Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2000 18:36:13 -0700
Reply-To: Daniel Schmitz <djs@gene.com>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Daniel Schmitz <djs@gene.com>
Organization: Genentech, Inc.
Subject: Trip report: only 1 cooling system incident (long)...
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This weekend I took my recently acquired '87 Westfalia on it's first
camping trip since I've owned it. I went up to a campground just past
Carson Pass, CA, elevation approximately 8,000 feet. There is a
considerable climb to 8,500 and then a respite down into Hope Valley.
With regard to the camping part of things, the camper performed
flawlessly! I was able to light the propane fridge at high altitude the
first time, and it stayed lit the entire weekend, including while
driving over rough roads and whatnot. And I have to say, when the
fridges are working well, they're pretty cool (literally)!
I used my water tank and pump for the first time as well, and everything
functions great. Need to get some sort of filler for the tank inlet,
though, like a piece of hose and a funnel. Stove worked fine, as well.
My LED panel indicated water level, battery voltage and the status of
the fridge propane burner satisfactorily.
My new (to me) Alpine CD player w/remote worked great, too! Can't think
of anything camping related that didn't work or caused problems.
***
With regard to the "getting there" part of things, I had only one
incident related to my cooling system. On the way up, climbing through
the Sierra foothills with the AC on, my coolant temp went into the top
third, and my sensor light came on. I pulled over in Jackson, CA, and
popped the engine lid. The expansion tank was almost empty, causing the
sensor to blink, but the refill tank was full, and coolant was bubbling
into it until I shut off the engine. So, I surmise that the pressure cap
is acting up.
I continued up to my destination with the sensor light blinking the
whole way. The expansion tank never completely refilled, apparently,
which caused the light to continue blinking. I confirmed this when I got
to where I was going: the expansion tank was not completely full, and
the air pocket was causing the sensor to remain open. My temperature
never got overly high, and the van ran flawlessly the whole trip. My
return trip was uneventful, with no cooling system issues. While I was
up there, I added coolant to the expansion tank. No sensor light coming
home.
I'm confident that my engine is fine, as there is no other evidence of
problems: I didn't lose any coolant, no steam out the exhaust, and oil
is fine. Some coolant just got "transferred" from the expansion tank to
the refill tank under high pressure. At this point, I am planning to
change my thermostat to the 180 deg. variety, as well as get a new
pressure cap.
Oh yeah, my crappy General Ameri 400 passenger car radial tires made
handling down right scary! Every turn on the twisty highway gave new
meaning to the term "land yacht"! I am still waiting for Michelin to
ship some MXT's to Costco (which should be soon), so I was forced to
travel with my old tires for now. Can't wait for some new rubber!
And I have one or more brake drums and/or disks out of round when they
reach operating temperature. There is a pronounced pulsation at the
pedal when applying the brakes. I already know the front disks are worn
too thin (from their appearance), but I suspect the pulsating pedal is
caused by out of round drums.
Another large order for BusDepot, I guess...
Dan
Comments welcomed on any or all of the above.
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