----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, July 19, 1999 =
5:20 PM
Subject: 85 Westy Temp Guage - =
what's
'normal'?
Allo -
After lusting after one for =
many, many
years, we've finally joined the ranks of vanagon owners with the =
purchase of
our traum-wagen (dream car) - an 85 Westy. So far, everything appears to work =
great and "Wolf"
(kids choice) survived his maiden family trip of 300 miles with wife, =
kids and
two Newfs as passengers.
I found a Bentley manual and =
this list
and have spent way too much time (if possible) planning =
projects. First
item - change the coolant. The prior owner had the car two years =
and had
never done it. Unfortunately, the garage doesn't have enough =
clearance
due to a couple of beams; great for hanging up canoes - but bad for =
jacking
the front end up the required 15 inches. Also, the drive =
way is
too steep to block and jack the van. So, decided to have =
the
coolant flushed and filled at a local VW shop - highly recommended by =
the list
and a friend - and the cost seemed reasonable.
Great place, knowledgeable and friendly =
folks. Job
finished on time at promised cost and drove off happily. Wolf =
seemed in
good spirits first few miles down the road - but noticed the =
temperature gauge
was above the half-way point where its always been. A few more =
miles
down the road - moderate stop-and-go traffic - the gauge is all the =
way up and
the little red light is flashing: DANGER WILL ROBINSON -
DANGER!
Let Wolf cool down and slowly make my way back =
with frequent
stops, the temperature gauge hovering around three-quarters of =
the way
up and the fan humming along. The shop is just about to =
close -
and we agree to 'let them watch the patient overnight'. The =
following
day the 'spezialist' confirmed my diagnosis - trapped air. The =
patient
underwent another procedure claimed to be successful - bled the system =
again
and topped off the coolant.
The patient is recovering =
nicely from
this minor procedure with one problem - the temperature gauge now =
reads higher
than normal - around 60-70% of the way up - when it was always right =
in the
middle of the gauge - squarely over the warning light. Also, it =
seems
that I hear the fan running more often.
My query for the 'list-spezialists' - where
does/should the temperature gauge be 'normally' under routine city =
driving
conditions - right in the middle or three-quarters of the way up - or =
is it
not really precise at all? Should this change after getting the =
coolant
changed? I'd appreciate hearing some comments/other experiences =
before I
go back to the shop.
Thanks for any and all help.
Todd Guttman
85 Westy