Date:         Thu, 9 May 2002 20:59:53 -0400
Reply-To:     jhlauterbach <jhlauterbach@MSN.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         jhlauterbach <jhlauterbach@MSN.COM>
Subject:      Kennedy petcock in, but

My Kennedy petcock is in.  Job was not straight forward as there is some
piece of metal at least on my '84 that did not give enough clearance to get
the unit in and have the 8 mm bolt straight enough to go into the radiator
w/o damaging the threads.  I had to work on the offending metal with saber
saw, vise-grips and a Dremel tool to get it so that I could get the bolt in
(note, this bolt has a hollow center and a horizontal hole drilled near the
top of the threaded portion so that air/ coolant passes out and down through
the petcock.

I carefully tightened the bolt down.  I then filled to expansion tank in
back with more coolant, turn the engine on, added more coolant, put the cap
on and check the petcock.  Coolant was coming out the exit from the petcock,
and I turned harder on it to close it off.  Coolant was also coming out
around the bolt as it wasn't tight.  I tightened it in 1/16 turn increments
until I got it so that seepage was minimal [petcock comes with its own
copper (?) washer].  I let the engine run until the radiator cycled a couple
of times.  Right now the van is cooling down on this wonderfully warm
Georgia evening.

Any thoughts on what I have done right or wrong?  Note that Kennedy did not
send instructions.

John Lauterbach
Macon, GA