Date:         Mon, 11 Jul 2016 13:58:17 -0700
Reply-To:     Neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Cooling system over pressurizing?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Hi all. This is for a 1988 westy. I'm out of town on a camping trip.

I drive for about an hour, pull over, let engine idle. I don't hear
a gurgling sound.
As soon as I shut off engine, I hear a gurgling sound from small hose
connecting nipple on passenger side head to  long engine bay
coolant manifold. While hearing that gurgling sound, I see a rapid stream
of bubbles go into top connection on my coolant expansion tank. My fill
tank over fills with coolant, coolant spills out top of that tank. This
lasts less than a minute.
This has happened twice on this trip.

I think there is a leak between a cylinder and head and that a compression
or exhaust stroke is over pressurizing my cooling system. As was suggested
before on this list (thanks Dennis!)
 a head may be lifting during longer drive times. It doesn't happen on
short trips in town.
The passenger side head may have been replaced at some point. I do wonder
if head bolts need to be torqued sown more. A risky proposition for an
amateur!

Am I likely correct that my coolong system is over pressurizing?

 This happened before on a road trip. I replaced the blue cap on expansion
tank, this seemed to cure the issue. My thought is that if engine is
pumping hot exhaust gas into coolant, if coolant temps are too high, this
is causing the valve in blue cap to fail.

My hope is to nurse this westy home from cle elum WA ago Vancouver bc.


--
Neil n

Blog: Vanagons, Westfalia, general <http://tubaneil.blogspot.ca>

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