Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 10:44:27 -0400
Reply-To: Ben huot <huotx@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ben huot <huotx@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Subject: Re: 1987 GL Coolant System Problems
Charlie, I wish you well! (Get better, go travel and see the world!)
I mostly agree with Allan, overheating or overpressure could have caused
your leak. Normally, hoses don't explode.
They have a tendency to crack and leak.
I think that I have some interesting stuff on my web page that could help
you better understand the coolant system and flow.
http://pages.infinit.net/engine/cooling_system_flow.htm
Ok, I was ready to post a new thread on "Hose failure warning", but here
will be fine.
IF you remember, this week I ask for help for one of my friend on the road,
he had an oil light and buzzer problem. By the way, it was not an engine
warning light!!! It was the oil light!!! The problem disappears and never
came back??? The oil filter as no name on it!
So this guy is back in Montreal from a southern USA tour after 10k KM
(About 6000 miles) The only problem was a faulty thermostat and thermo
switch. To cut that short, yesterday he call me, first to have a beer but
second to tell me that the day after he arrive he started the van to move
this one a bit and!!! Major spill under the van near the water pump (86GL),
so I go have my beer and some trip discussion and finally he started the
van, after a minute or so, bang it start leaking heavily!!! He tough that
it was the water pump that was leaking!!, not a big leak like that. To cut
that short again, one of the 2 small flex oil cooler tubing under the water
pump was crack, the one that goes to the thermostat housing ( "W" on my
site: http://pages.infinit.net/engine/cooling_system_hoses.htm)
Is this guy lucky or what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't think you will change that strange looking small hose on the road, it
as a special curve shape, one big end and one small end, it's well hidden
between the pump and the oil cooler, you need to partially remove the oil
filter and the upper small cooling metal tube (Q on my page) and with all
that you still need magic fingers plus a small bleeding after. This is the
worse o the 4 little tube in that section of the van. You can see the flex
hose tube on the following link, the one on the left:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/huotx/horror_story.htm or "H" on the following
link http://www3.sympatico.ca/huotx/engine/water_pump_step56.jpg (the big
coolant pipe on the left of the engine is remove on this picture)
By friend is the second owner, so we call the PO (A friend) and he told us
that none of the hoses was change/replace on the van, all original from
1986. The van as 185k KM (about 110k miles)
Make want you want of this story
Ps.: he told me that he had to add coolant every 200miles or so at the end
of is trip, so I must assume that the hose was failing slowly.
Ben
http://www3.sympatico.ca/huotx/engine1.htm
