Looks like you have a small hole in your radiator.

David Marshall

Fast Forward Autobahn Sport Tuning
4356 Quesnel Hixon Road
Quesnel BC Canada  V2J 6Z3
mailto:info@fastforward.ca      http://www.fastforward.ca
Phone: (250) 992 7775           FAX: (250) 992 1160

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-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Paul M. Hillbish
Sent: December 9, 2000 7:57 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Another Jetta question

Lately in my 85 Jetta, if I am stopped for a while (like at a long line of
traffic or at a convenient store to run in a grab cigarettes) some form of
smoke or steam is issuing from the engine. Upon inspection under the hood, I
have found that it is the radiator. I checked the coolant level, and it's
okay, I checked my hoses, and I could not find any apparent leaks. The smoke
smells like antifreeze, but nothing is dripping that I can see. Is this just
overheating? I also noticed that my fan is not turning on until the temp
needle is in a high range. Is that normal? Or should I look into replacing
the thermostat? She is my daily driver now (since she has great heat, not to
mention the only vehicle I have that's legal) and this is making me a little
paranoid. Thank you for any input.

--Paul--