I second that. Just weeks after buying a roll for my EV and the '83 I was
following some friends back from Natural Bus last year and my friend blows a
small hose next to the water pump on his '89 in East Nowhere, VA on a
Sunday.  Though it took him hours to get the hose on and off we were able to
wrap the leak with the hose and we got home safe.  We inspected the hose a
few weeks later after he replaced it and it looks like the repair would have
lasted quite a long time.

Bryan

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Mike Collum
Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 8:00 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Silicone "Rescue Tape" ... it works

When I parked my '85 Westy at the campground for Buses by the Buoy (Family
and Friends Campground, Standish, Maine), I smelled the unmistakable smell
of coolant on the exhaust.  Crawling under confirmed that one of the metal
pipes (early '85 style), that runs forward under the van, was "Weeping" due
to rust.  The rusty portion was near the engine, of course.

While there, I obtained from David Beierl, some Silicone Rescue Tape, the
stuff that stretches and moulds to itself but has no sticky of it's own.
It's designed to work with coolant hoses among other things.  Any way, I
wrapped the rusty portion of that coolant pipe, and while wrapping, the weep
turned into a trickle that went away as I continued.
  I drove the van back to Houlton, Maine with the coolant system pressurized
(250 miles) and had no coolant loss.

That Rescue tape has earned a permanent place in my parts and tools stash!

Mike