Date: Wed, 9 May 2012 08:49:29 -0700
Reply-To: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Temp Gauge -- why did this happen?
In-Reply-To: <001c01cd2d98$497a1970$dc6e4c50$@gmail.com>
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On 05/08/2012 09:00 PM, Stuart MacMillan wrote:
> I put a flushing tee in the heater hose under the van. Hook up your garden
> hose and flush away! Note: The plastic tees you buy at your flaps will
> break in a few years, so either plan on changing it once in a while, or make
> yourself one out of copper pipe.
Details, anyone? I don't normally work on copper pipe but I do have a
propane torch, some acid flux, and some solder, and I'm not afraid to
use them. Even though I normally use the torch to caramalize crème brûlée.
--
Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
Bend, Ore.
1984 Westfalia. A poor but proud people.
1971 "Ladybug"-brand utility trailer ca. 1972 from a defunct company in
San Clemente, Calif., now repurposed as The Westrailia.
>
> Also, you can never get all of the water out, so first add undiluted coolant
> in the proper amount to get 50%, and then fill with water. Here in the
> northwest we have naturally soft water directly from mountain snow melt, so
> I don't bother with distilled.
>
> Stuart
> '85 Westy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Rocket J Squirrel
> Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2012 7:53 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Temp Gauge -- why did this happen?
>
> So we dropped the leaky radiator on my 1.9 and set the hoses to drooling
> into a bucket. Only a few quarts (litres) came out. The cap was off the
> expansion tank.
>
> My son suggested starting the engine for a bit to pump out some more
> coolant. I reckoned it couldn't hurt (watch: I bet I'm wrong) so I started
> the engine.
>
> Within a few moments the temp gauge started climbing. Obviously the engine,
> which had been on for fewer than 15 seconds, was overheating.
>
> So what was the gauge reading?
>
> IN OTHER NEWS, I plan to run a couple loads of distilled water to flush out
> more gunk before we connect the rad and put in coolant.
>
> But if only a gallon or so comes out through passive droolage then that
> ain't gonna work. So I tried a trick that Zoltan told me about: stuck my air
> compressor nozzle into the top of the expansion tank, sealed the gap with a
> shop rag, and blew some air in.
>
> A lot more coolant came out, but not the nearly five gallons my owner's
> manual says is in the system.
>
> Other than disconnecting hoses from the friggin' water pump which I will
> /not/ do willingly (the 1.9 doesn't make it easy to get to them), is there
> something else I can do to get a more complete flush?
>
> The van is parked with the nose slightly elevated. It could be pushed off
> the ramps to lower the nose if that would help.
>
> Suggestions from anyone other than David Bereil are welcome. He told me to
> test the new radiator by jamming a screwdriver through the coils. I'm not
> sure I can trust him any more.
>
> --
> Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
> Bend, Ore.
> 1984 Westfalia. A poor but proud people.
> 1971 "Ladybug"-brand utility trailer ca. 1972 from a defunct company in San
> Clemente, Calif., now repurposed as The Westrailia.
>
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