Okay, time for logical troubleshooting-simplest things first. If the head gasket has failed and there is blow by, the tank will overflow from the pressure, yours is not. If the rubber gaskets are leaking, that should be obvious. Same thing happened to me, and both the rear heater core and front heater control valve (above the spare tire) were leaking. Check those first, and pull the rear heater core to be sure. Drop the spare to check the front heater valve. Don't get a cheap valve, I did and it failed in a month. $5 from NAPA, plastic is recycled junk and broke, and it's a real PITA to replace. Get the OEM valve from the dealer or one of our vendors. Stuart
-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Neil N Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2015 3:33 PM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: 2.1 WBX Coolant Loss: Searched Hi all. After a recent 300 mile trip, noticed coolant bottle was empty, coolant expansion bottle about 1/3 empty. This may have occurred over more miles but was a relatively "sudden" event. I suspect coolant may be getting burned at highway speeds. Details below. If a head nut isn't obviously loose, should I leave those alone? (not torque down) I'm sure I can safely feel if a fastener is obviously under torqued but does it take a really experienced hand to feel if a head stud is about to snap? Is it ok to do a leak down test with engine up to temp? I recently replaced all cooling system parts except for front-rear heater cores, hoses heat control valves. A head may have been replaced by the previous owner. The system bled down correctly after my work, there were no visible leaks. I currently don't see or smell any signs of coolant leaks but will check hoses again. I've read that a leak can be small enough to be an issue over long term but not easily seen. However. The reason I suspect coolant being burned is the relatively sudden change in coolant level. Thanks Neil.
-- Neil n Blog: Vanagons, Westfalia, general <http://tubaneil.blogspot.ca> 1988 Westy Images <https://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/New1988Westy> 1981 Westfalia "Jaco" Images, technical <http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/> Vanagon-Bus VAG Gas Engine Swap Group <http://tinyurl.com/khalbay> |
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