Date:         Tue, 18 Apr 2006 20:04:48 -0700
Reply-To:     Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Subject:      Re: Cooling system overhaul?
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=response

Tempe is what, two feet from the sun? Kinda like around here, but worse I
think. Quite a bit different from NC as you know, but your van hasn't worked
that out yet. When it does, the older/weaker parts of the system will go,
maybe in a bunch. My van has lived in Cali all its life and I find that some
of these hoses age prematurely compared to when I lived in TN.
These engines respond poorly to sudden massive coolant loss, of course, and
some of the pieces of your coolant system may now be 16 yrs. old. You might
search the archives and the bottom of your van for what you can learn about
the long plastic coolant lines that run from rear to front and back. If they
are like most of ours, they're not in great shape and they aren't going to
get better in the dry climate. You can get replacements from the list
vendors (even in stainless steel, if you like).
This is something I'm going to have to address myself in the near future as
I'm tired of the piecemeal approach. I'd start with the radiator and those
long lines. If the radiator is clean, fine, if not you can probably have it
cleaned or just replace it. I had my local radiator guy look at mine and he
didn't like the fact way it was constructed (part of it is plastic, IIRC)
but he said he could still service it.
Given all that and what Ken said you can compromise and do it all, but in
sections so to speak. You say you're not a mechanic but this is fairly
simple stuff- doesn't require mechanical skills per se.
Be aware that there are a few certain pieces that are prone to problems
anyway and for which many folks carry spares- that'll be in the archives as
well.

Good luck,
Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Pry" <moblique@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 9:04 AM
Subject: Cooling system overhaul?


>I have a 90 GL that I purchased last summer in North Carolina and brought
> home to hot, dry Arizona. After a couple of failures of plastic connectors
> on my cooling system, my mechanic is now suggesting that I consider
> replacing every plastic and rubber hose and pipe in the van, on the theory
> that with continued exposure to the extreme conditions here (Tempe) I will
> be nagged by annoying failures and possibly risk something more serious.
> The engine was rebuilt just before I bought the van, and my mechanic
> (Perri
> at German Auto Repair in Mesa, who's a straight-up guy) says he always
> recommends cooling system overhauls at the same time as a rebuild on vans
> as old as mine. As he puts it, if I end up doing it piece by piece, I'm
> going to buy a lot of coolant and redundant labor.
>
> Well, as you can imagine, my initial response to his suggestion was that
> this would be too expensive and too speculative in its benefits. After
> all,
> he really means every part (except, of course, those replaced since last
> summer). But then I caught mention in some recent postings of other
> listees
> doing this, and now I'm giving it more thought.
>
> Is it a reasonable thing to do? How many of you folks have done this?
>
> It might help to know that when we travel, we stay as far away from the
> busy roads as we can, so we can be a long way from help when something
> goes
> wrong -- and I'm not a mechanic.
>
>
> Mark Pry
> 1990 GL