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Date:         Wed, 16 Feb 2000 10:18:04 -0500
Reply-To:     Mark Gajewski <mgajewski@MANVILLERUBBER.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Gajewski <mgajewski@MANVILLERUBBER.COM>
Subject:      a tip to keep you rolling
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> Last night, after driving around with cylinder compression leaking into my > cooling system creating excessive pressure, I had a major head gasket > failure that was blowing coolant out like a firehose. Being very pi##ed off > that my van is falling apart I was tempted to just drive the 20miles home > and see how effective mobil1 is in really extreme environments. Anyway, > after cooling my jets for a few minutes I decided to try something: > > Figuring I was developing high pressure (in excess of the 8-10psi that has > been reported as normal) in the cooling system because of the compression > leak, I pulled my coolant pressure cap and with long nose pliers and a > screwdriver I removed the pressure valve mechanism which then allowed > continual venting of air out of the cooling system. I topped up the coolant > in the tank, put the cap on and partly unscrewed the cap on the overflow > tank to make sure it could bleed air out to the outside. > > The result is that with no pressure able to develop in the cooling system as > it was allowed to vent to atmosphere, I was able to drive home with only > minimal coolant loss and temperature within the normal range (actually, much > more normal than when I was driving with a closed system and a compression > leak). All the pressure and engine gas bubbles are allowed to escape, with > very little coolant escaping. I was amazed that what appeared to be a > catastrophic gasket failure turned into just a tiny drip as long as no > pressure was behind it. > > Hope this saves someone a night in the cold or an expensive tow someday. I > would recommend frequently checking the coolant level however as even if it > stops your major leak, you will loose coolant due to evaporation or boiling > away as the system is no longer closed. > > Mark >


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