Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (February 2007, week 2)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Mon, 12 Feb 2007 07:31:38 EST
Reply-To:     RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Head leak again.... What next?
Comments: cc: camealy@CTSR.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 11/02/2007 10:11:38 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

I just drained all the coolant and oil and can't find any evidence of cross contamination. It runs great with no loss of "power". Is there anything else that would cause the coolant level to rise after driving? It will raise about two to three inches in the coolant fill bottle. I bled the system with the nose raised and all the air seemed to come out. There is no coolant leakage out of the outer water jacket gasket either which last time my head gaskets leaked the combustion gasses seemed to force coolant to leak out of those.

Don't know what to look for next. I would hate to tear down my top end to find out it was something else.

You, do realize that the coolant normally expands when the engine is up to operating temperature ? That's why there is the expansion overflow tank behind the licence plate door. When the coolant gets hot it expands and needs to go somewhere so that it can get back in the main system when the system cools off and creates a vacuum. That's the job of that cap on the main tank. Now, if your getting more than the normal amount of expansion then you have a combustion leak into the coolant system. This does not always result in cross contamination of the fluids. If there is a crack in a head that only opens when under sever heat & load then the combustion escaping prevents coolant from entering but over pressures the coolant system. When the engine cools the crack seals so no leak is detected. The only way you find these leaks is with a leak down test done on a hot engine and possibly a coolant system pressure test, however if the crack is small and only opening up under extreme loads then it may be difficult to find.

Cheers,

Frank Condelli Almonte, Ontario, Canada '87 Westy, '90 Carat, '87 Wolfsburg (Forsale) & Lionel Trains (_Collection for sale_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/trainsal.htm) ) Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley _Frank Condelli & Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html) _Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm) _BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm) a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 07 ~ 10, 2007


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.