Date:         Sun, 26 Jul 1998 18:32:02 -0500
Reply-To:     "John H. Rodgers" <inua@QUICKLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "John H. Rodgers" <inua@QUICKLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: back from trip
Comments: To: Vanagon <Vanagon@VANAGON.COM>

-- [ From: John H. Rodgers * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --

Check your water level sensor for a crack. Those symptoms are exactly the
kind my '85 GL had. New sensor solved the problem. Hot, expanded coolant
will be forced out the crack before the valve to the overflow tank opens.
When it cools the crack will be tight enough not ot suck air so it will suck
all the coolant out of the overflow tank back into the expansion tank. A
couple of cycles of this and the overflow tank will be completely dry, and
the next time coolant is hot it will come out of the crack and then leave
you with less and less coolant until you don't have enough to cool the
engine.might take sevarl cycles.

John Rodgers
'85 GL Driver
-------- REPLY, Original message follows --------

Date: Sunday, 26-Jul-98 02:52 PM

From: Mark McCulley            \ Internet:    (raven@halcyon.com)
To:   Vanagon                  \ Internet:    (vanagon@vanagon.com)

Subject: Re: back from trip

At 02:12 PM 7/26/98 -0700, you wrote:
>The only mechanical glitch was a broken V-belt. Actually it was a bit
>frazzled and came off. I noticed the red alternator light and just
witnessed
>the temperature to rise when I stopped. So I just caught it in time. I
>feared the worst when I saw a trail of coolant, but all hoses were okay. I
>had another belt with me and the repair was quickly done after the baggage
>was removed. I heard the bubbling of the coolant in the engine for a couple
>of moments, but there seem to have been no lasting effects. I refilled the
>coolant and on I went. I just wonder where the coolant came from. It seemed
>to have sprayed around the rear of the engine when it was overheating. The
>overflow reservoir was empty.
>
The coolant probably escaped from the overflow reservoir. It's vented (at
the top) to allow any pressure to escape. I suspect that when you coolant
boiled, steam was forced out of the pressure cap and into the overflow
reservoir. That's my guess anyway...

MM


-------- REPLY, End of original message --------