Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2001 22:01:23 -0500
Reply-To: Timothy Hannink <tjhannink@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Timothy Hannink <tjhannink@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Cooling system tip and involved question
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
The last time I flushed my system, I had the van in the garage with the back
end up while I installed the headers, engine side coolant hoses and motor
mounts. I disconnected the heater and radiator hoses at the thermostat
housing and the coolant distributor and back flushed each loop independently
with the garden hose, then backflushed the motor by connecting the hose to
the engine side of the coolant distributor. I cobbled together some PVC pipe
fittings to make an adapter to fit the large radiator hoses and the smaller
heater hoses. I also connected hoses to the output side and ran the old
coolant into a 5 gallon bucket so I could dispose of it properly, and so I
could also get a good look at what came out of each area.
I don't like using the flush tee's. I don't like the idea of pushing cold
water into a running motor. Doesn't the constant input of cool water keep
the thermostat from opening and staying open? If it does, the radiator loop
will never get flushed out properly, since flow through it is controlled by
the thermostat, and the flushing water will go back to the heater cores or
out of the overflow.
As for filling method, I start by pouring a 1/2 gallon of antifreeze into
the system. I fill that jug back up with water and pour all of that in, then
add another 1/2 gallon of water. Next, I pour 1/2 of the new gallon of
antifreeze into the empty jug, then fill both up with water. Then I add from
the bottles until the system is full and put the remaining mix in the van
for emergencies.
I used the "rear end up" method of bleeding the system last time since the
van was already in that position, and had no trouble with air pockets.
YMMV as may your opinion,
Tim Hannink
Goldibox - 1987 Westfalia Camper, Wolfsburg Edition
Winter Park, Florida
http://home.earthlink.net/~tjhannink/
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ben McCafferty" <ben@KBMC.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 8:51 PM
Subject: Cooling system tip and involved question
> Hi all,
> Spent the day playing with anti-freeze, my least favorite part of any
> vehicle. Anyway...
>
> First the tip: if you've ever drained your cooling system, you removed
> those brass plugs between the pushrod tubes. They are marginal at
> best--very easy to strip. On my newer addition (90 westy syncro), these
> plugs have been replaced with allen head bolts and a copper washer. Very
> nice--easy to get to and remove/replace.
>
> Now the question: I read lots of information in the archives about
flushing
> and filling. The last time I did this, I did the old fashioned method
> (drain, fill/flush, drain, fill with new coolant/h2o). This time, I was
> experimenting with the Prestone flush kit. I inserted the "T" fitting
with
> an extra piece of hose near the front heater valve. I was aiming to find
an
> easier way, i.e. one where I could just run clear water into the system
and
> let the old coolant and water cycle out. But I'm having a bit of a hard
> time visualizing what is going on.
>
> Let's say we could simplify the cooling system. If I understand it right,
> we would basically have a large loop of hoses for the primary cooling
system
> for the engine. Off of that loop, we would have two smaller loops, each
> going to a heater core and controlled by an on/off valve. Somewhere on
one
> end of the large loop, we'd have a pump to circulate the coolant, and an
> expansion tank for when the coolant volume increases beyond what the loop
> can hold. If the cooling system runs low, it draws from the expansion
tank,
> and that draws from the overflow tank if it gets too low.
>
> So here's my question--if I could somehow tag a molecule of water and
track
> it, would it eventually pass through all parts of the cooling system,
> including the heater loops? If so, if I attach the previously mentioned
"T"
> to a heater loop, and start pumping in water with the engine running, will
> it eventually displace ALL old coolant? And would that just run out of
the
> top of the expansion tank?
>
> Basically, I'm trying to find a way to flush the system completely,
without
> removing the hoses up front or the plugs at the rear. If I could run a
hose
> off the expansion tank to a large tub, and the idea mentioned above would
> work, it seems I could do this. I also would prefer to use an insertion
> point for the "T" that's in the engine compartment instead of up front.
If
> this did work, I think I'd still have to drain the system after flushing,
> but at least it would only be once instead of twice. Is there a way to
draw
> fluid off the cooling system via the expansion tank, etc.?
>
> Last question--once the system is flushed and drained, I add a gallon of
> coolant, then a gallon of water, then a gallon of coolant, then water,
etc.,
> will the two elements eventually mix? Or will they tend to follow each
> other around in the loop? Oops, that was two questions.
>
> Well, thanks all, and I'm open to any great ideas you have on this whole
> process, since I get to do the other one tomorrow.....
>
> bmc :)
> "Faith will move mountains, but you'd better bring a shovel...."
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