You can drive this van like this for a good long time...  I did it for at
least a year and 20,000 miles.  When the level of coolant starts creeping up
in the expansion tank is when to start really worrying.  The air from
combustion chambers is displacing the coolant at that point.  Not sure that
happens for everyone, but it was the way mine worked out.

I drove mine until it started overheating then I had a new engine dropped in
it.

You're VERY lucky though--if it's taken 170,000 miles for this to being
happening, you must have been doing all the right things.

DB

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Johnson" <makhno19@COMCAST.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 3:50 PM
Subject: Drippy Water Pump...

> My 1989 Vanagon Carat (170,000 miles) has started dripping a very small
(as
> in 1 or 2 drops overnight, no significant drop in coolant level yet)
amount
> of coolant from what appears to be the waterpump... the drops collect at
oil
> filter housing...  I've been told by my mechanic that I have a "slight"
head
> leak on the drivers side and  that I need a new water pump and that I
should
> either put a rebuilt engine in the van or sell it  "soon"... my question
is
> this ... how likely is it that my water pump will fail in the next 3 weeks
> (when i'll be able to pay for a new one) and is there anything I can do to
> prolong it's life?... the van is our sole transport and is driven about 50
> miles a day...   thanks in advance