Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 23:19:08 -0700
Reply-To: zolo <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: zolo <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Subject: Re: Coolant draining strategy? MY WAY ...
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
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I was wondering about it myself but I have been told that that is where I
must put it because that will be treated with the sewage and sent out to the
ocean treated by the municipality. But I will investigate the matter and
find out if there is any better way.
Thanks for bringing it up.
Zoltan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Al and Sue Brase" <albeeee@MCHSI.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 8:35 PM
Subject: Re: Coolant draining strategy? MY WAY ...
> Zolo:
> I think you should rethink this. If you are putting ethylene glycol into
> the public sewers or ground water most anywhere in the United States,
> you are probably breaking the law. the stuff is highly toxic and should
> go to a qualified recycler.More dilution will not make it easier for you
> to recycle.
> I'm not a raving environmentalist, but do prefer to drink my water
> without toxins. (I can find my own!)
> Al Brase
>
> zolo wrote:
>
>> I made a unit that I attach to the system and drain the whole thing
>> without
>> spilling.
>> It is a valve that has a 4" piece of the large hose on it on one
>> side. The
>> other side woud fit the system. There is a third outle on it where I
>> put a
>> fitting with a little valve to fit a garden hose. I can do two ways of
>> getting the old coolant away. One is to have the garden hose directly go
>> into the toilet, the other is to fill up buckets that I will deliver
>> there.
>> I bought all the parts in the Home Depot. Only the short piece of
>> hose had
>> to be cut from an old one in a wrecking yard. That hose I also cut on
>> the
>> inside rim in an angle to make the fitting later to be easier.
>> I lift the car a little in the front so I can work on it easier,
>> Take out the spare wheel and lift the tray back to its place,
>> I use a vice grip that has two long paralell faces to pinch one of the
>> hoses
>> near the plastic pipe, about six inches away from it,
>> Place a bucket under the place where the system will be opened,
>> Undo the clamp and pull it off,
>> A little coolant will come out into a bucket from the plastic pipe,
>> Install the hose end of the unit onto the plastic pipe and on the
>> other side
>> the hose of the car,
>> Make sure the valve on your unit is closed,
>> Attach the long hose pipe or a short one that goes into a bucket,
>> Now take off the cap of the coolant system at the engine,
>> Open the valve on your unit,
>> Start up the car,
>> Install a garden hose into the tank and have the water flow at a stady
>> rate
>> to have it overflow just a little, (unless you make an watertight fitting
>> for it),
>> You will see the old coolant being pushed out by the water pump while new
>> clean water is going into the system,
>> Do it until you have clean water coming out only, you can taste it a
>> little
>> to see if it still has that bitter taste of the coolant,
>>
>> This way the engine will have no coolant in there, just clean water,
>> When you are finished, you can put the hose back as it was and you
>> only need
>> to add undiluted coolant later when the engine was installed.
>> Any water coming out of the car later, will be clean water only.
>> Of course, the best is if all the old coolant directly goes into the
>> toilet
>> with a long hose that has a valve too.
>> Also, you can use a coolant flush additive to get rid of some more of the
>> deposits inside. I don't know any that is great.
>>
>> That's about all. You can let some water out of the system by just
>> taking
>> off the hose again in front.
>> And don't forget to put the spare tire back...
>> Good luck,
>> Zoltan
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Rocket J Squirrel" <j.michael.elliott@ADELPHIA.NET>
>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>> Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 9:04 AM
>> Subject: Coolant draining strategy?
>>
>>
>>> Mellow Yellow's 1.9 has the famous head gasket coolant leak, so I'll be
>>> pulling the engine. I need suggestions, tricks and techniques, for
>>> avoiding coolant spills.
>>>
>>> I can't do the work on my property because the driveway is very, very
>>> sloped. So the engine pull will be done on the street. The neighbors
>>> tolerated a couple months of the Wonderbus sitting in the street with no
>>> engine while I was replacing it, so I don't expect any trouble from them
>>> on that front. However, if I make a great big mess with coolant, and let
>>> that toxic stuff flow down the storm drain, someone may raise an
>>> objection.
>>>
>>> I can follow the Usual Procedures for draining the coolant before I
>>> start unhooking hoses. But from there . . . keep a bunch of buckets
>>> handy? Is that about it? How about some kind of absorbent blanket or
>>> something to catch the stuff I miss?
>>>
>>> What's the good, thoughtful way to go about this?
>>>
>>> --
>>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>>> 84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
>>> KG6RCR
>>>
>>
>
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