Date: Fri, 22 May 2020 00:13:46 +0000
Reply-To: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: Leaky rear heater---Autozone Loan-a-Tool program
In-Reply-To: <9E95C000-5657-4404-ACEB-7DBF3C314936@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Hey Pat, for Leak Number 1...it was self-induced....Pilot error, or shall we say sloppy workmanship by me. I decades ago removed my Rear Heater, and replaced it with a homemade copper coil device which I use as a heat exchanger to provide free heating of my 5 gallon hot water shower gizmo. Previously, I had a simple ball valve to let the hot coolant flow, but that involved running back to rear of Vanagon to turn it on and off. I got an idea, to use a motorized ball valve with a switch on the dash so that I could turn it on and off at will (with thermistor readout on water temperature) from the comfort of my driver seat. Anyway...I did NOT do a great job of cleaning off all old Teflon tape on various NPT brass fittings. So....the fix will be...get out the dental pick, really clean up those threads, put back together. And then start looking for Leak Number 2 and Leak Number 3. Oh yeah, my van has a Subie conversion, so plenty of possibilities for tiny leaks, but this Autozone tool will be immensely helpful I'm sure. I am totally encouraged at this point.
Rich
San Diego
On Thursday, May 21, 2020, 4:34:01 PM PDT, Pat Spragge <spraggepat@gmail.com> wrote:
Very good, Rich...
Where was the leak?
Pat
Laguna Niguel
> On May 21, 2020, at 4:31 PM, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
> Listmember Alex had some great advice here. So today, I tried it. Called my nearest Autozone, asked if they had the Pressure Test kit for finding leaks in automotive coolant systems. They did. Headed over. Basically, you "buy" a used kit in this case $249.99 but then can use it and return it within 90 days for a full refund on your credit card.
>
> The kit has a myriad of fittings to connect to radiators of all breeds, or in my Vanagon case the coolant pressure bottle. Easy peasy. An air pump (with release valve) is included. I didn't quite know what pressure to pump it up to....I used 10 PSI to start with...since most radiator caps let go at 15 PSI.
> Pumped up....waited about 10 minutes....sure enough...started losing pressure. Some flashlight work and crawling around....Hey...there is the leak!
> The beauty of this kit is that you are inducing leaks with cold coolant. Minor hot coolant leaks just steams away...you'll never see it, just as Alex describes. Your nose is a good detective tool as well....smelling something sweet.
> So I will fix Leak Number 1, and then try again. For me as a hack mechanic, this system is a miracle! And kudos to Autozone. And Alex.
>
> Rich
> San Diego
>
> On Monday, May 18, 2020, 2:31:58 PM PDT, Alex MeVay <alex@mevay.org> wrote:
>
> Just wanted to share a tip for tracking slow coolant leaks... Often,
> the heat from running the van will evaporate small leaks without a
> trace, but if you get a cooling system pressure test kit (Autozone
> loan-a-tool, etc.), you can keep the system pressurized while cold
> (say for a few hours), and those small leaks will stay visible.
>
> -Alex (who sees some stainless cooling tubes and an upgrade to a
> late-model radiator in his future)
>
| 
