Daniel,

Only a guess, but perhaps someone tossed in a can of AlumaSeal at some point
in the radiator's life?

Karl Wolz

----- Original Message -----
From: "Daniel Schmitz" <djs@GENE.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2001 9:11 PM
Subject: Radiator out/observations...

> I pulled the radiator out of my '87 camper today to replace it with a
> new one. Here are some observations.
>
> The radiator that came out is aluminum with plastic tanks. It is largely
> identical to the South African unit I will be installing, with only
> minor detail differences. It had very large dragon flies from Colorado
> (where I purchased the van) embedded in it :)
>
> I noticed that there was a silvery film coating the inside of the
> plastic housing. I don't know what this is. A byproduct of coolant
> reacting with aluminum over time? I only noticed this in the radiator,
> not the rest of the cooling system, however. If this means anything,
> please let me know.
>
> Removal of the radiator was straightforward. I replaced the heater valve
> at this time.
>
> Regarding this and my last post about the coolant pipes, please p-mail
> me as I'm in digest mode.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dan
>