Date:         Fri, 16 May 97 23:53:39 CDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject:      Re: Coolant Refill Bottle

On Wed, 14 May 1997 13:26:56 -0500 Katherine McElveen said:
>>I've noticed that my coolant refill bottle seems to run dry, in the space of
>>about a week.  The engine was recently fixed for a colant leak and the heads
>>rebuilt.
>>
>>1.) Is loss from the refill tank normal?
>>2.) Where do I check for leaks?
>
>I have the same problem.  As far as I know, all coolant leaks were fixed
>and I STILL have a regularly dry overflow bottle.  I'll be looking for
>suggestions, too.

i have found that a little bit of loss seems to be normal, especially in
the warmer months. i'm in alabama, and the summer months here seem to
speed the loss. but a whole refill tank in less than a week?? that's too
much, i think. i'd start looking at all the hose connections ... for any
loose clamps. as the hoses get old, they don't flex as much or as quickly
as before, and they'll start seeping/weeping, and it won't show up as a
drip/puddle on the pavement. you'll have to LOOK at the clamp to see it.
and, yes, you can lose a LOT of coolant that way.

also look at the top of the coolant tank itself. sometimes the coolant
level sensor gasket dries out and cracks, and some coolant will ooze out
here and evaporate.

and last but not least, check the coolant tank ... mine has cracked twice
in 130,000 miles. $40 for a new one (be sure to get a new o-ring/gasket
for the level sensor). you can usually see stuff that looks like birdshit
on the metal area below the tank ... that's dried coolant. :) that metal
is a muffler shield and gets rather hot, so it dries the coolant before
it hits the ground.

good luck!
joel