Date:         Sun, 6 Jun 1999 23:46:36 -0700
Reply-To:     Coby Smolens <cobys@WELL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Coby Smolens <cobys@WELL.COM>
Subject:      Waterboxer Coolant Drain and Flush Procedure
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

 -----Original Message-----> From: Coby Smolens [mailto:cobys@well.com]
 Sent: Sunday, June 06, 1999 7:27 PM
 To: Marshall Ruskin
 Subject: RE: Re: Air Bleeder Installation/Cooling System Bleeding
 Procedure


 Correct! In order to do a complete "flush and fill" you'll have
 to add a couple steps in advance of the bleeding procedure, as follows:

 -- Set up containers to catch coolant below the engine and the
 radiator. Remove cap from the main reservoir (left rear of engine
 compartment - not the overflow reservoir behind the license
 plate). Open (turn on full) both front and rear heater valves
 (rear heater valve is accessed through an opening in passenger
 side of the heater cover box under the rear seat. Pull the valve
 forward to open. With some models (Westies mainly) you can get
 the cover off the heater fairly easily, so you can open the
 bleeder on top of the heater control valve to drain the heater
 core. See note on this in my bleeding procedure.

 -- If you're doing the job on the ground (not on a lift) raise
 the rear end with a floor jack high enough to allow you to wiggle
 around comfortably underneath. (Unless of course you're thin
 enough to do so without lifting the car - I know some people who
 do it this way.) USE JACK STANDS! A good alternative is to drive
 the car onto a set of ramps (available at most parts stores for
 c.$35.00 US) Remove both lower engine shrouds (the ones that
 cover the push rod tubes) and remove the 6mm Allen headed plugs
 from the bottom of each cylinder head. Lower the van to the
 ground for proper draining (this is why I like ramps if I have to
 do this out of the shop - you'll have to raise the thing again
 later to reinstall the drain plugs and shrouds. With ramps you
 just drive off and back on again. People get lazy about using
 jack stands).

 While the coolant is finishing draining at the back, go to the
 front and raise it off the ground. (If you have the resources,
 you can raise the whole car in the air (front and rear) enough so
 that when you're finished draining coolant and reinstall head
 plugs and shrouds in prep for filling you can lower the rear and
 just leave the front up, as it's going to have to be raised 16"
 for bleeding anyway).

 -- Remove one end of each radiator hose. It doesn't matter which
 end - I find it's easier to remove the rear end of each hose
 because I find access easier. Be sure to be prepared for a gush
 of coolant - there's going to be plenty left in the front even if
 the rear is only dripping.

 -- THIS PART IS NOT TO BE FOUND IN ANY BOOK: We like to put a
 five gallon bucket under one of the radiator hoses and use a
 garden hose to blast clean water through the opposite hose until it
 comes clean from the other hose. Seal around the garden hose with
 a rag. Then do the same through one of the big plastic coolant
 pipes until clear water comes out the other pipe. Allow the
 system to drip out. (No need to install the drain plugs prior to this
 step - the 8mm holes lose a negligible amount of water compared to
 the amount being pushed through the system by any self-respecting
 garden hose. Thanks to Marshall Ruskin for asking...)

 -- CHEMICAL FLUSH? We don't use any. Too nervous about the long
 term effect of residual caustics left in the system - a system
 prone to corrosion as it is. We prefer a regular regimen of
 coolant changes, using the OE coolant.

 -- Put everything back together. Be careful not to overtighten
 the clamps on the hoses on the plastic pipes. This is a good
 opportunity to inspect the ends of those pipes, by the way. There
 is a steel insert in the end of each pipe which tends to rust and
 swell until the plastic cracks. The end of the pipe will pop
 right off with the hose attached to it, causing instant and total
 coolant loss in the middle of wherever you happen to be at the
 moment. Use new copper seals for the cylinder head drain plugs.
 Then it's time to find your bleedin' friend for the rest of the
 bleedin' job.

 Happy flushing!

 Coby

 Valley Wagonworks
 "Intimately acquainted with VW Vans since 1959"

 Volkswagen Bus, Vanagon, Westfalia and Eurovan
 Repair and Service Specialists

 1535 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo, CA 94933
 Voice:(415) 457-5628
 Fax: (415) 457-0967
 http://wagonworks.com
 mailto:contact@wagonworks.com



 -----Original Message-----
 From: Marshall Ruskin [mailto:mruskin@pangea.ca]
 Sent: Sunday, June 06, 1999 2:12 PM
 To: Coby Smolens
 Subject: Re: Re: Air Bleeder Installation/Cooling System Bleeding
 Procedure


 Hi Coby:

 I read with interest the excellent attached post, and I have a
 few questions, I hope you don't mind answering them.

 FOA, I am a newbie, with an 84 Westy (air, auto),....

 It seems to me that this method is primarily for topping up and
 bleeding air from a system, is that correct?

 What I need to do is completely flush out my old, incorrect
 coolant, and then fill it with phosphate and silicate free
 coolant. This method is not for that, correct?

 I can't find a straight-forward answer as to what exactly to do -
 can you please help me? I sure would appreciate it.

 Thanks,

 Marshall Ruskin
 Winnipeg, Canada
 -----Original Message-----
 From: Coby Smolens <cobys@WELL.COM>
 To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
 Date: Saturday, June 05, 1999 2:20 AM
 Subject: Re: Air Bleeder Installation/Cooling System Bleeding Procedure