Date:         Wed, 19 Feb 1997 19:14:17 -0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         bayer@sybase.com (David Bayer)
Subject:      Re: Overheating - 86 Syncro

>| 6.)  Thought about the thermostat, but haven;t replaced it yet, when the
>| van is hot it still blows warm/hot air out of the rear heater.

	The heaters are not on the coolant "circuit" controlled by the the
thermostat. They get heated coolant all the time.

>| 5.)  Checked the fuse for the radiator fan, it was good.  (It should be
>| noted that the radiator was cool even when the van was overheating, so I
>| guess teh thermo switch wouldn't kick in anyway.  Should that clue lead me
>| to the water pump????)

	This is prompts me to believe you have a bad thermostat or a plug
in the line which is not allowing coolant to make it up to the raditor,
something like a plugged raditor or a plugged hose or maybe a big bubble in
the system. Why? Because you are not getting hot water up to the raditor but
you are getting hot water to the heaters. Therefore, water is circulating,
but not out to the raditor. How do you figure out which is which is a tricky
thing. I guess I would get the front of the car up to check if you have
air in the line out to the raditor (this will help you find a plug too). With
the raditor screw loosened you should get either coolant spirting from the
bolt hole, or air hissing out (the thermostat is after the raditor in the
flow so a hole in the raditor is going to let air/coolant out as the pump
runs). If you get neither, your problem is between that bolt hole on top of
the raditor and the engine itself.
	If/Once you get coolant flowing out the raditor bolt hole, move to the
engine compartment and remove the plastic screw in the thermostat housing. You
should get air or coolant. If you get neither, then you have a problem between
the raditor and the thermo housing. If you get coolant than it would be a good
guess that you thermostat is not opening or its opening is plugged...

dave