You are probably right about the faulty thermostat. I have had so many
thermostat failures that I replace mine every 18 months or so as a matter of
preventive maintenance. For me they always seem to fail in the closed position,
which overheats the engine. So I just don't take the chance.

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

John Clavin wrote:

> I had a pressure leak develop where the thermostat housing bolts to the
> side of the water pump on my 85 Vanagon GL.  Checking things out the next
> day revealed that the coolant line from the radiator is not getting warm.
> Also the radiator appears cool to the touch. This all happened rather
> suddenly, so I am guessing it is a bad thermostat. Any suggestions for
> further diagnostics before I rip this apart?
>
> Also any suggestions on whether or not to use gasket goop on the o-ring
> that fits over the pipe connecting to the right head when I reassemble? Any
> particular gasket goop recommended?
>
> **********  John Clavin  |  jjc@bga.com  |  Austin, TX  **********