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Date:         Mon, 3 Dec 2007 11:09:58 -0800
Reply-To:     Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject:      Re: Overheated Westy '87
Comments: To: Bill Stokes <bstokes4@JUNO.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <20071203.132330.3556.12.bstokes4@juno.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Sounds like you're doing the right thing/s anyway. I'd just check for obvious weak hoses and things like that. I'm more of the school of 'keep tabs on things' and stay alert, As opposed to just replacing hoses and things that are still good. If you want to go replacing hoses that are still ok.......fine I suppose. I regard vanagon hoses as exceptionally well made mostly .... The only one I know of that is prone to failure especially is on automatic trans vanagons, - that hose over the bell housing and torque converter, other than that one, and carrying some good used spare hoses and clamps and other parts, like a spare t-stat say, ( or t-stat housing ! - or converting to the metal syncro one ) .....I just keep an eye on things. There are so many cooling system parts through out the entire van, you could never replace all of them proactively, it would be cheaper to buy another vanagon, there are that many plastic cooling system parts and hoses. Possibly a hundred parts or more, all together. There's this hose nipple like thing under the alternator, a small hose flange bolted to the block - some were plastic, and they break. I've gotten replacement ones that were metal. You might want to check that. It's rare, but that plastic water distribution box on the firewall, right side, underneath where you can't see it too well, I've not seen one fail, but I've heard about it. It goes on and on, so many cooling system parts you could almost never know that every last one is new or nearly new. I still invite, or defy, anyone to count, and come up with a number, of how many actual small and large hoses there are on an 86 or later, either syncro with rear heater, or auto trans 2WD with rear heater, vanagon. Engine and transmission area alone is about 15 or more hoses. scott -----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Bill Stokes Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 10:24 AM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Overheated Westy '87

While crusin' over a long bridge I threw my belts and the alternator light went on first, then a few minutes later the temp light went on with about 2 miles left to be able to coast into a service station off the bridge. All the coolant was lost and it got so hot it melted the upper thermostat housing where the coolant escaped. Since this incident, I have put about 700 miles on the car in city and highway driving conditions keeping close tabs for any coolant loss under the engine and/or oil consumption. So far, there has been no evidence of any damage using these two criteria. The car runs as good as it ever did.

My question is what areas should targeted for more trouble shooting since this car got very hot. Should all the hoses be changed because of the risk of integrity loss due to the high heat. Also, what other components should be checked if any. I don't want to have a catastrophic failure on a trip due to this heat event. I am thinking positively and feeling that after 700 miles, no fluid loss, good running, and no oil consumption I may have dodged the bullet. Any comments would be appreciated as to the best thing to ensure any future failures as a result of this event.

Bill in St. Petersburg


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