Date:         Sat, 26 Jun 2010 12:31:24 -0400
Reply-To:     Greg Potts <greg@POTTSFAMILY.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Greg Potts <greg@POTTSFAMILY.CA>
Subject:      Re: Coolant bottle harbinger - opinions?
Comments: To: Peter DiFalco <peter.difalco@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <AANLkTik7wOIRa5J3-4xzJKgPm__3hOAFny1Tzp1JHzHm@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed

Hi Peter,

Replace the coolant bottle IMMEDIATELY.

The Engine temp gauge means NOTHING when the coolant level light is
flashing. This is an expen$ive le$$on I got schooled on the hard way
last summer.

Just after BOTC last summer my 87 melted its thermostat housing after
the coolant level dropped thanks to a cracked coolant tank. The
resulting leak and my misreading of the gauges led to the destruction of
the 3/4 side head.

Happy Trails,

Greg Potts
Toronto, Ontario Canada
197x Westfakia "Bob the Tomato"
1987 Wolfsburg Weekender Hardtop
www.pottsfamily.ca

BUSES OF THE CORN - AUGUST 13-15th, 2010
www.busesofthecorn.ca


On 6/26/2010 11:20 AM, Peter DiFalco wrote:
> The rundown:
> 2.1L 89 manual.
> Coolant system drinks a cup of coolant every couple of weeks, seemingly
> whether I drive it or not.
> I did notice a tiny hairline crack in the top of the pressure bottle.
> Yesterday the coolant light came on while pulling up a hill, fully loaded,
> running A/C, but the engine temp stayed constant.
> So today I have removed the pressure cap and here's what I find:
> a) gunk in the cap http://www.flickr.com/photos/el_pedro/4735834940/
> b) pressure bottle down to half capacity
> c) coolant in the bottle has the faintest sheen of oil on its surface - just
> that shininess of a puddle after the first rain.
>
> So... is the crack the source of my woes? Is the crap in the cap a sign that
> it has failed or is the gunk coming from a serious situation which I
> hesitate to name?
>
> Obviously I'll replace the cap and bottle both, but I'm curious to know if I
> should be eyeing other issues. The engine was rebuilt maybe 4000 miles ago.
>
> Now to unpack the van and pack less than half of what we need into our
> little Reliable Modern Japanese Sedan for "day camping".
>
> Cheers,
> Peter
>


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