Date:         Wed, 12 May 2004 08:06:22 -0700
Reply-To:     TJ Hannink <tjhannink@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         TJ Hannink <tjhannink@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Draining the coolant system... ?
In-Reply-To:  <Pine.BSF.4.58.0405120931040.99859@gull.us>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

David Brodbeck <gull@GULL.US> wrote:

TJ lifts the rear until the coolant bottle is above the top of the rad. Note that this means lifting the van really high...I mean SCARY high, high enough that you're
kinda nervous about getting too close to it. So that may be why it's not
the Official Procedure.


I lift the rear of the van so the top of the coolant bottle is at the same level as the top of the radiator, not above it. I never said to "lift the rear until the coolant bottle is above the top of the radiator", I'm not sure where you got that from.

Scary high? I don't think so, I use a standard floor jack and jackstands and go up only far enough to get the rear tires off the ground a couple of inches, the same amount I raise it to rotate tires and work under the rear of the van, etc... Remember that as you raise the rear of the van, the front end (and the top of the radiator) gets lower; its real easy to verify with a tape measure.

I don't run the motor when I have the van in this position, there isn't any need to. The coolant reaches a level point all by itself without using the water pump to push the coolant.

As I previously stated, I have bled the system as per Bentley after the first couple of times I filled the system this way and had only gotten coolant out, so I don't bother anymore.

Good luck,


TJ Hannink
Goldibox - 1987 Vanagon Camper, Wolfsburg Edition
Winter Park, Florida
http://home.earthlink.net/~tjhannink/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wolfsburg_campers
http://photos.yahoo.com/tjhannink [Vanagon] Album
FAVOR website:  http://home.earthlink.net/~clubvanagon

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