The 'quirky' electrical problems sound unrelated and = coincidental to each other - but that's not your main concern.

First thing is the cooling system - you may have a simple leak = somewhere which resulted in overheating. Does the engine still run? A = blown reservoir is not necessarily a blown engine. It's possible that the = problem is just the coolant reservoir - they get old and crack and maybe it = just came apart.

The light in the temperature gauge is supposed to come on when = you turn the key to the "on" position - it should blink for a few seconds, then = go out. If the gauge is going right to "hot" immediately on starting either = there's a problem with the warning system or there's not enough coolant in = the main reservoir (the one in the engine compartment, not the one behind the = license plate). Of course, you have to check the coolant level in this main = reservoir first thing, and if it's split open you'll have to replace it before you = can check anything. Fortunately this procedure is inexpensive and simple - = after replacing the reservoir you (or your mechanic) will need to follow the = procedure for bleeding the cooling system, well documented on this list and in the = Bentley repair manual. After you've got the system full again you can have it = pressure tested for leaks and checked for the presence of hydrocarbon (exhaust = gases). You might want to fill it with plain water until you see if there are = any leaks - the VW coolant (available from the dealer) is relatively = expensive and it would be a shame to waste it.

The mileage is high, for an engine - not for the van. If it's = the original engine and has never been apart, it's one of the rare ones. = We've seen a few like this, and I can't tell you why some hold together when most = of their mates are defunct or have submitted to multiple surgeries at this age...

Coby Smolens
Valley Wagonworks
VW Bus and Vanagon Specialists
"Intimately acquainted with VW Vans since 1959"

1535 SF Drake Blvd, San Anselmo, = CA 94960
415-457-5628 =

-----Original = Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf Of Sal & Karen Tricomo
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2001 4:25 = PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: A newbie has a question...

Hi all...I am the sentimental owner = of a recently "deceased" '85 Westfalia (Westy, I gather from previous msgs) that I = had named "Buster Brown"...Buster bcuz he was always in trouble (mechanically = falling apart but I wasn't able to afford continuous maintenence) & Brown = for obvious reasons (gawd, I hated that color!).

Anyway, my problem is that I'm too = sentimental to give him away to charity but I really don't have any use for him = now. For different reasons, my husband & I are just not able to use the = van for camping purposes anymore & his usefulness for commuting ended with = a blown reservoir next to the back-end water-filling tank. As you can see, I = know little to nothing about car terms...

What am I going to do? I read = w/interest the msg about how many miles one can expect to get out of one of these = & I must admit Buster is over the 200,000 mark easily...(after I nearly = fainted when I saw that 142 msgs were waiting for me...anyway to = decrease some of that? I just came into this to ask my little questions...).

Some of the problems I've had over = the years related to the O2 sensor but the strangest concerned what would happen = to Buster's personality when I would use the defroster (or heater) for = the 1st time each winter. First it was the O2 lite going on, but after = being frustrated w/know-nothing "generic" mechanics I took Buster to a VW = specialist & he knew what was going on in an instant, fixed it & I = thought the problem was solved. Another time, the speedometer would bounce = around like the dial on a vegetable scale (that was after using the cigarette lighter to power something off the battery). In = short, it was always doing wierd, quirky things.

Most recently, the heat = sensor started to go on the minute I started the car (but it again, it was right = after I'd used the defroster for the 1st time on a particularly cold & rainy/foggy morning) so I ignored the problem. This light matched the temp gauge (in the "too too hot" range) only at = the initial startup of the car, and the problem would stop once the car had been running awhile...So I again ignored = it. I never heard anything wierd in the engine, nor felt the car struggling = to operate in any way, right up until the time I saw steam pouring out of = the back end & heard that little reservoir blow apart. = Thank God I didn't have the back end opened or the engine cover = off when it blew!

I really can't afford the complete = overhaul it would take to get Buster operational again, and I really won't be = using him for camping any more (my husband's a weenie for modern comforts & = really doesn't enjoy the outdoorsy life, and I'm too convenience-oriented to = go thru that much work in a quirky vehicle...I didn't use to be). Im now = using my hubby's car to commute with (he's got a nice new one) so I won't = need Buster for that either. Problem is, I get all choked up thinking = he's just going to rot away somewhere he's towed to if I sit still and do nothing...

Can any of you help me by = suggesting inexpensive repair options, or maybe someone would want to buy him off me for = parts or restoration? My original idea was to donate him to a worthy = cause of my choosing so it wouldn't be a complete waste or junking = issue, but I still can't help but feel that there may be some hope for him yet.