Date:         Sat, 26 May 2001 11:32:29 EDT
Reply-To:     ELEVENHALF@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Oldenburg <ELEVENHALF@AOL.COM>
Subject:      '90 Vanagon: Hose leaking antifreeze
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

Hi Everyone--

     My '90 Vanagon blasted out a load of antifreeze the other day soon as I
parked it after driving it a while. I checked around the engine compartment
this morning and followed the hosing from the reserve tank until I found the
leak.
    Looking at the engine compartment from the back and on top: Hosing from
the reserve tank sort follows around the top inside of the comparment
opening; on the left side, there's a T-junction with a black rubber hose,
about 1/2 inch round and maybe 14 inches long to where it gets larger in
diameter (maybe 3/4 or an inch) for about four inches to where it connects to
the left-side cylinder head on top.
   Right before that rubber hose fits onto the metal engine connection,
there's a break where the antifreeze leaks when pressured. Got the part #:
025-121-058-M (and maybe the same number ending in C instead of M might
work)...
    I tried searching the archive but for some reason can't get in at all,
so....

    My Question: The hose looks easy enough to remove (clamp on each end).
I'm thinking I could take it off, dry it good, and do some heavy duty taping
over that rupture, and put it back on--so I could at least drive it for a few
days until I get the replacement hose special ordered.  Is that adviseable or
not?

    Second Question: If I take that hose off, do I run the risk of getting
air in the system (and if so, what's the trick to doing this then and not
getting air in then system?), or will it just pull more antifreeze off the
reserve once I hook it back up again and start it?

    It looks like a simple fix--but I've done simple fixes before that ended
up causing bigger headaches. Any advise would be appreciated.

Many thanks,

Don Oldenburg
McLean, Va.
elevenhalf@aol.com

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