Date:         Wed, 6 Jan 1999 18:03:42 -0600
Reply-To:     Tim Vogelin <tim.vogelin@PLEXUS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tim Vogelin <tim.vogelin@PLEXUS.COM>
Subject:      Lucky break?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

        Yesterday while driving, my temperature gauge on my 84' Wolfsburg Vanagon
decided to keep going higher and higher, I also noticed that my front heater
was blowing cold air but my rear heater was blowing hot air.  It did this a
few days ago and then started working just fine so I continued driving.
Once the temperature got too high I decided I better pull over and take a
look.  The red light started flashing and my van stalled.  Once stalled all
this nice steam started poring out of the air ducts on the side, honestly it
looked kind of neat in that oh no what happened kind of way.  Anyway, when I
went around the van there was coolant poring out the bottom and out of the
refill tank behind the license plate.  I automatically remembered others
explaining this happening when the head gaskets go so I started thinking the
worst had finally happened.  So I let it cool down and restarted it and
drove home real fast.  I made a couple phone calls to get an idea of what it
could be.  Best case scenario is the cooling system was not bled properly
and there is an air pocket in there, the worst case is that the internal
gaskets of the engine are leaking and, I was slowly loosing coolant and, it
finally decided to give me problems and, you are looking at about
$1000-$1500 repair bill.  I called work and said I wouldn't be able to make
it and found a heated garage I could use but, I couldn't get it towed cause
all the towing companies are busy cause of the wonderful weather hear in
Wisconsin,  great having AAA.  Anyway, I decided I would have to work on it
in my driveway and I knew the coolant needed to be changed cause it was
green, not blue.  I bundled up and proceeded to drain the coolant finding
slush in the hoses in some parts and refill and bleed the system.  Luckily
it worked and my beloved Vanagon is now with me at work today.  So the moral
of the story is, if you do not know what the person that owned it before you
had done to it, do it yourself to save you from having to lay on the snow in
the middle of winter.  Sorry for the length and I hope nobody else has to go
through this.