Date:         Tue, 6 Jul 1999 07:21:28 -0400
Reply-To:     EMZ <vw4x4@FYI.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         EMZ <vw4x4@FYI.NET>
Subject:      Re: Weird  over-heating problem, please advise!
Comments: To: CARY CHIANG <chiang1@USA.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <19990706101210.5734.qmail@www0h.netaddress.usa.net>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

     I did not see any mention in your message about pressure. The system
must be holding pressure to work properly. The problem can be as
simply as a bad radiator (fill) cap. The cap is axually a 2 way valve that
regulates the pressure in the system. TO test for pressure simply
squezze one of the hoses and feel for balloning.

            Eric                   86-VW4x4
            vw4x4@fyi.net          72-240z
            Pittsburgh, PA USA     1936-Chrysler


On Tue, 6 Jul 1999, CARY CHIANG wrote:

> Dear Listees:
>   I recently purchased an '85 Westy that the PO had warned me had a tendency
> to overheat in traffic.  I have owned several mid 80's vanagons and am quite
> familiar with their cooling system and Bentley procedures, but this one has me
> baffled.  I 1st bled the cooling system per Bentley and got coolant flowing
> out of the radiator bleed screw okay.  After 10-15 minutes of idling, the temp
> gauge climbs to about 3/5 and the red LED begins to flash.  Increasing engine
> speed to 2-3K for about 30 seconds brings the gauge back to the halfway mark
> and turns off the LED.  Another 4-5 minutes and the LED comes back on and the
> gauge is again at 3/5.  At this point, revving the engine does not cool it off
> and the temp gauge soon hits maximum and coolant boils out of the overflow
> tank.  The radiator fan never turns on.  So far I have:
>
> Removed the thermostat
> Tested the high and low speeds of the cooling fan
> Tested the thermoswitch (ok but I swapped in a known good one)
> Removed the radiator and thermoswitch and checked for obstructions using a
> garden hose--good flow of water thru the inlet, outlet, and thermoswitch
> mounting hole.  Also inspected the core via the thermoswitch hole.  The 11
> rows visible had no signs of corrosion.
> Flushed the rest of the system using the garden hose.  Good flow of water both
> directions.
> Checked engine timing
>
> I forgot to mention that the radiator is barely warm to the touch when the
> engine is already boiling over, which explains why the cooling fan never turns
> on.  There seems to be a coolant flow problem at low rpm (revving the engine
> at the 1st sign of overheating apparantly gets the coolant moving some).  I
> realize the water pump doesn't pump much at idle, but can it be worn out in
> this regard (there is no pulley play or leakage) or do I have a leaking
> cylinder head?  If anyone has seen these symptoms or has any advice, please
> respond directly to my address.  TIA!!
>
> Cary
>
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