Date:         Wed, 13 Oct 1999 19:04:16 EDT
Reply-To:     kenneth d lewis <kdlewis@JUNO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         kenneth d lewis <kdlewis@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: overheating?

        I agree whole-heartedly with the professional radiator cleaning
suggestion.  The following is a copy of my text from a couple of years
ago. I had already tried conventional "home" back flush methods. In the
case of my 86 I think the garden hose and "tee" in the heater hose method
actually made things worse. Due to the length of the radiator hoses,
flushed particles drop out and settle in the radiator because they are
moving the slowest there. TMSAISWI!
Drive Safely & Good Luck
Ken Lewis<Kernersville,NC>86 VW crewcab;60 T-5 Coupe
===========================================================

         If you take it in to be checked out don't make the same mistake
I did . The first shop I took it to I told them the symptoms and asked
them "to look at it". I came back and the guy said it "looked" fine. I
asked him how much I owed him and he said "no charge".From now on a
warning bell goes off in my head when ever I hear those words.I guess you
get what you pay for. I reinstalled the radiator and continued trouble
shooting the overheating problem. After several weeks of looking for the
problem elsewhere i.e.water pump, head gaskets, thermostats,etc; I
arrived back at the radiator. I took it to the same guy and said; "Can
you guarantee me maximum efficiency from this radiator?". The guy
said;"UHH no, if I put it in my vat the only thing that would come out
are the plastic ends". (WARNING! An acid bath will eat up your aluminum
core.)

        I tested it myself by running a hose from my hot water heater to
the radiator and felt around for cold spots(3/4 of mine was cold).Touch
both sides, if you'll notice the core makes a U-turn. Two core in one. **

        I finally found a shop who would "Blast it out". This involved
taking the radiator to him. There he applied heat, chemicals and sonic
pressure.This solved all my overheating problems (in both my vehicles).
Ideally it should be "rodded out" but he couldn't locate new gaskets to
reseal it.

**While you have the radiator out shine a light into the inlet and look
into the outlet. I have heard of cracks forming in the internal wall that
separates the two manifolds. When this happens heated coolant is sucked
back into the outlet stream without ever being cooled!

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