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Date:         Mon, 14 Oct 1996 10:19:08 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         jmendoza@BayNetworks.COM (John Mendoza)
Subject:      Re: Temp Indicator On Dash rises to max: 84 Vanagon

I used 50/50 mixture. 1. I bought a gallon of Prestone's anti-phosphate orange-syrup-looking coolant and a gallon of distilled water. I took an empty coolant bottle of ZEREX, poured half of the Prestone into the clean ZEREX bottle, poured half of the distilled water into the other half of the ZEREX bottle. 2. Then I took the rest of the distilled water and poured that back onto the Prestone coolant bottle. So, in the end I had two gallons of Prestone/distilled water mixtures: one in the previously empty ZEREX coolant bottle and one in the Prestone coolant bottle.

I filled the coolant reservoir (the round container with the level sensor) just above the minimum mark. Additionally I filled the overflow coolant tank (the boxy one closest to the oil dipstick and engine oil tube) just below the maximum mark.

I will first try adding more water to the coolant reservoir bit by bit (maybe I won't have to replace anything). I think if I had the guts to replace anything tonight, I would probably replace: 1. the level meter sensor in the coolant reservoir (the one for ~$12), with a new O-ring, per Joel's suggestion.

I still have to look back at those TWO electrical gizmos, but I'd probably replace the silver one first prior to replacing the blue one because the blue one "tells the computer that the engine is "cold" and needs more gas". This is contrary to my symptom which says that the engine is really hot (temp level is maxxed in the dashboard).

But at any rate, I think I get the feeling that I can still drive the Vanagon even with this bothersome blinking light and a maxxed temp level indicator. Maybe I'll put some black electrical tape over the light so it won't bother the driver ;-)

At 10:58 PM 10/13/96 CDT, Joel Walker wrote... >On Sun, 13 Oct 1996 20:45:23 -0500 you said: >>Anyway, I think I broke something because when I started the engine, the >>temperature indicator rose very quickly while the LED sensor blinked >>rapidly. The temperature LED sensor has not yet stopped blinking, and >>the indicator is all the way to the right (MAX temp) even though the >>engine was cold. > >uhhh ... did you use 100 percent anti-freeze? if so, that might be the >trouble ... you have to mix it with water! pure anti-freeze is terrible >for getting rid of heat. and it screws up the little sensor on the tank ... >anti-freeze doesn't conduct the electricity correctly for the sensor to >work. even a lop-sided concentration (like 20 percent water, 80 percent >coolant) can confuse the sensor. the best all-round mix is 50-50 (also >much easier to calculate!). for really really cold winters, 60-40 >(anti-freeze 60, water 40). > >>What part do I need to replace? There's a two female prong wire covered >>with insulation that attaches to the coolant reservoir. Is this what I >>have to replace? OR there is also an attachment onto the coolant water >>reservoir itself. Is this instead what I have to replace? I think I >>made a booboo because I did not disconnect the battery prior to changing >>the coolant. I wonder if not-disconnecting-the-battery was the cause of >>the temperature indicator going up rapidly? > >nah. but your coolant gauge sender might have gone whacko. mine did that. >but it wouldn't register at all. the thingie in the coolant tank is just >a level meter. it turns on the LED. but the gauge sender can also turn on >the LED. the sender for the gauge is on the thermostat (on yours, kinda at >the back of the engine, down low on the left side of center). there should >be TWO electrical gizmos in the thermostat. one is blue (that is the one >that tells the computer that the engine is "cold" and needs more gas); the >other is silver and is the one that runs the temp gauge. they are about >about $15 each. $1 more for a new rubber o-ring. if you want to replace the >level meter thingie, it's about $12 and also needs a new o-ring. if you do >put a new o-ring in, they WILL leak! :( > >i'm still wondering if you put too much anti-freeze in. >joel > -------------------------------------------------------------------- \\|// John Mendoza (o o) jmendoza@baynetworks.com --------------o00o---(_)---o00o-------------------------------------


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