Date:         Thu, 14 Oct 1999 06:35:15 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?

William;
        Personally, I would call around and find someone who can " blast
it out" (there has to be a better term for the procedure). It only cost
me $25 a couple of years ago.  I do not recall any major problem removing
the radiator.

Drive Safely & Good Luck
Ken Lewis<Kernersville,NC>86 VW crewcab;60 T-5 Coupe

On Wed, 13 Oct 1999 19:25:43 -0500 "William Wedenoja"
<waw105f@mail.smsu.edu> writes:
>Last July, half way through a long trip, with occasional "overheating"
>(i.e., running higher than normal) we took the van (88 westy) in to a
>VW
>shop in the Seattle area where the "vanagon specialist" pronounced
>that the
>problem usually lies in an old and fouled up radiator which is
>designed in
>such a way that it can't be flushed adequately, so just get a new one.
> We
>were so unhappy with the service we got there (from the management,
>not the
>mechanic), and the high prices, that we took a chance and made it home
>ok
>without doing anything.  BUT I would like to improve the efficiency of
>the
>cooling system before next summer.
>
>What do you think?  Is it worth trying to flush it, or would it be
>better to
>replace it?  (Particularly if we're going to be keeping it a long time
>and
>taking long summer trips.)  Also, I notice that the Bus Depot has a
>radiator
>from Germany and a cheaper one from South Africa at reasonable prices.
> Is
>one better (maybe bigger) than the other?
>
>Bill
>Springfield, MO
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: kenneth d lewis <kdlewis@JUNO.COM>
>To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 1999 6:04 PM
>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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>

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