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Fri Sep 29, 2006 2:52 pm

under my engine attached between the heater boxes and the case is tin on each side hiding the push rod tubes. How needful is the tin? Is it mainly to protect the tubes from flying stuff or is it an important part of the airflow cooling system? Most pictures I see of engines have them removed.

I suspect that the truely restored to origianl folk would say surely. But my Ghia will propably always be somewhere short of origianl.

I usually hang out in with the ghia guys in that forum but since there are probably a large factor of bug nuts out there thought I would post here.

Mark
Winter, Ca
70 Ghia

Fri Sep 29, 2006 3:04 pm

I keep mine off in the summer, because I run j-pipes then, but in the winter I put on my heater boxes and that tin gets slapped back on too.

I haven't noticed any difference in the cooling of the car with or without the tin.

Fri Sep 29, 2006 3:08 pm

Engine tin or cooling baffles are a matter of life or death for a VW air cooled engine. I work on airplanes and they are all air cooled. Baffles and rubber seals make a lot of difference in operating temperatures and performance.

Fri Sep 29, 2006 3:09 pm

You need the engine tin, leave it in there. The tin aids in cooling your engine. Do you think that the VW engineers would have left the tin in there if it was unnecessary?

Here's some reading material to back me up.

http://www.vw-resource.com/engine_tin.html

Fri Sep 29, 2006 3:10 pm

I don't know how important they are to engine cooling, but my Super Beetle came to me with J-tubes and those plates missing. The tubes really get whipped up on. 2-3 of mine are bent and seep oil, not a lot, but enough to make a big mess. When I rebuild the engine next summer, I will replace the heater boxes, those plates, etc.
Even without the plates, my engine never overheated, even in stop-n-go Houston traffic. The air temp was 100°, so the pavement was likely 130°. The driver overheated though :lol:
Bradford in Heavenly Houston

Fri Sep 29, 2006 3:41 pm

that tin is to protect the push rod tubes, just make sure you have the air deflector between the cylinders or super cool tins and you will have no problems. There has been a lot of flack about the super cool tins on here and I made several phone calls including to the manufacturer of super cool tins and they are just as good if not better that stock air deflectors My engines run at a constant 110 degrees in the 104 degree Oklahoma summers with the super cool tin in place. Some people on here are set in thier ways and tend to lead a fella into thinking they need a shiney new DTM shroud or some other original product when some of the best parts are available and for some reason or another they could not make it work for thier pertciular set-up. with that said my own conclusion is best, although some guys on here really know what they are talking about, some don't. don't be afraid to give it the old college try and go from there.

Fri Sep 29, 2006 5:02 pm

Ok vwmanxter... part of your post was "...just make sure you have the air deflector between the cylinders or super cool tins and you will have no problems."

What are super cool tins?

In northern Calif it is not unusual to get a couple of weeks straight of 100+ degree heat. Most of the summer it is in high to mid 90s. So heat disipation is alway on my mind.

Mark
Winters, CA
70 Ghia

Fri Sep 29, 2006 6:19 pm

According to the manufacturer, these distribute huge volumes of cooling air to the under side of the cylinders and heads.

http://www.greatplainsas.com/sccooltin.html

Fri Sep 29, 2006 6:45 pm

This has already been said but I'll reiterate it.

As far as I have heard - VW engine compartments are closed systems and require all the engine tin as well as seals and rubbers to keep the air flowing as it should.

So keep um!

Fri Sep 29, 2006 7:04 pm

VW technology is over sixty years old, There have been improvements since Ferdinand developed the first one. Super cool tins just make your original tin mo' betta if you get my point. VW had a great design with its Aircooled engines, but sometimes technology can make it much better. Just look at the wristwatch, you don't even have to wind them these days, good design in the past but now they are better.