A tour of a functioning Vanagon transaxle oil filtration and cooler system. Lots of technical detail.
The project is not finished but has been tested on a long trip, 3000 miles, many 100+ deg days, many rough rocky desert roads. Same Weddle pump and Setrab cooler are being used on another van driven 45k miles since 2016 and are quality components.
--- IMPORTANT NOTE ----
I caution against building this system if you are not “the type who goes under the van, for fun”. I also understand some people MUST have it - you know who you are. Clearly it has benefits but “most” people (with 150+ HP engines) should FIRST do a gearbox temperature guage mod, to know when to slow down. Then, if you cannot slow down, building this system is a higher level.
The controls system for example is NOT costly in parts but a reliable assembly requires a skilled assembly. There was a time I was selling the temp controller kits, with its harness, switches, relays, temperature sensor wells, (with its $17 INKBIRD controller) and schematic for $300 (retail). This was just the electric controller system. There will also be hoses, fittings, mounts, wire runs drilling, tapping. And who’s going to maintain the system?
All this…..so you can drive fast & heavy, in hot weather. But the continuous filtering sure feels good….😎
The highest and best value.... is a temperature gauge to learn how fast you can drive in the seasons, and having a clean oil maintenance program. This can be done without pumps, filters and electronic controls, and is not costly.
Clean oil costs only $30. If you have 150HP or if your gearbox is old, you need “race car” level maintenance. Yearly replacement at minimum, or every other time you change the engine oil. At only $30 theres no cheaper insurance. If your gearbox is overloaded by 150+ HP, there’s no question that getting the metal out of your gearbox bearings early/often will pay in longevity. The loads are too high for the film-strength of even the thickest oil you can get. There's no cushion, ANY contamination in the lubricant fatigues/dents your bearing surfaces. The lifetime fluids thing in the owners manual is the reason they wear out in 150k miles rather than lasting 400k, but hanging a big engine on it, is clearly a further assault. Which we will DO of course😎, but ya gotta maintain it like a race-car now.