THE PORTAL HUB - Pinzgauers, Haflingers, Volvo 303s and more!

Saw a post recently, from Dennis I think. He said a Pinz got severely damaged due to overheating. Cleaning the cooling capsule would've prevented the damage I assume. How does one remove the shroud that covers the engine? I don't remember seeing this in the manual. Thanks for the help, Dave.

hawkeye,
There is no cooling capsule. You just need to keep a close eye on all fluids---ie front dif, rear dif, hubs, motor, and especially ( in my case )
the tranny. I run 3 pinz's and have never had one overheat with motor problems, but you need to keep a close eye on the tranny. I have had to relace 2 trans in the last 15 months. If a leak develops--fix the problem or you will end up with a $5000 expense. There are few used trannies on the market. Preventive maintenance is the key.
Doesn't always work---I had just topped off all fluids, but heavy use in deep snow made the seal fail on the rear of the trans and I am paying the price. The pinz is a relatively inexpensive vehicle, but can end up being a cash cow for the mechanic. Paying attention to leaks and noises are the key to a good vehicle experience. I change all fluids once a year, but that was not enough---in deep, crusty snow (2 feet or more ) you need to check for leaks very,very,very,very, often. My 6x6 had only been run for 3 days after being topped off, before it ran out of oil. The cardigan shaft was possibley out of balance ( strange for having only 20,000 miles on it ) and ruined the rear seal on the trans. cha ching cha ching. I have a 72 chevrolet p/u 4x4 4 speed tranny with over 150,000 miles with no leaks or hard shifting problems----originally purchased by my grandfather.
Maybe it is just a lucky tranny!!!

john

john

He's referring to the oil cooler, remember they call things different names on the other side of the pond.
Pull the carbs off, then remove the tin from the top of the engine, then clean all the cylinder fins and oil cooler fins. Re-assemble in reverse order.

The engine shroud or engine tin as the VW crowd calls them. There are latches on both sides of the motor for removal of the tops not sure about the bottoms.

Miles

Gents let me elaborate further.

Hawkeye, to look inside the cooling capsule you will need to lift off the diz cap (don't disconnect the wires!) and flop the thing over to the driver's side of the engine. To remove the front tin as Jim calls it, locate the three slotted 6mm bolts aft of the forward carb base and remove them (10mm socket). Now unclip the hold down clamps on the forward tin cover and wiggle it free and remove it. With it out of the way, you can peer inside the engine and observe the "Pots 'n 'eads".

Take a moment to slither under the truck and observe the underside of the engine. You will observe a plate with "upty do curves formed in it" That is the underside of the cooling capsule and as such creates dead zones where air has less chance to flow. Air is really directed (priority) to pass over the heads where heat disapation is really required.
What happens over time is that dirt collects around the pots in the dead zones and piles up over the rear most pot(cylinder). In extreme cases you may not even see the cooling fins. Get some "spray 'n wash and dose the whole interior when cold and thoroughly clean it as Jim has again mentioned. Use a garden hose and some pressure to loosen the dirt. Be thorough and take some time over it if its really dirty in there. We remove the whole tin cover but with care you can do the job without disturbing the carbies/linkage etc.

I have had some owners get all "puffy chested" by stating that " don't have to do that 'cos I have thermocouples on my cylinder heads and I have continous read outs when driving. Well the problem is that the measurement is HEAD temp, not pot temp. This Redbull #2 found out when they sucked in toilet paper into the capsule and partially seized Nos 1 & 4 cylinders. They really did drop a "red bollock" on that 'un (English expression")
Hints, When putting back the cover be careful to locate the gray plastic finisher seal in the lower "tin" and once positioned start the three slotted bolts before clipping down the cover. then secure the bolts.
Buy a can of brake cleaner and blast the cooler matrix with it to loosen any trapped dirt.
Best of luck
Dennis

Thanks for all of the good info guys! Looks like I have a weekend project .

I have to add oil to my front hubs once a week. Is this common?

No, if the level is falling you have a leak. Look at the knuckle seals and check hub seals (pull the brake drums). Should also end this thread and start one for your specific subject.