Date:         Fri, 8 Mar 1996 07:05:42 +0000
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         sw@smus.bc.ca
Subject:      Re: '88 Westy leaky rear heater (valve..)

Well, as many of mentioned, it is the valve which is leaking. The 
shaft for the control lever has about 1-2mm of play in it (moves in & 
out). Interestingly, it seems to leak *more* when cold than hot - 
possibly the increased pressure causing the seal to close up? I 
discovered this by attaching a plastic bag to the valve & driving the 
30 minutes to the dealer. I expected a bag full of coolant, but only 
got *maybe* 1/2 ounce in the bag. I'm hoping to talk with the 
mechanic today to question why this leak wasn't caught in the 
pressure test... Does it seem possible for a leak this size to escape 
detection over 45 minutes? I'd like to have them retest it Saturday 
while I'm there, but can't do so until the new valve is in (next 
week).

Anyway, the dealer will pay for a new valve (on order), and I think 
I'll ask them to seal up the bleeder screw while they're at it.

Any suggestions on this dilemma? If I wait until the valve is fixed, 
I will run past the 7 day period, so I was considering speaking with 
the manager, just to gauge his response to my concerns. Is there any 
other way of testing for leaky head gaskets?

==============================
Shawn Wright, sw@smus.bc.ca
'85 Jetta TD, 341k (Jenni)
'88 Westy, 322k (Kyra)
==============================