Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 14:17:48 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Subject: Re: Overheating Blues on my 1990....Help!!!???
In-Reply-To: <20020707204907.7335.qmail@web13802.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Was the pressure cap checked? This is an often overlooked item and it fails
frequently. Otherwise, start having all those listed causes checked out.
Good luck,
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of kevin obrien
Sent: Sunday, July 07, 2002 4:49 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Overheating Blues on my 1990....Help!!!???
As always...on a Holiday Weekend my Vanagon decides to
pull another surprise...here's the latest...
Long ago....sometime after Clinton starting schtooping
Monica but before the boys & girls at Enron smelled
the coffee...my Vanagon started exibiting the
Mysterious Flashing Coolant Light Syndrome. Coolant
disappeared from the Overflow bottle...the light
flashed whenever it felt like it...no rhyme or reason.
Anyway...
This winter I had the heads redone as the result of
bad head gasket and strangely corroded heads...the van
had lost coolant due to a blown hose....a 5 month
epic of Homeric proportions...believe me!
Anyway....Vanagon has been up and running about 1.5
months...when I noticed the light beginning to flash
again. I responded by filling the Overflow Tank
(Behind license plate) whenever it was empty.
Not long ago that it began running hot coming up the
5 mile hill to my house. The rest of the time it
seems fine...gauge at the mid-point (covering the
little red light), even with AC on hot days. Comng up
said hill a few days ago I saw the temp
climbing...then heard a loud hissing. Found the
coolant leaking around the Expansion Tank. Drove home.
Refilled Overflow tank next morning. Drove to
Pittsburgh and back (relatively flat)...temp was fine.
Coming up 5 mile hill temp climbed and was blowing
around Expansion tank again when I got home. But now
the Overflow Tank (behind license plate) is filled
with coolant.! Can't recall the last time I saw
that!!!
Later last evening coolant was still in Overflow
tank...took Van for test drive (started off cool)
....temp ran up hot within 5 miles. Stopped at local
watering hole....let Van (and me) cool down. Drove her
home and parked her.
Today I have let her sit....pondering the ENDLESS
info in the archives....
Is it a Thermostat problem?
A Radiator Problem?
An Expansion Bottle Problem?
An Overflow Bottle Problem
A Bubble in the System Problem?
OR... a Bad Heads Problem...in which case there is
gonna be one sad-assed (if not dead) mechanic come
tomorrow morning!!!!
Come on you Coolant Gurus out there...help me out. My
mechanics well-being may depend upon it!!!!
kevindobrien@yahoo.com
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