The Vanagon Dictionary

A type of liquid soap used for washing dishes, also used as a lubricant

• lubricant
• maintenance
• assembly

A type of lubricant and penetrant used to loosen stuck bolts

• lubricant
• penetrant

A liquid used to regulate engine temperature

• engine
• maintenance

Battery design using liquid electrolyte and lead-antimony plates

• batteries
• flooded-cell

A mixture in which particles are suspended in a liquid, used to stabilize PTFE in engine oils

• lubricant
• additive

A measure of the density of a liquid, used to determine the state of charge in a battery

• batteries
• specific
• gravity

A tool used to measure the specific gravity of a liquid, typically used to test battery state of charge

• batteries
• hydrometer
• testing

The housing around the engine cooling fan that directs airflow across the cylinders and cylinder heads on an air-cooled VW engine. Type 2 shrouds differ by engine and model year; this term does not describe the liquid-coolant radiator used on water-cooled Vanagons.

• engine
• air-cooled
• cooling

An engine that circulates liquid coolant through passages and a radiator to carry heat away. Gerry’s Vanagon spark-plug reference lists DH water-cooled engines with Digijet for 1983–1985 and MV engines with Digifant for 1986–1991. Verify engine code, market, and model year; this archived table is an identification aid, not a complete application chart.

• engine
• water-cooled

An engine that rejects heat directly to moving air rather than circulating liquid coolant. Gerry’s spark-plug reference separates bus applications by engine code and period: ED/GD/GE for 1975–1979 and CV for 1980–1983, including California models. A May 2002 Gerry discussion titled “83 Air Cooled - Production dates” concerns an owner’s September 1983 Westfalia and the difficulty of finding comparable 1983 examples; it is a period-specific production question, not a universal fitment chart.

• engine
• air-cooled