On Mon, Apr 4, 2011 at 7:16 AM, Werner Schink <werner.calnr@sbcglobal.net>wrote:

> Hello Folks,
>
> Got back to Sacto.  Thank you to Rob for suggestions and Rick for coffee,
> support and coolant.
>
> My overheating problem was vapor somewhere in the line.
>
> Filling the coolant system is typically a 2-person job -- one to add
> coolant
> and the other keep the engine revs at about 2K rpm -- while the relief
> valve
> at the top of the radiator is cracked open and the van is inclined with the
> front end up.
>
> In the evening & early morning I was alone so I improvised -- it worked and
> I thought this might be of use to someone else who got stranded like me.
> What I did is go to Ace hardware and bought a mini-funnel - about 2 inches
> long and quite tiny at the smallest end - and also bought a foot of about
> 1/4 inch o.d. clear plastic tubing.  I snipped off a bit of the end of the
> funnel and stuck the tubing onto the funnel.  This gave me something I
> could
> slowly pour coolant in and that would slip into the radiator relief valve.
> I parked so the van was inclined front up and slowly poured coolant in.  It
> took a couple of tries to get all the trapped vapor cleared -- filling til
> full, running with both heaters open -- then letting the van cool down and
> refilling.  I'd done this before I got to Rick's and when we went to do it
> one more time the radiator was completely full when I cracked the relief
> valve.  No further problems with overheating.
>
> So thanks again to Rob and Rick and hope this helps someone else.
>
> Oh, yes ... take it easy going up the grade from Medford to the Siskiyou
> summit if you're towing a second Vanagon.
>
> Werner
>
  I do the same thing to get the air from my cooling system.   I use a piece
of steel brake line, attached to the funnel with a 'sleeve' of plastic
tubing.  If you get the bend right on the steel tubing, it is
'self-supporting' so you can just stick it into the bleeder hole at the
radiator top and let loose with your hands.  The trapped air bubbles back
out around the brake line slowly.  I have a decent-sized funnel, so I can
pour it full, then let go and relax while the air bubbles back out.

  I drove to California and back with a bad headgasket, topping (bleeding)
the cooling system like this at every gas filling.  I got pretty good at
it.  I carry that 'device' in my spares, along with a gallon of coolant.

  D Hanson