Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:05:47 -0400
Reply-To: "Giasson, Pascal (DNR/MRN)" <Pascal.Giasson@GNB.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Giasson, Pascal (DNR/MRN)" <Pascal.Giasson@GNB.CA>
Subject: Re: Coolant leak in cold storage
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
I have the same thing happening with mine. I only noticed it three
years ago when I hade a piece of sheet metal under the engine and
noticed a small puddle come spring. No apparent leaking in the summer
though. I have heard of others with the same problem, but I think it's
just a matter of time before it turns into a bigger leak in the summer.
I will be changing my mead gaskets this spring/summer...I should of
replaced them last year when I had the engine out, water pump off, and
the exhaust system off...but I was in denial...until I got the engine
back in and noticed a small drop of coolant at the bottom the right head
gasket...arghhh.
BTW, I also used the orange dexcool coolant when I first got the Westy
in 2003 and after getting the grey sludge in the expansion tank after
two years I decided to go back to the green phosphate free. From what I
could gather from the research I did was the dexcool reacts with
"traditional" green coolants. I flushed the system really well when I
switched from green to orange and back again, but maybe some green
coolant was still in there somewhere. The dexcool also reacts with
air...no need to say any more there with the Wasser leakers! The
dexcool will also be more prone to leaking out because it is "thinner"
than traditional coolant. Also, the dexcool is slower at protecting
against corrosion and needs to be circulated regularly to protect from
corrosion, which might not be the best choice for folks like you and me
who store their Westies in the winter. I changed my water pump last
summer as preventative maintenance and the impeller had quite a bit of
corrosion on it and had just stated to scratch the case, but the pump
bearings were still fine. I know several folks on the list use dexcool
with no problems, but maybe they run their vans year round and have an
airtight system (which I know they should be but a darn hard thing to
achieve!)
Also, one thing I started doing this winter is to circulate the coolant
in the engine by taking the alternator belt off, I put an old belt on
the water pump and use an electric drill to turn the water pump to
circulate the coolant in the engine...might not do much but at least I
feel better...this won't do anything for the heater cores and radiator
as the thermostat would be closed with cold coolant.
Pascal
'84 Westy
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of Tom Lambas
Sent: February 12, 2007 7:59 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Coolant leak in cold storage
Yesterday I noticed a small amount of coolant has been leaking from my
1.9Lmotor.
As I recall this happened over the winter last year too (Minnesota).
When I
saw this last year
I thought maybe my head gaskets were shot, but I after the weather
warmed up
a bit I changed the oil
right away, and things were fine the rest of the year. BTW, I'm using
an
orange Dexcool equivalent, and
have been doing a partial replacement every year which seems to keep it
looking pretty fresh.
Last spring I replaced it all when I changed a couple of hoses.
The Van is stored under a tarp all winter with a trickle charger going
to
keep the battery alive. I won't
crank it again until spring, and once again will change the oil and
filter
right away.
Has anyone else experienced a temporary leak associated with cold
weather
storage?
Should I drain the coolant before putting it away for the winter?
Thanks,
Tom L
'84 westy
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