Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:47:38 -0700
Reply-To: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Subject: Re: Evan's head, was <No Subject>
In-Reply-To: <1322536890.26966.YahooMailRC@web180311.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
You can use an exhaust sniffer (or your local mechanic can) to detect the
presence of exhaust gasses in your coolant tanks. If so, almost certainly a
cracked head.
Karl Wolz
|-----Original Message-----
|From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]
|On Behalf Of Evan Mac Donald
|Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 8:22 PM
|To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
|Subject: <No Subject>
|
|Ok list, I need some help.
|
|I need somebody to tell me the symptoms my poor '85 1.9 WBXer
|is suffering from are not from a cracked head. Lie to me if you must.
|
|So, to explain. My van (Butternut) has always self-bled her
|cooling system very quickly, and easily. No fights, no real
|fussing, just a couple of top-offs after a couple of careful
|hot-and-cold cycles, and Viola! Done. This is from several
|waterpumps, hose replacements, damage repairs, etc. Always
|bleeds fast, after the damage is gone.
|
|The last run we made in beasty was at the end of September, to
|Busses by the Beach Bus Boo, in western Michigan. Lots o' fun.
|I live in eastern Michigan, so the trip is only about 180
|miles. No big deal. Done the trip LOTS of times, and in much
|worse weather.
|
|This time, about 5 miles from being home, the heater stops
|working, and the temp gage maxes out. Quickly. And the coolant
|level light blinks. The weather at the time was about mid
|50's, in °F. UH-oh. not good. I stop, and the light stops
|blinking, and the gage returns to normal. Huh? Check the
|tanks, and both are full of air. Now, my reservoir tank never
|has bubbles, after bleeding. So , I fill the tanks, and start
|home again. Cycle repeats. First I have heat, then none, and
|the gage does its dance. It is the old style gage, that maxes
|out the temp needle, if the low-level alert light comes on.
|
|I have tried several times, over the intervening time, to get
|the bubbles to go away, and my heat to return. I completely
|emptied and refilled the entire system, with a pressure flush
|in between. I even unhooked the belt from the water pump, and
|spun it with an angle grinder, to get things moving around,
|without actually running the engine, and risking further
|damage. This will really only clear the heater cicuit, but
|that is a big section of the problem, all on its own. No joy.
|
|
|My thought is that I have cracked a head, into a coolant
|passage. I do not want to do a head if that's not whats wrong,
|but I do not see any other solutions for this problem.
|
|My question is: are there any other likely causes of this? Or
|am I going to have to replace a head?
|
|TIA, and I hope everybody is over their tryptophan overdose...
| Evan Mac Donald
|
|
|"...in the absence of facts, myth rushes in, the kudzu of history."
|-Stacy Schiff
|-----
|No virus found in this message.
|Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
|Version: 2012.0.1873 / Virus Database: 2101/4645 - Release
|Date: 11/28/11
| 
