Some like it HOT!! (but not the oil please...) subtitle: Bruno gets an external oil cooler!

So - Bruno, like any VW camper, has a nemesis: hot days and highway driving.

Since we have the new engine, and the interior is now all set - we took Bruno on the road!! We planned an entire trip around the Great American Eclipse of 2017. We packed Bruno, and set out. I had just gotten a dip stick temperature sensor (from the great guys at BusDepot), and a laser pointer thermometer, just to keep tabs on the heat back there.

But, as soon as we got going, it became evident that Bruno would not make the trip. We got as far as Connecticut and the light started to blink. So we slowed down. It still blinked. As we went over some hills. the light became solid and the oil pan temperature hovered at 240-245 degrees. It was only 80 out, and this was Connecticut - the hill were not very big!

We took an unscheduled stop in Hartford and spent the night in a park. the next day the great service team at VW of Hartford took us right in. I could not find any specific reason for the high temperatures, but I (and my wife) wanted a second opinion. We had the experts take a look. The service techs were amazing. They check the timing, the plugs, the valves, look for obstructions, etc. We could not find anything specific. He otherwise ran great, holding 60-65 on Rt95 like a trooper.

But, at this point it was evident that we would not be taking Bruno all the way to the North Carolina mountains. so we turned around and go my wife's Toyota Matrix. It fits an air mattress in the back and the seats lay flat. Not as comfortable as Bruno, but utility. He would sit this out as we figured out the heat.

I suspected a few things:

The dual Kadron carbs were running too lean (or too rich, maybe?). The engine had a tendency to backfire when lifting off the gas.
The engine tins were not as tight as they could be
I had used a new doghouse fan shroud that came with the new engine but it did not have the spring loaded thermostat
And maybe highway driving just will never be great for a stock cooled camper

So - after we got back from the EPIC TRIP, I decided to make some engine modifications. Bruno would be getting:

A new single, center mount Weber from Aircoolet.net Great article here.
This would have a little less power, but deliver more consistent fuel and would not need syncing.
Put the original fan shroud with the thermostat control back on.
Tighten up any air leaks around the tins.
MOST IMPORTANT - Add a full flow line for a new oil filter and oil cooler.
To do this, the stock oil cooler has been removed. Lines come directly from those ports to the filer and cooler.

The filter is mounted inside the engine compartment, just to the left (facing the engine). There is a thermostat on the line there. Temps over 200 will divert oil to another loop to the new oil cooler. This is an EMPI style cooler with a thermostatic fan. The fan kicks in at 220. The cooler is mounted between a couple beams to the front of the rear axle. This adds another few quarts to the already sumpped oil system. So, oil changes would be more expensive, but Bruno would run clean and cool!

And it worked!!

We been on a few trips since (spoilers), and the cooling is amazing. 65mph down the highway in the middle of summer, 90+ degrees out - and Bruno loved it! The oil temp flirted with 230 a couple times, but generally ran at a lovely 220-225.

Here are a few pics of Bruno in surgery.