Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:03:00 -0700
Reply-To: Matthew Snook <matt@SNOOKSBAND.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Matthew Snook <matt@SNOOKSBAND.COM>
Subject: rear heater blowout - stranded: The Rest of the Story...
In-Reply-To: <E5E8889480724585914B112B201B6793@Bohemian>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Well, the long and short of it is that the stick-fix worked.
When I pulled to a stop after the heater erupted, I was parked next to a
Chrysolepis chrysophylla (Golden Chinquapin) which is a smooth-skinned oak
with elliptical evergreen leaves. I stuck my fingers into the hose until I
found which one fit the best, then used that to size an appropriate branch,
cut a couple of staubs, and clamped them in place. The engine still
overheated and blew steam through one stick, so I had to drive down to the
creek to get more water since the expansion tank was empty.
After filling with water and purging the system of air, I started the engine
and ran it until the temperature increase finally tripped the radiator fan.
This took quite a while, so I took pictures while waiting. This is the
creek where I was stranded: http://tinyurl.com/m2alg4. After I had
determined that all was well, I had lunch and played banjo at the falls for
a while.
The climb from 3,500 up to the 5,000 ft elevation didn't even get the
temperature up to the mid-way mark, so I was feeling confident that I didn't
need to take the long route home out to Highway 97 and around through
Chiloquin, and instead I took the shortcut (which was my original intent)
through Crater Lake. (Crater Lake as in
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crater_Lake.) That may have been pushing it,
but all was well. That is a long hard climb for a Westy, and by the time we
reached the rim the temp had maxed out. But this time it was acting
normally: it would reach a peak, the fan came on, and it would recede a
little. At the top I checked my sticks. They were still dripping a little,
but not enough to worry about - and the climb to 7,000 was over!
So, contra park rules, I gave the scraps of my lunch to a friendly golden
mantled ground squirrel (they apparently like pickled olives & garlic and
pepperjack cheese...) and then drove another 41.1 miles to the folks place.
I suppose it ain't over 'til it's over, and I'm now looking for a heater
core...
I'll be back from a 'Vegas business trip next week, back in the Westy and
looking for more adventures.
Matt
________________________________________
From: Matthew Snook
Subject: [VWVANFULLTIMERS] rear heater blowout - stranded: Chapter Two
OK, the sticks are in place. I used some golden chinquapin big enough to
fit in the hose end, put the clamps back on and...
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