Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 10:40:46 EST
Reply-To: THX0001@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: George Goff <THX0001@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Please help me . . . / Cold Van
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In a message dated 1/17/04 10:41:42 PM, jasoncornfeld@MSN.COM writes:
<< it goes so far down it pegs it self and looks
like its not reading at all (like when the van is not even on) how can i
flush out enough coolant and get more water in? is this my problem? Yes i
have a new thermostat in there too . . . . . . i have the heater controls
set to be the hottest i can get them. if im sitting its fine it will warm up
the interior okay. but when im
driving.. somehow cold air gets mixed up in with the heater somehow... any
ideas? >>
Too much antifreeze in the coolant solution is not the problem. In fact,
pure water is a more efficient coolant than any antifreeze mixture. If the new
thermostat which you installed is an OE VW thermostat, verify its part number
and qualify its functioning. If it is not an OE part, get the correct one from
a dealer and install it.
In cold weather, it has been my experience that the rear heater is the
primary source of warmth. The rear heater recirculates cabin air while the front
heater gets its make-up air directly from the great outdoors. The front heater
eventually supplies heat, but not in the abundant manner of the rear heater.
I have seen air leaks in the heater box from two different sources which
caused frigid air to enter the van and, living in a cold climate, you probably
realize that when cruising down the road, it only takes a little air leak to
freeze your ass. One air leak was from queefed out gasketing on the dampers
within the heater/ventilation box. This gasketing can succumb to age or else be
consumed by a rodent who is spending the winter in your van. In a wooded or
rural area, resident rodents are common. The other outside air leak I had to
correct was caused by the air box not being seated properly. When I bought the
van, the previous owner told me that the blower motor had already been
replaced. I felt great about that until I realized that he did not tell me that the
blower motor had been replaced by a hack. So, I suffered the irony of tearing
out the dash not to replace the blower motor.
George
