Malcolm, Thanks for the great explanation of how the coolant tank cap works. As far as preventive measures to minimize the chances of bad things happening to my engine, would you agree that the following are the measures that mortals can take: 1) Change coolant regularly (once per year) using the VW blue stuff. 2) Test the cap for outgoing functionality by blowing on it, hopefully to sound like a duck call. To test for its ability to let coolant back in, I guess the best idea is to observe if this happens by looking at the expansion tank level when the engine is hot and then compare it to when the engine is cold. 3) Monitor the coolant temp. indicator on the instrument panel. Although I wonder if the placement of the coolant sensor is such that it would give you an early warining that parts of your motor are too hot. Or is it telling all is well while your heads fry. 4) Bleed the system thoroughly, by raising the front of the vehicle and opening the bleed values, as Bentley states, to get the bubbles out. 5) Drain the coolant out for prolonged periods of inactivity, to minimize corrosion. 6) Keep your fingers crossed and say your prayers before bedtime. Anything else that you can think of... Charles
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