So, today I parked my 85 GL on an incline, and followed the instructions for bleeding the coolant system because the coolant light had been blinking.  

When i opened the bleeder screw by the radiator, i could hear air coming out, and the expansion reservoir filled up, and overflowed because the cap was off. I started the engine, revved it to 2000 rpm as suggested and kept adding coolant until it stayed topped off, all according to the book.  EXCEPT, at no point did coolant flow out of the bleeder valve.  finally i gave up and closed it up, screwed the cap back on the expansion tank and connected the hose back to the overflow. 

but now the temp gauge isn't going above 1/3 of the way up, it isn't blinking and things seem to be running fine, even when i performed the acid test and turned the heater off!

Can anyone think of why coolant wouldn't be coming out the bleeder screw?  i think my incline was probably above the recommended 4 inches, would that make a difference?  i suspect i might have a plugged radiator.  any thoughts?

Also, the mechanic told me i had a leaky head gasket, but i haven't seen any leaks except a tiny one from a hose next to the expansion tank. and no more spots on the ground, not for weeks.   would the head gasket leak continuously, or would it be a more intermittant kind of a thing?

thanks for all your help!  it has made owning a vanagon a challenging adventure instead of a frustrating pain in the rear.

jk