Date:         Thu, 18 Jan 2001 14:36:51 -0500
Reply-To:     Tim Hannink <hanninkt@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tim Hannink <hanninkt@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Subject:      Re: need radiator removal advice today re: spare tire tray
In-Reply-To:  <62.b16b169.2798977c@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I bought an 1 1/8" deep drive socket at my FLAPS and it fit perfectly. Take
your new sensor with you to make sure that you get the right size.

Tim Hannink
Winter Park, Florida
1987 Wolfsburg Edition Westfalia Camper - "Goldibox"
http://hanninkt.home.netcom.com/




-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Jeffrey R
Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2001 2:01 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: need radiator removal advice today re: spare tire tray


In a message dated 1/18/2001 10:34:36 AM Pacific Standard Time,
jlambert21@EXCITE.COM writes:

> Not sure if you know it, but removing the lower grille makes it easier to
>  get to the temp sensor so you can unplug the wires.

Yes. The above is true. In addition in my experience the socket size needed
to remove and replace the fan switch temp sensor is an odd size like maybe a
29 mm. I may be wrong on the size--but in any case I think it might be
desireable to remove the temp sender switch for the radiator fan and install
it or the new fan switch in the new radiator BEFORE you put the new radiator
up in it's position. When the radiator is out of the bus you can use a
Crescent wrench or carefully use plyers to remove and re-install. Once the
new radiator is installed you have only room for a socket to install the fan
switch through a hole in the body. This if you have the 29mm
socket--preferably a deep socket or maybe even neccesarily a deep socket-you
can install and remove the switch while installed. But in my expereince the
29mm socket is an odd size and a difficult find depending on where you live.

In my expereince installing a new radiator was fairly straight-forward and
not difficult. Mine is an 83.5 and the difference in the where the coolant
guage needle sits is almost unbelievable. The needle used to run kind of
high
and be quick to rise up to 3/4 in the the slightest of slow traffic. Now the
needle sits in the bottom of the "Normal" temp range and once it's up to 1/2
in traffic the fan kicks in and now can actually coll the thing off quite
quickly.

Good luck.
Jeff
83.5 Westy
LA,CA