Date:         Sun, 30 Mar 2003 18:03:36 -0500
Reply-To:     Dan Barrett <dan@OFFTHEHILL.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dan Barrett <dan@OFFTHEHILL.ORG>
Subject:      big coolant leak
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Volks,
After I shut the bus off from my forty-mile drive home on Friday, coolant came
running off the engine (it looked like the engine was peeing; we're talking
perhaps .25L of antifreeze pouring from the driver's side front cylinder,
where the head meets the rest of the engine).
The bus has been losing a lot of coolant recently, but still runs fine and
never strays over the halfway mark on the temp gauge.  The coolant appears to
leak only once the bus is shut off -- it sits and idles without dripping.
Now the big questions:

1) My other car is in the shop (of COURSE this would coincide).  Would you
drive a bus with a coolant leak for a couple of days, or am I asking for
trouble?
2) Is this the end of the engine?  It's got 166k on it; rebuilt under warranty
by VW at 70k.  I'm well aware of the wasserboxer's penchant for head
troubles, but I'm wondering what would solve this problem -- new head gasket,
or do I need to think seriously about a new engine?


Many thanks for your input,
d.
1990 GL -- "Mudskipper"