Date: Sun, 9 Dec 2001 09:00:33 -0800
Reply-To: Ben McCafferty <ben@KBMC.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ben McCafferty <ben@KBMC.NET>
Subject: Re: Cooling system tip and involved question
In-Reply-To: <002c01c18044$6beb51c0$010000c0@packardbell>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Thanks everyone for the responses. I'm still unclear, though this all
helps.
The Prestone method is intended to work as follows: insert the T and attach
a garden hose, open the expansion tank cap, and run the engine with the hose
putting water in until clear water runs out of the expansion tank. That way
the engine heats water, opens the thermostat, pushes all the old coolant
out. The problem is, I'm also trying to be environmentally friendly about
this, and can't see just pumping four gallons of coolant into the bay. I
have used a wet/dry shop vac before, with a rigged hose to the expansion
tank. The vac holds something like 10 gallons, so it works.
But I'm still left with not really knowing where the input T should be. It
seems to me that it would be perfect on the output side of the water pump,
if it fits there--but I'm not sure if the water would heat quickly enough
(before it gets to the thermostat) to make it up to the radiator.
Then I guess I'm still left with the prospect of draining the system and
refilling with coolant mixture.
Hmmmmmmm......
bmc :)
"Faith will move mountains, but you'd better bring a shovel...."
> From: Timothy Hannink <tjhannink@EARTHLINK.NET>
> Reply-To: Timothy Hannink <tjhannink@EARTHLINK.NET>
> Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 18:59:48 -0500
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Cooling system tip and involved question
>
> You should be getting water out of each of those locations when you open
> them up with your current setup. But getting water out of the radiator
> bleeder doesn't mean that you have flushed the radiator.
>
> The radiator loop starts at the coolant distributor, goes through one main
> cooling hose to the radiator, through the radiator, back through the other
> main cooling hose ending at the thermostat housing. Before the engine
> reaches operating temperature, the thermostat is closed and there is no
> coolant flow through the radiator loop. In order to flush out the radiator
> loop completely, both ends of the loop need to be open, so the thermostat
> needs to be open..Once you start adding cool water to the system via the
> "T", you are in effect doing the job of the radiator - providing cooling to
> the motor. The thermostat will close, coolant flow through the radiator loop
> will stop and your radiator loop doesn't get flushed.
>
> If you open the radiator bleed screw, you have now provided a path for
> water to flow partially through the radiator loop. You've opened the
> radiator loop in the middle and now the water goes from the coolant
> distributor, through one of the main cooling hoses, into the radiator and
> out the bleeder valve. All of the flushing water will never flow through the
> loop even if the thermostat is open now, because some of it is going out the
> bleeder valve.
>
> I would love to see more discussion on the list about this. Maybe I am
> completely out in left field, so I welcome any and all responses. I was
> disappointed in the lack of response to this thread considering the
> importance of maintaining the Vanagon's much maligned cooling system
> properly.
>
> Tim Hannink
> Goldibox - 1987 Westfalia Camper, Wolfsburg Edition
> Winter Park, Florida
> http://home.earthlink.net/~tjhannink/
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Edward Maglott" <emaglott@BUNCOMBE.MAIN.NC.US>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2001 5:48 PM
> Subject: Re: Cooling system tip and involved question
>
>
>> I put the prestone flush-n-fill Tee in the heater hose near the sliding
>> door (this is also near the fuel pump). I chose that place mainly for
>> convenience, and because it seemed to serve the same purpose as putting it
>> up front in the same heater hose. I flushed cold water into there with
> the
>> engine running and can tell you that I had water gushing out the radiator
>> bleeder, and the rear heater bleeder, the thermostat bleeder and the 1
>> crankcase drain I could get open, and the fill cap on the expansion
>> tank. I just kept flushing after I drained and disposed of properly the
>> bulk of the coolant. I would run the engine, not run the engine, close
> the
>> crankcase drain and fill and drain the engine multiple times, etc.
>> Edward
>
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