Date:         Mon, 14 Apr 2003 21:25:10 -0700
Reply-To:     Shawn Wright <swright@ZUIKO.SLS.BC.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Shawn Wright <swright@ZUIKO.SLS.BC.CA>
Subject:      Re: Replacing coolant level sensor?
In-Reply-To:  <000001c3029e$a423be00$6401a8c0@rbrassaw>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Richard,

Thanks for this - after staring at it for a while, I figured something like this
should work, except I'll have to rig something up with some visegrips or c-
clamps. I'll give it a shot after it cools down.

On 14 Apr 2003 at 8:58, Richard Brassaw wrote:

> Shawn,
>
> Not sure if your van has the same setup in that the coolant level sensor
> is on tope of the coolant bottle.  What I did is to purchase two hose
> clamp pliers to shut off the two hoses attached to the tank.  With the
> hose clamp pliers on the hoses I siphon off coolant into a clean bucket.
> It's easy to change the sensor at that point, then replace the coolant
> before releasing the hose clamp pliers.
>
> Richard
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> Of shawn luft
> Sent: Monday, April 14, 2003 3:51 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Replacing coolant level sensor?
>
> At least 12 months is better than 12 hours!
>
> Did you pick up a Bentley Book by any chance?  At least then you can set
> out on the
> road, knowing that if anything goes you've got proper documentation to
> fix it.
>
> Best regards,
> Shawn
> Montreal, Qc.
>
>
> Shawn Wright wrote:
>
> > While checking over our '88 Westy before heading out next week, I
> found
> > one source of a mysterious slow coolant leak - the coolant level
> sensor in
> > the left hand tank. There was a pool of coolant around it, and signs
> of
> > crusty coolant on the tank. I dried it off, and after an hour of
> driving, it was
> > wet again. Is there a trick to replacing this sensor and minimizing
> the
> > amount of air let into the system? I was thinking of parking the van
> facing
> > downhill, and possibly removing and raising the tank before undoing
> the
> > sensor. Has anyone tried this?
> >
> > I am also getting a faint coolant smell from the front heater core, so
> I
> > suspect the other slow leak may be there. My coolant level has gone
> from
> > 'Max' to 'Min ' in about 12 months, which I was trying to ignore since
> > coolant change time is coming up. I don't want to risk ignoring the
> leaking
> > sensor, as it appears identical to the sensor that failed without
> warning in
> > my Jetta and caused rapid coolant loss.
> >
> > I guess the good news is that the coolant appears to be avoiding the
> > combustion chambers... ;-)
> >
> > Shawn Wright
> > http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright
> > { This message sent by Pegasus Mail, guaranteed virus-free }
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>

Shawn Wright
http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright
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