Date:         Wed, 24 Jan 2001 23:24:45 -0500
Reply-To:     enettles@MINDSPRING.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Eric Nettles <enettles@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject:      Re: Coolant air, overflow, fried head gasket,
              "burping" out air (long)

You may not have to worry so...

I had the same problem after I put new heads on my 87.  LOTS of people said it was the head gaskets, but I'd just done them and my gut said don't listen, so I didn't.
I even wrote a somewhat similar and very long long tale to the list trying to figure it out...

In the end it seemed to work itself out without having to redo the heads or head gaskets, it just took a good chunk of time.  (Honestly I did consider selling the van after the new heads seemed to be causing problems that weren't there before but I ended up sticking with it.  When you're a turtle you have to have your shell!)

Here's what worked for me:
1, I found that driving around town once I completed my double circuit of the Eastern Seaboard was without troubles.   I used to find the occasional river of coolant under the van, as I was living in the city and would leave it sitting for a week or two at a time.

2, As I'm a nomad and a hiker, I am forced to make those long trips... In the course of those several trips, combined with the leak, I went through quite a bit of 50/50.  I also got pretty good at the true bleed procedure ;)  (When its blowing the steam, open up the bleeder at the radiator... THEN get to the expansion tank... Never let the tank get all the way to empty either, just pull over as soon as it indicates low fluid and burp it then... find a parking lot with the concrete barriers and get the front wheels up on top of it if you're without a jack) Necessity's my lover I guess?

3, I finally got time and place to pinpoint the leaks... Two places I ended up working on, both made of the same 14 year old plastic... The thermostat housing on the driver's side had crumbled underneath the hoses in places, as had the collector on the other side.  They were both letting fluid out and air in and exasperating me/worrying me to no end.  Once I got both replaced no more blowups.  They're actually really cheap, and in both instances local dealers (wherever I happened to be stuck) had them in stock.  Sometimes you need that instant gratification.

Finally, I am guessing that the sheer volume of fluid I went through made a big difference as well.  When I first got the van reassembled, the coolant level indicator wouldn't read with the Dexcool... After enough fluid was lost and replaced, it finally worked and I could get a reliable reading.  Answer?  When the head gaskets first started to go (Oh how I've learned!) I dumped in some Bar's leak.  Whoops, I did end up having the radiator rodded out, but never had time to really flush the system... It sounds like your PO may have gotten the new radiator for the same reason.  The rodding didn't fix mine, neither would have a new rad... Still, by overheating and getting new fluid all the time it did it on its own, and by now the gook is gone, the van is waterTIGHT, and I am quite happy.

BTW Just a moment to thank the list and esp. Ken Wilford.  When I first bought the van probably 3 years ago, it was leaking everything!  Now its just the transmission ; )Oh well, time to get a job again... Anyway, having lurked and leeched for a long time, its nice to have been there and be able to contribute.

Good luck to you,
Eric Nettles
Greensboro, NC
Formerly of: (and thanks to the Vanagon!)
Baltimore, MD,
Florence, SC,
Heathrow, FL,
Enumclaw, WA,
Gainesville, FL