At 00:01 5/09/01 -0400, you wrote:
>
>Subject: How to find coolant leak
>
>
>> I must have a coolant leak because my coolant reservoir keeps in filling
>> with air.  The only problem is I can not find the leak.
>>
>> Are there any dyes  I can add to "stain" the leak or any other ways of
>> finding a coolant leak?
>>
>> Paul Borghese

Paul,

If continual inspection doesn't eventually expose the origin of the leak
(if it is indeed an external leak) it is possible that it is an internal
leak.Coolant could be weeping directly into the combustion chamber and
whilst this is a longer shot it is indeed possible.

I had this happen with an AMC head (after only 60k kms)and it seems to
have been due to the holes for the head studs being drilled too deep
resulting in too little metal between head stud & combustion chamber.
Metal cracked & coolent slowly snuck thru.Took me the best part of a year
to get to the bottom of that one.Finally the van hydralocked and it
finally twigged what was going on.Prior to that I would slowly lose
small amounts of coolant causing the light to blink every few months.

Anyway,unless you have AMC heads,I'm not saying this is your problem
but there are other possible causes for an internal leak.
Check for evidence of white "smoke",well vapor actually in your
exhaust.Might need someone else to drive your van (an unpalatable
proposition I grant you) and give it a bit of a work-out while you
follow in another vehicle (preferably VW)and observe...

BTW,in the case I experienced above,AMC refused to accept any
responsibility for their poor workmanship even though the head
was quite new.If there was any viable alternative manufacturer
to AMC for WBX heads I'd be bagging the sh*t out of them and saying
boycot the bastards.
As it happens there isn't so we're stuck with them but I do know my
case was not the only one here in Australia.Maybe we just got stuck
with a bad batch...? <rant mode off>

Cheers,
Steve O
Blue Mountains NSW Aust.
'92 Transporter WBX Kombi
'76 Transporter Double Cab
'68 Beetle
'00 Transporter 5Cyl Double Cab (work truck)