Re:   "Can the metal of the engine contract enough in cold temps to cause the seepage? "

Yes.

The brake master cylinder on our 87 Westy Syncro leaked last winter while it was parked outside in sub-zero temperatures.  It stopped immediately once I moved the van into its heated garage.

Neither of our local VW guru's are fond of driving Vanagons in the winter, they feel that the expansion and contraction of the engine components going from sub-zero to operating temperature and back is too hard on them.

Mark in AK

----- Original Message -----
From: "David J. Bohannan" <david.bohannan@VERIZON.NET>
Date: Thursday, September 30, 2004 4:09 am
Subject: Re: Head gasket leaks and winter weather

> In a message dated 9/30/04 2:33:55 AM, LeeKouns@WEBTV.NET writes:
>
> << Can the metal of the engine contract enough in cold temps to cause
> the
> seepage? >>
>
> Well, it happened to the radiator of my 94 Jeep Cherokee...I hadn't
> driven it for a while (bad coil) and it sat for a few days at
> temps in
> the teens...lo and behold I started it up to notice coolant coming
> fromsomewhere in the radiator...
>
> It got warmed up...leak stopped, and literally never leaked
> again...evenup until the day (2 yrs and many many miles and trips
> later) that I sold
> it to my sister...its still fine...I figured it must have been the
> coldretracting the metal, but wow...weird...I am originally from
> Florida, so
> that was new to me...
>
> Dave
>