Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 14:30:52 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Oops - I let the engine freeze
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surely you don't have pure water in your waterboxer cooling system ? ?
even in summer, a 50/50 mix must be run. It's not just for freezing
protection ..it might help cool better too, plus the corosion protection
factor.
so never ever run pure water in any engine unless it's for a day or two or
an emergency.
so if there is even 10 % old anti-frz in your coolant, 25 F shouldn't do any
real damage.
it is common however, for the rubber outer water gaskets on the heads ( a
very joke design ) to seep on the bottom sitting in cold temps.
No freeze plugs per se.
there's a drain allen screw on the bottom of each head though.
don't tell anyone ..but I'd do a good coolant change with a high quality
conventional anti-frz ( i'm going over to Dexcool on my keeper good
vehicles ..but dont' invest in that yet ) ..
I am a huge believer in adding a little mchinist's water soluble oil as a
water pump lube and rust inhibitor ..
and ...here's the don't tell part ..
some, not too much ...Barsleak may keep it working and not leaking.
that's the only stop leak I recommend too.
and don't dump 2 bottles in either ..
just a basic semi-modest treatment ..
and immediately drive it until fully warmed up , with all heaters on.
Drive like a good 40 minutes.
you can also eyeball the upper side of the black rubber outer water
gasekts..
try to get an idea if they're badly pinched ( if you have AMC heads I'd be
extra suspecious of that ) ..
see if they're pinced, or all white with corrosion seeping off the aluminum
..
if you see that ..you're in real trouble..
or if they are just crumbly.
yeah..
they pinch, then crumble, and how the head sits on the barrels determines
how much they arew squeased.
Standerized parts were invented in about 1929 for automobiles..
but on waterboxers ..the heads can sit too low squeazing the rubber gasket
too much.
or too high not squeasing it enough, and thus tending to leak or seep ..
or the head can sit tilted ....then it's too tight at one end and maybe too
high at the other end.
Brilliant VW.
it is an adapted air-cooled engine deisng after all.
and ALL other manufacturers are smart enough to make combustion sealing and
coolant sealing in one flat plane ..not VW. it's two levels..
one for combustion sealing, one for coolant sealing .. it's a joke.
it's amazing how well they do last.
We manage to get by with them though.
If corrosion is very evident all over your engine ..
hope the cylinder head studs don't snap off down in the block when going to
remove the heads.
The heads should really come off about every 80,000 miles..
do a valve job, and install new head gaskets 'carefully.' That works well.
And that rubber water gasket gap is important.
I hope it's ok.
but treat that coolant asap.
scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Vickery" <david_vickery@YAHOO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2011 1:22 PM
Subject: Oops - I let the engine freeze
> We got down to minus 25 degrees (farenheit) the last couple days and I am
> assuming the coolant in my 2.1 engine froze because I started it up now
> that the weather is better and coolant was dripping pretty heavily from
> the tin covering the passenger side head.
>
> Anyone with experience related to this? Is it likely just a freeze plug
> that needs to be replaced now? Are they easy to get to? Could it be
> anything else?
>
> Thanks
> Dave in Fort Collins