Date:         Mon, 30 Mar 1998 18:49:21 -0500
Reply-To:     Donald Baxter <dbax@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Donald Baxter <dbax@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject:      Acceptable level of change in coolant in refill tank
Comments: To: Vanagon@vanagon.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Hi Vanagon people.

I have an '85 with a factory remanufactured engine installed in January
1996.  I decided to just do the whole thing and not bother with replacing
head gaskets.  I have about 34,000 miles on the new engine now.  It runs
beautifully, gets close to 20 MPG in the city and so far no complaints.  I
don't seem to be losing coolant but I do notice that the level in the
refill tank (that's the one visible through the license plate door) changes
about an inch between the cold engine and the warm engine (the warm engine
being the higher level, of course).

I wonder about this because the indication that I had head problems was the
level would increase to FILL the refill tank before I had the engine
replaced.  I don't notice air bubbles when I bleed the system from the
radiator screw, and I don't seem to have noticeable loss of coolant.

I do seem to have what I think is a squeaky water pump (replaced at the
same time the engine was done).  This may just be cold belt noise, as the
noise goes away when the engine is warmed up.  What exactly happens when
the water pump goes bad?  So far on the warm days here, the van seems to
cool flawlessly.

I haven't posted to the list in a year or so, haven't had any problems so
far.  Does anyone think I do now?

Donald Baxter


_________________________________________________________
Donald Baxter
dbax@mindspring.com (home) 404 872 0351
donald.a.baxter@cpmx.saic.com (work) 770 729 3938 x 3061
dab1@jhk.com (alternate)

"Resolve is never stronger than in the morning after the night it was never
weaker."
                             --Johnnie (from Mike Leigh's "Naked" 1993)