Date:         Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:52:35 -0600
Reply-To:     Fillmore West <fillmorewst@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Fillmore West <fillmorewst@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Pressure test cooling system howto?
In-Reply-To:  <AANLkTin9Ls0it9VdEQqq0bp_l3tDHBsej7_j-Knvc5QY@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

>>>Re: Pressure test cooling system howto?  ( the rambling, long version
......

Vanagonauts, (the realm of)

This is what I use:
In fact, just used it 20 minutes ago. :o)

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=466053199113%3A1007241955&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee

I was coming back from PDX and the coastal/WA area,
(Beverly Beach was Nice !!! )(this was the day pdx went from 70 to 100 over
night !!! )
And as I was happily listening to QMS, Happy Trails on my system,
the coolant light started blinking. I found a safe place to pull over.
I looked high & low for the leak and could not locate it.
No coolant on the ground at all.
I keep my engine compartment very clean
so It was relatively easy to look & wriggle....  nothing.
So, I continued the 600 mile stretch, stopping & filling.
All the while thinking; if it's not on the ground, where is it going?
So, this required that I not only fill the coolant,
but that I also check the Engine oil and the ATF levels
each time I stopped. (as the atf hadn't been changed in the whole 162K life
of the bus !!! )
( And so I looked like chocolate milk. A sign of water mixed with oil ! )
I could imagine a head gasket or tranny coolant o-ring gone bad.
Nope !
If you look very closely at the hose in the picture
you will find a very small split in it about an inch from one end.

With the pressurization of the coolant system
Using my little apparatus (no, silly, the one in the picture!  ;o)
I found it in 3 seconds!!!
No sweat!

I set the pressure at 15 lbs.

In fact the first thing I do when I buy a van,,,

 ( Well, actually, the first thing I so with a new bus is to
Pull Out that D*** key Alarm relay !!!  )

I pressurize the system to 20 lbs,
and with the Van upon ramps
I crawl underneath and tighten every connection on the whole system.

I wiggle the plastic coolant manifold fitting especially well!
If that rotten plastic is going to break
I want it to happen in my driveway
and not 101 miles down the road, while on the road.
(my AAA is good for 100 ! :o)

hope this helps !!!

& Happy Trails Partner!

best,
FW

>silent knowledge is nothing but direct contact with intent<

On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 4:25 PM, Shawn Wright <vwdiesels@gmail.com> wrote:

> I have an elusive coolant leak in my 1.6TD which only appears under very
> hot
> conditions which I cannot reproduce on this little island... (none of the
> hills are long enough!)
>
> Last time we drove the Coqihalla, I lost a few inches in the fill tank, and
> it was dripping from the head heater hose outlet area. I suspect the hose
> either has a pinhole, or the head flange is leaking, but need to pressure
> test. Can I hook up my compressor and feed 15psi into the pressure tank
> using the overflow cap, or will this mess with the valve in there? (I'm
> using a 2.1L WBX tank and cap).
>
> Thanks
>
> --
> Shawn Wright
>