On Thu, 3 Oct 2002, Martin Jagersand wrote:

> Mostly: If the van has ever overheated it may have a warped head and/or
> headgasket leaks. Check for bubbling/blowing coolant when test driving.
> Since the vans put a heavier load on the small engine than the cars, they
> are more likely to end up with this problem.

The temperature gauge will also tell you something.  It should stay below
the LED unless you're really pushing it going up a hill.  If it quickly
comes up above the LED and stays there, it's likely there's a headgasket
leak or other problem.  (Mine did this when it had a cracked head, but I
didn't know any better -- never had a watercooled VW, so I didn't know
where the gauge was *supposed* to sit.)  Check for oil in the expansion
bottle and water froth in the oil.

I also recommend trying to test-drive the van on a day when it hasn't been
started yet.  How well it handles a cold start will tell you more about
the health of the engine and the glow plug system than a warm start will.

             _ _
  __ _ _   _| | |  | David M. Brodbeck (N8SRE)              Ypsilanti, MI
 / _` | | | | | |  +-----------------------------------------------------
| (_| | |_| | | | @ cyberspace.org
 \__, |\__,_|_|_| "There is something ironic when the developers name
 |___/             housing development after what they bulldozed to build
                   it, but I think you have to allow some latitude in
                   naming, so that not every street is called "Suburban
                   Drive." -- Jan Wolter