Date:         Mon, 3 Mar 1997 19:20:34 -0600
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Philip R. Hanlon" <prhanlon@dibbs.net>
Subject:      rear heater

Vanagoners:

	(Work in progress) Thanks to the list, I checked my rear heater and it
was leaking. After gaining exposure, I think it has been leaking slowly
for some time. With seat and plastic cover over the actual heater, valve,
and hoses, a slow leak's not that obvious. 
	After clamping both coolant hoses with a screw down clamp (can you
imagine the vice grips popping off after hitting a big bump?) I removed
the heater core and valve. The o-ring didn't have much "o" left, cross
section wise; good reason for leak. The valve seems senescent, too. If it
can't keep me from blowing air through it when closed, I'm sure that it
can't hold back the coolant. 
	New valve and oring on order. Removed some debris from fan while out;
probably the only way to really clean it.
	Probably something that needs checking on buses after five or six years
(or one or more overheated and burned out engines!)  :(

Philip R. Hanlon
Mobile, AL
91 Carat