Date:         Tue, 9 Dec 1997 15:08:23 -0600
Reply-To:     Eric Small <Eric_Small@SABRE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon mailing list <Vanagon@Gerry.SDSC.EDU>
From:         Eric Small <Eric_Small@SABRE.COM>
Subject:      What an idiot I was... (a cooling system saga) -long
Content-Type: text/plain

First a brief background....  I had a coolant line break on the way home from
work a week ago and was (un?)fortunately able to pull into a NAPA store before
it emptied or overheated. I replaced the split 5/16" hose (OEM hose is a close
metric equivalent) with stock fuel line and filled the system up with 2gal 50/50
NAPA brand coolant/water.

My first thought was that I now need to purge my cooling system at the nearest
opportunity and fill with Autobahn(sp?) phosphate free coolant.

Having a bad cold... I elected to pay a local Dallas VW dealer the $95 to do it
for me. I quizzed the service mgr on how they would go about the job and he
seemed to know the Bentley prescribed method.

But... as I watched the mechanic (I always go out into the shop and make small
talk with the mechanic while inconspicuously watching every -some times stupid-
thing he does) I became very disappointed.  He drained the system by removing
the large hose off the engine side of the thermostat housing (I cringed while he
pried the hose against the expensive plastic thermostat housing with a big screw
driver) then put air pressure to the expansion tank (blowing coolant all over
the inside of my pristine van). He assured me that this method would completely
drain the system but in fact I would say from the coolant on the floor and in
his catch tray he had only drained about 2 gals of the 18.6qts in the system!

He then refilled with 2gals 50/50, Autobahn/water. He didn't even lift the nose
to bleed insisting that it was unnecessary.

After it was over (kinda like a dentist appointment) I told the service manager
what the mech had done and not done. We argued a bit about the coolant capacity
of the van and the correct procedure to drain/fill until I got him to look at
his own Bentley manual. As it was late he told me he would charge me only $45
now and I should come back and he would have the shop foreman do it by the book
for the balance of the $95.

Moral of the story... Dont get lazy... do it your self... You'll only end up
redoing what they did wrong or fixing what they broke. (There are great mechs
out there. I knew one in Atlanta at Specialized Import Service, but if you dont
know the mech,  your taking a chance -Anybody know a GREAT mech in Dallas, TX?)

Question 1... Using the Bentley method for draining the cooling system (vague at
best) is it possible to drain close to the entire 18.6 qts?  Does anybody have
hard experience in this? I found lots of general discussion in the archives but
no step by step method.

Q2... The VW service manager advised the system not be flushed -too fragile. Any
comments?

Q3...What would you do? Is it sufficient to have replaced only 2 of the 4.5
gals? Should I go back (cringe) and let them have another try?

Thanks,
Eric Small
Dallas, TX
'86GL