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Date:         Thu, 7 Feb 2002 22:01:00 +0000
Reply-To:     Blake Heinlein <blakeheinlein@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Blake Heinlein <blakeheinlein@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Help! - Coolant spilling on long drives
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Hello Vanagoners!

I need some help. I believe that I have a leaky head gasket but I want to get a confirmation about what I think is happening. Here is what's happening:

Around town and 1/2 hour drives the van runs great. Heater works and it never drips a drop of coolant. The Van runs right at or slightly below the red warning light.

Yesterday I drove almost 400 miles in one day. (To much driving) Traveling at about 70 to 80 mph the entire time. With two stops inbetween everything seemed fine. (Now that I recall at one stop there was a faint smell of antifreeze but I couldn't find anything coming off my van.) When I pulled off the freeway right by my house, and slowed the van down, the light started flashing and the needle pegged. I pulled over and the expansion tank was low on water. The reserve tank was full and the water had all dumped out somewere on my trip.

So I release the air in the expansion tank and then topped off the empty. I'm bleeding the system right now.

To me all this sounds like air is getting into the system some how. Here are the specs on my van.

-84 Vanagon -2.1 L rebuilt engine with 25,000 mi -all new coolant system. (think everything that the water touches, everything) -running low temp thermostat and radiator fan switch

Well, As you can expect I'm a little frustrated but that's life with a vanagon. I'm going to have the expansion tank cap pressure tested (even though it's new) and if it's ok I'm going to talk to the shop that built the engine.

Any advice or experiences would be appreciated. Do you guys think that this is a head leak problem? If so what are the best fixes? If not what else could it be?

Loyal Vanagon Lover! (If I hadn't spent so much money on it I would sell it)

Thanks, Blake (I have a neet website)"plug" "plug" :)

------------------------- Blake Heinlein blakeheinlein@hotmail.com http://members.accessbee.com/heinlein/ (Has vanagon stuff) -------------------------

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