list,

i'm having a serious coolant leak coming from my rear (under bench) heater
in my '90 vanagon. (by serious i mean it has soaked my padding and carpet
twice all the way up to the behind the front seats) i need to know what to
do.

i've removed the outermost housing and have discovered coolant build-up
around the bottom of the fins on the radiator unit. it appears to be leaking
around there and coming out of the seam of bottom of the housing surrounding
that core unit. (i should note here that the hoses and other usual leak
areas appear to be fine) does this mean that the radiator unit is shot? is
there a "stop leak" type fix? should i create some kind of "U" joint for the
hoses to bypass the heater unit and take it out until i can repair or
replace it? and if i make the "U" joint, does disconnecting the heater mean
i have to bleed the system after i'm done because i've let air in?
basically, what is the best thing to do?

this problem has gotten continually worsened to the point that my coolant
sensor light comes on.

any information on this subject will be immensly appreciated.

p.s. for those of you that care, i was on this list for a year or two until
last year. remember, my '87 caught on fire in the taco bell parking lot?
it's nice to be back. i've missed the list. i hope all is well in v-land

thank you in advance.

Tony
'90 GL