Date:         Sat, 29 Jul 2017 16:30:51 -0400
Reply-To:     Eric Caron <ecaron1@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Eric Caron <ecaron1@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Engine worries return
In-Reply-To:  <CY1PR20MB0029CDAFEBA70D67E0B12BFEA0BC0@CY1PR20MB0029.namprd20.prod.outlook.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

Hi Denis, Neil, and others,

        thanks for the continued info and tips.

        I’m planning to ask a VW friend if he can help me torque the heads to spec.  Can someone tell me where to find the correct number?  Also, Is this going to require removing many items to get to the studs?  In other words how big a favor am I about to ask of him?
Eric 


> On Jul 29, 2017, at 2:42 AM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> At the point that coolant is sometimes blowing out blaming the cap is often wishful thinking. If the cooling system is tight (leak free) and you are not getting gasses into the cooling system it will work even with a defective cap. As bad as the quality of some caps are, if they work when installed then future failures are really a symptom that the cap is being exposed to hot combustion gasses or steam. With the recovery tank set up after the cap once the system is truly air free the cap will have to release pressure at every warm up cycle. Coolant expansion occurs as various parts of the coolant system increase temperature. You have expansion in the engine as it warms and then you have the varying expansion due to radiator, heater core, and pipe-hose temperatures. You will get additional expansion as the system saturates with heat and temperatures go above normal which will occur during high ambient temps and long extended loads. There are a lot of dynamics occurring here. The trick is for the system to allow for all the expansion needed and that coolant to remain in the recovery tank and then during cool down that fluid to be returned to the system. If coolant get pushed out enough to make a mess or need replacement you have a problem. 
> 
> Dennis
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Neil N
> Sent: Friday, July 28, 2017 12:03 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Engine worries return
> 
> This is likely moot, as it sounds like the cap(s) failed, but was the replaced blue cap and current cap tested? e.g. could you easily blow air through it or did it make a honking sound when you did so?
> 
> My '88 also gushed coolant after a long hard drive then a bunch of stop and go traffic on a hot day so this may be wishful thinking on my part, but I often wonder if the valve in some brands of blue caps are built so close to the upper end coolant temperature of a typical WBX engine that if the engine is being driven in a manner causing it to run hotter than normal, (and maybe its also connected to a marginal cooling system) the valve in the cap fails due to the slightly higher temperature.
> 
> I think this has been suggested here already but to test for a combustion or exhaust leak into coolant path, with the cylinder at TDC, could pressurized air be applied to each cylinder while watching for air bubbles in the coolant? Tough to re create the fault though.
> e.g. my engine coolant pressure tested fine while idling for at least
> 20 minutes.
> 
> 
> Neil.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 7/27/17, Eric Caron <ecaron1@comcast.net> wrote:
>> Hi folks,
>> So My 1.9 gas engine had a concern last year.  It seemed to be getting 
>> air in the coolant system and then not bleeding out.  I never 
>> identified the problem.  A friend gave me a original VW blue cap and 

>> my problem seemed to go away.
> 
>> Returning from a three hour pretty hard trip we noticed my van leaking 
>> coolant.  It was coming out the top of the overflow tank. I decided to 
>> continue the hour trip home as the temp was fine.
>> 
>> No more coolant seemed to leak out.  Now that the van is cooled off 

>> the reservoir is full and the over flow tank is empty.
>> 
>> Last year folks gave me some good suggestions as to what might be going on.
>> As the blue cap seemed to solve my problem I chose to hope all was well.
>> 
>> I think this cap is working correctly so my fear is that this means 

>> exhaust gas getting into my coolant.
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> --
> Neil n
> 
> Blog: Vanagons, Westfalia, general <http://tubaneil.blogspot.ca>
> 
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> 
> 1981 Westfalia "Jaco" Images, technical <http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/>
> 
> Vanagon-Bus VAG Gas Engine Swap Group <http://tinyurl.com/khalbay>