The overheating is most likely your radiator. My van had the same symptoms when I bought it. It was diagnosed by two "mechanics" as an inner head gasket problem. Turned out the radiator, even though it seemed ok(would pass fluid when off the van), was restricted enough to not allow the coolant to flow. It is a large, long, upward coolant loop in our vans and it seems that when resistance reaches a certain point it just stops flowing. New radiator and all was well. I just replaced my friend's radiator a couple of months ago for the same reason and it cured her problem as well. The plastic connector you speak of also blew out on my van. I ended up removing it and splicing the hoses with some home fashioned pieces. Worked fine. Last I saw, the Bus Depot had a really good deal on new radiators. Good Luck, Tim 85 Westy Tiico 83 Rabbit GTI 16V |
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