Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2007 21:57:55 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <dhaynes@OPTONLINE.NET>
Subject: Re: Need input on radiator problem
In-Reply-To: <vanagon%2007020620504762@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
From the symptoms, and the sudden failure, it sounds like the head studs
lost their preload, (came loose) and under load the heads are lifting off
and putting combustion gases into the cooling system. The 1.9 cooling system
has no tolerance for this. Another possibility is a cracked head.
As for the radiators, there are a number of ways in which they can fail. The
most obvious is corrosion and leakage. The next is internal deposits keeping
the tubes from flowing or even if they do flow, do transfer heat. Then there
are the small pinhole leaks where you never see the coolant escaping but
they let air in while things are cooling, and my favorite is the cracked
internal baffle. Coolant goes in the bottom and comes out the top and never
passes through the core. This is a tuffy. Small crack causes most trouble at
idle and low speed. Large crack does that and under load.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Benny boy
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 8:47 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Need input on radiator problem
Guys, yea, i need your input!
I had NO radiator related problem since i started working on Vanagon! yea,
so they are not so bad after all, anyway, what i need is feedback on those
who had problem! What i would like to know is the folllowing and it concern
those who has NO real leak on the rad:
-Did you had overheating problem, if yes, when, freeway/hills or on idle,
mid speed,all the time, intermittent?
-Did the overheating happen suddenly? without warning or slowly on a long
period of time, was it on a hot summer day?
-For those who the rad was the problem, do you know if it was cloggued? fin
dammage? leaking?
Here is why i'm asking: i did a top-end and others small stuff for a very
nice 62yo lady a few month ago, now, she is stranded with over-heating
problem deep into Mexico (near Acapulco), most coolant componants were
replace, heads/pistons are new, water pump, thermostat and many other
coolant related parts were replaced (not to say all). Since that top-end,
she did at least 5000 miles without any problem. She just call me from there
telling my some small town mechanic was removing the thermostat as we where
on the phone, i went bazoukkk... i told her how to test the thermostat wile
there and explain to her how to flush the rad to see if it was flowing.
(it's a 1.9 by the way)
The engine/coolant don't overheat at low speed, only on big hills wile
climbing, the engine sound and run fine all the time with good power, even
when it's over-heating??? she getting pretty good with understanding
mechanical stuff so she was able to tell me that she saw boilling in the exp
tank with some coolant getting out of the cap? Cap and tank are new! so i'm
pretty sure it's hot for real and it's not the gauge, i'm blaming the rad,
but i never had rad problem on Vanagon, so.. She didn't have any oil or
coolant consumption for those 5000miles, no dripping anywhere! I was not
quick enough on the phone to ask her if the rad was hot, so i don't know!
All i know is that the mechanic tested the compression (155-160) all around,
check all hoses. I know that the return line would be cold if the rad is
cloggued but i didn't have time to tell her that also. Of what i know, it's
NOT overheating on idle. It may be a deeper core problem, but i doubt it.
As for a head gasket failure... well, it's my job to re-seal wasser! But
hey, anything can happen, i'm not god.
My spanish is basic so i was not able to speak much with the very helpfull
mechanic!
I had radiators problem in my mechanic life but not on vanagon, of course,
on a car, a failling rad will show sign of failure at high speed (When the
engine is working hard)
Anyway, if you have input on rad problem let me know ASAP!
Thanks, Ben
http://www.benplace.com/vw2.htm
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