Don Oldenburg wrote:

> Hi Everyone--
>
>     My '90 Vanagon blasted out a load of antifreeze the other day soon
> as I
> parked it after driving it a while. I checked around the engine
> compartment
> this morning and followed the hosing from the reserve tank until I
> found the
> leak.
>    Looking at the engine compartment from the back and on top: Hosing
> from
> the reserve tank sort follows around the top inside of the comparment
> opening; on the left side, there's a T-junction with a black rubber
> hose,
> about 1/2 inch round and maybe 14 inches long to where it gets larger
> in
> diameter (maybe 3/4 or an inch) for about four inches to where it
> connects to
> the left-side cylinder head on top.
>   Right before that rubber hose fits onto the metal engine connection,
>
> there's a break where the antifreeze leaks when pressured. Got the
> part #:
> 025-121-058-M (and maybe the same number ending in C instead of M
> might
> work)...
>    I tried searching the archive but for some reason can't get in at
> all,
> so....
>
>    My Question: The hose looks easy enough to remove (clamp on each
> end).
> I'm thinking I could take it off, dry it good, and do some heavy duty
> taping
> over that rupture, and put it back on--so I could at least drive it
> for a few
> days until I get the replacement hose special ordered.  Is that
> adviseable or
> not?
>
>    Second Question: If I take that hose off, do I run the risk of
> getting
> air in the system (and if so, what's the trick to doing this then and
> not
> getting air in then system?), or will it just pull more antifreeze off
> the
> reserve once I hook it back up again and start it?
>
>    It looks like a simple fix--but I've done simple fixes before that
> ended
> up causing bigger headaches. Any advise would be appreciated.
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Don Oldenburg
> McLean, Va.
> elevenhalf@aol.com

Worth a try.  If possible squeeze the adjacent hose shut with a clamp to
decrease coolant lose/air entry.  Have a cork or something ready to plug
the head connection.  I feel that strapping tape is stronger than duct
tape; it helped me get home (300 mi) when the large hose at the front of
the engine compartment failed.

Once again note the foresight of the designers at VW, using a
specialized hose that's larger at one end than the other so that we will
buy the factory part rather than replace it with an inexpensive generic
product.

Larry A.