Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:17:34 -0700
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: Problem with 1991 Vanagon cooling system
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
that piece is a nice way to get a pressure sensor into a heater hose.
in this case....a too high pressure indication is desired too.
the idea of using a regular oil pressure switch for a 'very low' pressure
indication is simple and inexpensive all right.
quite easy to do too.
I usually just braze a boss into a metal coolant pipe when I want a threaded
sender location.
I really do like the idea of reading the actual pressure continuously all
the time.
I don't think that could quite substitute totally for temp and level
indications though ..
but all 3.....actual engine coolant temp, pressure bottle level warning, and
cooling system pressure ..
Man if someone doesn't catch something going on then, in time to prevent
serious damage ..
then they're really an idiot ...lol !
---- Original Message -----
From: "Angus Gordon" <birdworks@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2011 12:32 PM
Subject: Re: Problem with 1991 Vanagon cooling system
> Assuming you'd like a remote transducer (electric) - some nice gauges
> here -
>
> http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/umaelecwaterpress1.php
>
> and you could mount a transducer here -
>
> http://www.egauges.com/vdo_indA.asp?PN=ATM-2280
>
> or something along those lines. Perhaps a low pressure light would be more
> useful. I seem to recall an old thread on the Samba regarding adding an
> oil
> pressure low circuit (3 PSI) to the cooling system. That would be simple
> and
> cheap. Or both!
>
>
> Angus
>
>
> Angus Gordon
> Bainbridge Island WA
>
> www.wordless.me
>
>
>
> On Sat, Sep 10, 2011 at 10:41 AM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Resolved, I think.
>>
>> It was worse than I knew, upon inspection. The lip of the plastic pipe
>> had
>> broken off and was stuck inside the hose, preventing it from going on
>> very
>> far. I took a dremel tool and made two annular grooves around the pipe
>> about
>> 1/32nd deep each, there is just enough clearance to do that with a
>> dremel.
>> Then I shoved the hose way up on the pipe and put two clamps, one over
>> each
>> groove. Then I took a known bad coolant cap (how hard are those to find?)
>> and attached a pressure gauge to it with a short length of fuel hose and
>> I
>> filled and fired it up.
>>
>> I did all the usual recommended ritual, except I do not raise either end
>> of
>> the car nor park it on an incline, a good way to get hurt working on a
>> car.
>> I watched the temp rise to normal and saw the pressure rise to six pounds
>> with the upper radiator cool. Then the pressure dropped to four pounds as
>> the upper radiator got hot. Temp needle steady during this time. Idled
>> for
>> 20 minutes to half an hour, watched the pressure bounce around between 4
>> and
>> 5 PPI depending on the fan cycling on and off.
>>
>> Cooled down, replaced the pressure tester with a known good cap, and did
>> two
>> cooldowns and test drives.
>>
>>
>> Everything AOK, no high pressures from leaking heads.
>>
>> I am so happy with the results of my tester that I am seriously thinking
>> about a pressure sensor that would display the pressure in the system on
>> my
>> dash. That would be a lot better than a temp gauge or coolant level
>> light.
>> The driver would be one level closer to knowing about a problem than with
>> either of the two more derivative systems that come on the car. As in,
>> you
>> would know the moment something was going wrong, not minutes later.
>>
>> Has anyone installed such a modification? Or any ideas as to how?
>>
>> Jim
>>
>> On Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 6:44 AM, Jim Johnston <inmytree1@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > A few years ago, I had the coolant t/junction piece blowout due to too
>> much
>> > pressure in the system.
>> >
>> > Turned out to be a bad radiator.
>> >
>> >
>> > Jim
>> > Wilmington, NC
>> >
>> >
>> > On Thu, Sep 8, 2011 at 9:05 PM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com>
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> >> I am no stranger to Vanagon 2.1 cooling problems, but I could use some
>> >> opinions as how to proceed with my daughter's 1991 GL.
>> >>
>> >> She let it get low on coolant a year or so ago (weird leaks, she has
>> >> actually taken pretty good care of the car). But in a year and a half
>> >> or
>> >> so,
>> >> it is split two primary coolant bottles, popped a hose or two, blew a
>> >> chunk
>> >> out of the rear heater valve housing, and blown the big bottom hose
>> >> off
>> >> its
>> >> plastic pipe. There have always been other explanations as to these
>> >> blowouts
>> >> and such, but as always those can be rationalizations as much as
>> >> explanations.
>> >>
>> >> It is the plastic pipe problem that I have been dealing with lately.
>> Some
>> >> time ago the metal end pulled out of the pipe. I did what I have
>> >> always
>> >> successfully done which is to epoxy it back in and never think about
>> >> it
>> >> again. But today she was driving and it popped loose and drained all
>> >> the
>> >> coolant. She refilled with water and got to my house and I put in an
>> epoxy
>> >> lip around the end of the plastic pipe as I had done many years ago on
>> >> a
>> >> 1990, and never had another issue with it. I actually did a better job
>> on
>> >> hers than I did on my Carat, yet the hose blew off with the epoxy lip
>> >> minutes after startup.
>> >>
>> >> I suspect that I have a leaking head gasket overpressurizing the
>> >> system,
>> >> but
>> >> there are no other symptoms suggesting it. I have not kept coolant in
>> >> it
>> >> recently long enough to tell exhaust gases are dirtying the coolant
>> >> and
>> I
>> >> have not done the overnight cooldown test where you start it up and
>> >> run
>> it
>> >> for 30 seconds to see if that puts pressure into the coolant system.
>> >>
>> >> I am going to try this weekend making a wire lip that sits in a groove
>> >> that
>> >> I will dremel into the end of the plastic pipe and see if that holds
>> >> by
>> >> sheer mechanical force.
>> >>
>> >> Any other suggestions? I especially want to hear from anyone who has
>> >> converted to coolant hose to replace the plastic pipe and has details
>> >> to
>> >> share.
>> >>
>> >> Jim
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>>
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