If you pull it back down, it closes the flaps.

Jan

Thanks for the tip. It is very difficult to know the engine temperature. We only know when it is already overheated

Joao

When the engine is warmed up their should be a steady waft of air out of the back of it between the bottom of the cylinder heads and deflector tin. However, Jans method is best.

--Steve

Yes, I will try to feel the difference of the amount of air from cool to hot engine. I should have think of that in first place.

Joao

I seem to be the only other person who has had several bad experiences with flaps over the years. Check the spring and make sure nothing is binding on the linkage. My Puma was running hot a few weeks ago and I blamed my leaving the parking brake slightly engaged. Turns out the linkage was rubbing and sticking on the top of number one leaving the flaps about half open. Now they are open and will stay that way. No comments from those who worship the flap gods. I believe the biggest enemy of my engine is heat not cold.

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If you don't like the *operation* of the flaps, jam them fully open. Your engine will run cooler than without flaps.

Jan

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I will open my flaps to see if I notice any difference. Anyway, I think that I will pull the engine to replace the center manifold, because the heater tube and the I can chek them. I can get a manifold with the heater tube of a bigger diameter. I was told that they changed the diameter around 74. Let?s see if I can toss that flat spot from idle.

Joao

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Jan

Jan, I do leave the flaps in but they do stay open . Dennis

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Hi! I live in the continental U.S.

Where can I purchase this shutter rod spring?

Where can I get a set of German shutters?

Anyone know of any online aircooled VW salvage yards? jplikesm73vwbttl

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Hi All!

Mid America Motorworks

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This weekend I made about 50KM on a highway at speed of 120, 130 Km/h. When I arrived home I could see the thermostat full open and a lot of heat coming from the bottom, so the flaps must be working fine. It is difficult so say, if the volume of the air is bigger with the engine hot than cool. It was hard to keep the fingers on the top of dipstick, but possible.

Joao