Date:         Thu, 26 Feb 1998 06:08:14 -0800
Reply-To:     Sam Scholten <vwvanagon@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Sam Scholten <vwvanagon@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Cold blooded
Comments: To: Vanagon@vanagon.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Eric and Malcolm,

MY temp sensor did go bad; the warning light flashed no matter how
much coolant was in there. I replaced it as I also replaced the water
pump.

Malcolm, you might want to go ahead and try the convoluted process of
topping off the coolant system, just to find out how much air or
little antifreeze is in there. If you're leaking, you might find out
where the leak is.

If, by chance, you rev the motor as per Bentley while you top off the
coolant, with the bleeder screws in the engine compartment and
radiator open, and nothing pumps out regardless of how much your motor
is winding up, the problem may be the thermostat or water pump. You
check the thermostat by putting it in a pot of boiling water, and it
should open at the Bentley-specified temp. Water pumps usually fail by
seizing, but mine just fell apart- If your thermo is fine and you
decide to get a water pump, get a GERMAN one!!!!!!!!

Best of luck!
Sam


---EMZ <vw4x4@FYI.NET> wrote:
>
>    My Guess:
>     Low or no coolant. Or a leak to simulate running cool, as the
>     temp. sensor would not see much heat without coolent.
>
>     Bad temp. sender. I have never sean one go bad on a Vanagon.
>
>     Engine compartment bleeder screw left opened.
>
>      let me know what you find.
>
>             Eric                   86-VW4x4
>             vw4x4@fyi.net          72-240z
>             Pittsburgh, PA USA     1936-Chrysler
>
>
> On Wed, 25 Feb 1998, Malcolm Holser wrote:
>
> > I got the Kombi back on the road -- it is an '86 Syncro, but it
won't
> > get the engine warm.  I have always had trouble with this van
running
> > a bit cold, but lately it won't get warm at all -- it stays in the
lower
> > white arc all the time, even uphills.  I put in a new thermostat
to no
> > avail.  The engine will get warm to the touch, but the "crossover
pipes"
> > stay cold, and the heater blows cold air.  The only thing I can
think of
> > is to try *another* new thermostat, and perhaps check out the
thermostat
> > housing.  Has anybody experienced this one before?  The van runs
well --
> > it got 20.3mpg last tank in mountain highway driving.
> >
> > I suppose this is better than overheating, but the defroster won't
work at
> > all -- just blows cold air on the windshield.  No air bubble here
-- all
> > the pipes and hoses coming forward are cold, and the engine only
get to
> > about 120'F -- comfortably warm to hold onto the heads after hard
driving.
> > There is no rear heater (there is not much in the rear of a
Kombi!).  Any
> > opinions gladly taken.  This will be the third thermostat if I
change it
> > again, and I could not find anything wrong with the original.  If
anybody
> > has a line on a good Syncro thermostat housing that I could get, I'd
> > appriciate that too.  I have not asked VW -- maybe I'll find they
are
> > reasonable on such a Syncro-only part.  Hard to buy not knowing if
there
> > is need.
> >
> > Malcolm
> >
>

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