Before I went on vacation, I replaced the clutch, heater hoses and the large
rubber radiator hose that crosses over the transaxle and connects to the
thermostat housing. Typically I disconnect this hose (and the one to the
coolant distributor) at the plastic lines to drain the system since this is
the lowest point in the cooling system.

I refilled the system by opening the radiator bleeder and the valve on top
of the thermostat and filling the system through the coolant reservoir in
the engine compartment. I didn't run the motor while filling, I found that
squeezing the hose from the right cylinder head to the coolant distributor
forced most of the air out through the reservoir opening. The top of the
coolant reservoir and the radiator bleeder were at the same height  since I
had the rear of the van raised to remove the transmission. I closed
everything up, filled the overflow tank, lowered the van and took it for a
test drive. The engine warmed up and the temp gauge stayed where it usually
is, on to just above the led. I did no other bleeding of the cooling system
and added no more coolant on my 3,000+ mile trip last week.

I did notice that my coolant gauge was consistently below the LED once I got
north of the Mason-Dixon line. I have the 80 degree thermostat and fan
switch installed but typically in Florida, it is always at or above the LED
when at operating temperature.

Thanks,

Tim Hannink
Goldibox - 1987 Vanagon Camper, Wolfsburg Edition
Winter Park, Florida
http://home.earthlink.net/~tjhannink/
http://photos.yahoo.com/tjhannink Vanagon Album