Overheating..Tins

[John Black]

Hi Guys.

A couple of tech questions from a newbie in southern Az. Is anyone else in the  greater Tucson area?).     I am having a fuel overheating problem on my (new to me) VW TD. The fuel pipe has been moved so that the fuel filter and pipe now run over the top of the tins. This didn’t help with my fuel issue. It has been suggested that the engine may be overheating and that I should check the tins. My question id this, What am I looking for on or in the tins?.

My second question stems from my investigation of the car in general yesterday, most of the wiring is old and very very brittle, so much so that I feel I have to rewire the car. I am also a tight wad and don’t want to spend something like $800 for a new harness!! Does anybody know where I could find a decent schematic for the car. Its a VW Fiberfab Migi. The body is a 68 and the engine a 1600 DP.

Thank you in advance, John

[Paul Mossberg]

John,

 

Fiberfab schematics and Classic Roadsters Ltd. schematics are in our Download Manuals section.

 

Click the link over in the left side bar. “Agree” to the terms.

 

Fiberfab file is near the top of the page. Classic Roadsters Ltd. file is all the way down at the bottom.

 

Re: the cooling tins…

The tins over the cylinders and the tin under the cylinders MUST be in place. Without them, airflow will not be directed over the cylinders.

 

In a perfect world, you will also have the flat tin surrounding the engine, and it would be sealed to the fiberglass surrounding the engine compartment. The VW design is set up to form a “wall” between the exhaust and cylinders and the top portion of the engine compartment.

 

The design of some kits makes this impossible. And there has been lots of discussison here as to whether or not you really need to seal up the engine compartment as completely as in an original Beetle.

 

Mine is not. My engine builder said I need not worry about. And I’ve never had an overheating problem.

 

As you will soon see, many people will disagree with that last paragraph! 🙂

PMOSSBERG2015-05-13 12:56:01

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

[davearoy]

My VW mechanic says it would help if I installed a “fire wall tin” to seal off my VW engine compartment, as it would give me cooler air for my engine fan. I looked for a past topic about sealing off the engine from the fiber glass body, but I could not find any. Can any one give me some feed back on this topic.

Thanks for your help.

Dave
Lakeland, Fl

Dave
Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

[KentT]

IMO, you do NOT want to seal off the firewall on a TDr unless you have an engine lid with the steel real spare tire mount that leaves a large opening into the engine compartment underneath the spare. (Some spare tire mounts are fiberglass and will not let enough cooling air in, IMO, even if you cut holes in them.) Let the engine fan suck air in over the transmission by leaving the firewall area open.

Instead, focus on sealing off the engine above the muffler and valve covers to prevent the fan from sucking in hot air from below. This pic (from the Net) shows the area I’m talking about. It allows the engine to essentially recirculate the now-hot cooling air that exits the bottom of the engine, pulling it up past the hot muffler, heating it further, before ingesting it for the next cycle…

My 2 cents, your mileage may vary…KentT2015-05-21 18:56:28

Early FF TDr on 69 VW pan
Slowly coming back from the ashes...

[Derek]

I would agree with Kent, you don’t want to seal up the firewall as these cars do not have the air intake like the original beetle has. I would make sure you have all engine tins though and also make sure your oil cooler is not clogged (both the inside where the oil is, and the outside incase there is a rats nest or something blocking airflow.) 

There should be 3 pieces of tin per side that are absolutely required for good cooling those being: the cylinder covers (As seen here), the deflection plates- which pushes the air between the cylinders through the fins underneath them (As seen here), and the heater channel tin- which directs all the hot air out behind the engine (As seen here) One of these is actually two pieces.

[greg press]

What is the temp . of the engine . If your over 240 degrees your to    hot . This is what I did I wrapped fuel lines with fuel line insolation put 2 fuel filters in . 1st behind the shroud the second near carb. keeping it away from engine . Never had a problem again .

[Dana Gibbs]

Thanks guys. I am always very late with a response.I am the caregiver for my 91 year old mother and that takes a lot of my time. Still no excuse for not at least attempting to giving a timely respone to all the help everyone provides. My muffles is a single tailpipe and is very close to the rear apron.I did put heat deflecting material on the underside of the apron to help. As for my engine temp I haven’t gotten the gauge working yet. I am ordering a new sending unit and hope to have that number soon. In the meantime I don’t drive on really hot days or for long distances yet.I don’t want to take the chance of damaging my new engine. 

Thanks again to all who responded.I will try to do better.

[Author]

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