Date:         Thu, 9 Jan 1997 16:24:47 -0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         bayer@sybase.com (David Bayer)
Subject:      coolant lose was Re:Re nervous about heads

>|  With no coolant being drawn in, the bubble is
>| not ever purged and the system is in the start of a failure mode.  Small
>| bubbles eventually migrate to the top of the coolant tank where they will
>| get purged next time the car warms up.
[snip]
>| That's where you'll see the trouble.  If you have been adding coolant
>| in ever-increasing little bits, and then it stops needing any -- this 
>| is not a sign of health!  This is a sign of you making your mechanic's
>| BMW payment sometime soon.

	My aux heater core has a pin prick leak. No coolant actually flows
out this leak, but if I turn the valve on, syncro really steams up. If the
valve is off, I don't really have a problem. I have put this $140+ job off
til I have some of the larger problems with the van fixed (like replacing the
Hall sender plate because that little elbow snapped and grounds out the
hall sender thus fooling the brain into thnking the engine has stopped and
finally stalling the engine ;) ). I don't have to add water too often (last
time was about 1500 miles ago or so and that was about a cup of water). Is
this too quick? Where can I buy water hose clamps that will COMPLETELY close
those tubes (the valve on the side of the core does not seem to completely
close off the heater as it still gets warmer than the air around it after
the car has been running a while)? 

dave