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Date:         Wed, 20 May 2009 22:27:32 -0700
Reply-To:     Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Thermostat soup: A comparison.
Comments: To: Robert Fisher <refisher@mchsi.com>
In-Reply-To:  <002101c9d9c8$6312c1b0$29384510$@com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Do the blow/suck test on the expansion tank cap - it should be uni-directional.

If its bi that would be the likely culprit.

On Wed, May 20, 2009 at 8:58 PM, Robert Fisher <refisher@mchsi.com> wrote:

> It was overheating at idle only largely because the tranny was shot and the > van wasn't rolling; in other words I couldn't make a comparison. I knew the > radiator fan was working because I remember jumper-testing it and getting > both speeds, which means it wasn't cycling on its own or I wouldn't have > bothered. I don't remember if I checked the coolant lines at the time it > first overheated... I think when I realized it was getting too high I just > shut it off (the light hadn't come on yet). > > I wasn't having an overheating problem before when the van was moving; this > first came up during one of my start-up and idle sessions when I was > dealing > with something else. Before it broke down the needle would commonly sit > about one needle's width above the led and drop slightly on the road or > when > the fan was on. > > I swapped in a working used tranny last weekend and bled the system (I had > already put the new thermostat in for GP). While I was bleeding it the > needle went back up to the 'normal' position and held there; eventually the > fan came on. It sounds kind of raspy and anemic to me, but it's moving air. > It cycled several times and the needle held steady. > > Bleeding this thing by the standard method is no fun because one of the POs > lost the bleeder bolt in the radiator and put a regular bolt in, which > leads > to hot coolant spew when I'm trying to do the bleed. I've given some > thought > to rigging up a pet-cock type thing but I haven't done it yet. I think at > this point I'm going to try the tall-pipe method from the Samba. > > When I got back from my test drive the needle was still holding steady at > 'normal'. I turned the van off and opened the hatch. The expansion tank was > full and there was a little bit of burbling in it (not good, I know). After > everything had cooled I opened the overflow tank and it was nearly empty, > so > I filled it to the mark. > > I haven't driven it since (it's non-opped and I'm getting it ready for the > smog check). Today I was doing some other things and it just occurred to me > to check the overflow tank (I can't see through it anymore) and coolant > came > pouring out- it was basically full. So was the expansion tank. > > I remember when I first put this engine back together it took me about > three > tries to get it bled properly, so it's entirely possible that's the problem > now, but I'm puzzled by this overflow bottle filling up. I had the nose up > for a while, so I suppose it could have just been gravity draining it back, > but I would've thought the pressure cap would've prevented that. I replaced > the cap when I put the engine together several years ago, at the same time > I > got the other thermostat. I don't have a rig for pressure-testing this > system so I was thinking I might get another cap and use the old one for a > pressure tester. I understand that the burbling can be caused by a number > of > things ranging from the relatively benign to the catastrophic so I don't > want to run the thing much. > > So I can pressure test the system, do a leak down test and look for > bubbles, > bleed it again and so on..., but what's up with the overflow filling up on > its own? Is the cap bad, or will it just do that from having the nose up, > or > did I not let it cool enough before I put more coolant in the overflow? > > More thoughts? : ) > > Thanks, > Robert > > -----Original Message----- > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of > Dennis Haynes > Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 6:11 PM > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > Subject: Re: Thermostat soup: A comparison. > > Does it overheat at idle only? If so then the thermostat is not the > problem. > If it was failing it would always over heat, especially at speed. You say > the radiator fan is working. Does that mean it is cycling on its own? If it > is turning on by itself that one more indication the t-stat is OK. When the > fan is running, does the return become noticeably cooler than the feed? The > radiator may be plugged or an internal baffle is cracked and the coolant is > not actually flowing through it. > > Changing parts until it works is rarely effective. Another possibility is > that a prior water pump failure damaged the engine case and reduced > capacity > at low speed is the result. > > Dennis > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of > Robert Fisher > Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 8:15 PM > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > Subject: Thermostat soup: A comparison. > > Stock '87 GL overheats at idle, radiator fan works on both speeds but has > little/no effect. I got a new thermostat (FLAPS special) and pulled the old > one. I don't remember what brand the old one is but it was supposed to be a > good one and it is far beefier in construction; iirc I got it at the local > import parts place back when but they were closed so I got this new one. > Old > one is maybe 7 yrs. old, but does not have a lot of miles/cycles on it. > > In boiling water, the new one opens to about 3/8" fairly quickly and also > closes fairly quickly. The old one opens (to my surprise), but to a little > less than a 1/4", and takes its sweet time opening and closing. On the one > hand, I'm thinking I might run the new one for the meantime, get myself > another 'better' one and swap them out keeping the FLAPS thermostat for a > spare. On the other hand, the old one didn't really give me much for my > money. I normally keep a spare around; I don't know what happened to it, > hence the FLAPS piece. > > I know there's widely varying quality in these things, sometimes even > within > brands and I've found them dead out of the box, which is why I check them > (I > don't recall seeing one that 'partially' worked, however). I've also seen > ppl argue for strictly OEM thermostats here on the list but I'm a long way > from any VW dealer. > > Thoughts? Recommendations? > > > > Cya, > > Robert >

-- Jake

1984 Vanagon GL 1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"

Crescent Beach, BC

www.thebassspa.com www.crescentbeachguitar.com http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27


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