Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 06:23:32 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Subject: Re: Is my radiator dead? aka cooling sytem woes
In-Reply-To: <211385.1046758273310.JavaMail.portal@cal-esport1>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Sounds like you have an internal head gasket leak or a cracked head. You
are getting combustion gasses into the cooling system. Check the
archives. Many have been here before.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
Of Keith Adams
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 1:11 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Is my radiator dead? aka cooling sytem woes
Short story:
After bleeding my cooling system, then driving around for a half hour,
then cracking the bleed screw on the radiator, I get nothing. Is this
indicative of a poorly flowing radiator, or what? Feed hose is warm,
return hose is not, temp gauge on the LED.
Long story:
Van (1986 2.1 MT 2WD) developed an ugly habit while on holidays last
summer, of running the temp gauge up to about 7/8 all the time, except
when cruising at 100 km/hr on level ground. Stop and go traffic, or
hills, just drove the temp gauge up.
This winter, I decide to pull the water pump and check that the impeller
is ok, and replace t-stat w/ stock 87*, change Temp II sensor, and flush
system and fill with VW G11 coolant. So I did all that. Pulled rad out
too, and flushed in the bath tub (wife loved that). A little scale came
out, but tough to tell it's state of health from that method.
So yesterday, flushed de-ionized water through the system, filled with
coolant (mmmm... blue), and after bollocksing up the bleeding attempt
the first time, decided to re-group and do it tonight. Had the front
end up on jackstands (raised at least 12"), open bleed screw on rad,
t-stat housing, open expansion tank, got the wife on the throttle,
idling at ~2200 rpm. Top up expansion tank, keep idling until t-stat
opens, bleed t-stat housing and close screw. Check rad (warm), no more
air, close screw. Top up expansion tank, put cap on, re-connect
overflow tank (filled to "max" mark), let idle drop to normal.
Now two wierd things happen.
1) leave van idling for 15 minutes while I clean up. Temp gauge runs up
to ~7/8 (ok, maybe 3/4), overflow tank pukes on floor. Blue mess
everywhere. Shut off van, and let it cool, overflow tank about half way
between min and max (started at max). Question is: should my van get
that hot just idling? This is what it was doing in the summer.
2) go for a drive (15 min or so to get gas) come back, and try the
suggestion of cracking the rad bleed screw again. Nothing. No air, no
coolant. Feed hose to rad is warm, return hose is not. Rad is warm.
Temp gauge right over LED. No change in expansion tank from above
puking.
So I'm beginning to wonder if maybe my rad is plugged and not flowing
well. Any thoughts or experiences here? DPO maybe put Bar's Leak in it
or something? Or have I just got a stupid bubble trapped in it
somewhere? If I do, why isn't it hissing when I crack the rad bleed
screw?
P-mail please, I'm only on the archives via the web.
Keith Adams
calgary.ab.ca | http://www.clubveedub.com
86 Westy | 66 Beetle | 59 Euro Beetle
| 
