Date:         Fri, 8 Mar 2013 12:55:36 -0800
Reply-To:     Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Fw: melting lower thermostat housing
Comments: To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <513A47FB.40304@turbovans.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Plastic parts in the cooling system are all junk all the time!  My EVC had a
tee crack, and the only way to replace it was to buy a complete hose
assembly from the dealer for $100.  Even my 2003 Ranger is on its third
heater control valve (at least it's $20).  Anytime you can replace plastic
with metal do it, they have a finite number of heating and cooling cycles in
them before they fail.

Stuart

-----Original Message-----
I have more problems with plastic cooling system parts breaking ......even
just crumbling.
I'd be more concerned with those than hoses.
Hoses you can find or make up if you have too.
But the one-application only plastic parts like a 2.1 Coolant Distrubution
tower ..
and the 2.1 t-stat housing ..
those will fail for sure and there's no substitue for those. Thankfully they
are being reproduced in metal ..
as well as 1.9 plastic parts that break too easily when old.

Same for the plastic main coolant pipes ....mid 85 and up.
The metal insert  ends of those slide out of place ...
a most favorite spot is at the forward end , above the spare tire..probably
on the feed-to-the-radiator pipe.
Took me quite a few tries to repair one of those out on the road once good
enough to continue over a big pass in the summer time.
scott
www.turbovans.com