Date:         Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:12:02 -0700
Reply-To:     roger sisler <rogersisler2000@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         roger sisler <rogersisler2000@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Fox head gasket issue--solved!
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 Thanks for the suggestions, but as usual, the problem was something besides what it appeared to be. This time I found it by luck.:>)

The Fox used  1 qt of coolant in about 25-40 miles. No apparent leaks. I ran the car with a full cooling system and watched, but no leaks showed up, over and over. Head gasket or cracked cyl head, I thought. No oil in  expansion tank, and no water in the crankcase.Smooth idle. No other issues.

I was parked on a hill and at a junkyard minding my own business and "just looking " for a used head. The guy that was in front of me at the admission booth to get into the junkyard could not write his name in less than 5 minutes and was taking too much time, and out of boredom, I turned and looked back at my car and saw something unusual-- My car was dripping water, like the drainage from an evaporator tube when the A/c is on. It had been several minutes, and that guy was up to his middle name, but  I was still l having drainage dripping to the dirt parking lot, however it was actual gushing out, and on the drivers side. I turned and abandoned my spot in line to check this out.
 When I popped the hood I instantly saw the problem. The expansion tank was cracked where the nipple exits at the bottom of the tank for supplying coolant to the system. Inherently brittle these old tanks are. It had leaked down to a rather low level and stopped, unless the car was parked on an angle that caused the remaining coolant to be at the front end of the tank--like it was then. Then it continued to leak on with the engine off. I guess it leaked real quick when filled, and stopped at that level, mostly while on level road. 

Who got that one right? Nice trick.