

| Subject: | Re: Coolant pressure tanks - it's time to examine them. |
| From: | Max Wellhouse |
| Date: | Tue, 22 Feb 2011 01:31:26 -0600 |
Plastic Welding is virtually worthless on old stressed out plastic of any formulation and cross linked polyethylene would be even harder to weld, if not impossible. Linear, you might have a shot. Telling the difference between the two is a real trip too. Rescue tape might not save you here either. DM&FSAt 05:55 PM 2/21/2011, David Beierl wrote: >I recently pulled the coolant pressure tank on my '89 2.1l WBX and >found three significant stress cracks that looked ready to >fail. Photo of one here: >https://picasaweb.google.com/dbeierl/Vanagon1989PressureBottleStressCracking# >- it looks worse in person than in that still-installed flash picture. > >I would suggest draining and removing the tank and examining it with >a strong light shining through it from behind and above. The >likeliest areas for stress cracks are at the areas immediately above >and below the joint running around the circumference; the third crack >on mine was on the neck, in line between the pressure cap and >low-coolant sensor. The first two (one above, one below) were long >and clearly formed by repeated flexing of the tank. I estimate that >patching them on the road would be very difficult except by plastic >welding, because of the proximity of the joint. The third was much >shorter, gaped open in the middle and was of a different character >generally. If I learn anything of significance about it I'll say so. > >Yours, >David
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