Mike, sorry to hear about the water pump and steaming breakdown.

Not to emphasize any bad news, but I am with Dennis on the potential for
engine damage.

I actually had 2 steamy breakdown events ('89 2.1):
- water pump blew on the freeway, I limped the van a few hundred yards to
the next exit ramp (narrow walled trench freeway in the city, kids on board,
didn't want to stop in a bad place)
- a couple years later that firewall multi-connector plastic fitting blew
(same deal, buzzers, lights, adrenaline, etc) right on an exit ramp.  There
was literally a huge chunk of the plastic that went missing (by the way
gowesty has metal replacements for this thing which I then installed).

A year later, can't pass smog test:  root cause, burnt exhaust valve.  Can't
say for sure, but it is quite probable that these steamy events were the
cause, only because in both cases I ran the van for 30-60 seconds more to
get to a place where I was more comfortable to stop.  Maybe if I had stopped
right away I could have avoided an expensive head replacement.

Roland

On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 3:55 PM, Mike <mbucchino@charter.net> wrote:

> It caused mine to fail within minutes! (It must have been on the edge,
> apparently and that was the last straw)
> I was hearing a new squeal after snugging both belts a bit, so I broke out
> my mechanic's stethoscope and that confirmed that it was coming from inside
> the W/P.
> I decided to take it on along trip the next weekend, figuring that it
> wouldn't cause any immediate problem, as it wasn't leaking a drop.  Well, I
> was wrong!
> About 50 miles from home cruising down the highway @ 65 mph, with my 3 kids
> on board, I though maybe I had smelled burning rubber, and wondered why.  A
> minute later the charging light came on and confirmed my suspicion that it
> must have thrown the alternator belt.  I slowed down and considered pulling
> over on the Mass Pike, but traffic was heavy, so I figured that I could make
> it a few more miles to the next rest area with no alternator.  It'd probably
> run on a good battery for a lot longer that that, so I figured no problem,
> right?  Well, I forgot that the alternator belt was also the W/P belt, and
> within another minute I heard a pop and saw steam fill my rear view.  I
> immediately shut it down and pulled over into the breakdown lane and coasted
> to a stop.  I got out to survey and saw a lot of antifreeze pouring out from
> the right rear side of the van.  I opened the decklid and found the belt
> laying there and all else looked good.  I poured a whole gallon of
> antifreeze into it, in hopes of limping to the Ludlow rest-stop.  I ran the
> engine for very short bursts and coasted the majority of the way into the
> rest-stop.  I couldn't see the source of the leak, and had no extra belt, so
> I called triple-A.  The MA state trooper said that  they had to handle any
> tows off the Pike, so I got them to arrange towing it off the pike.  They
> towed it all the way to my house (AAA PLUS!), and when I finally got a
> closer look, I found that the right plastic octopus (hiding behind the
> firewall) had blown out one of the large plastic plugs that's glued-in.  I
> took it out and found that the dealer still carries them.  I may need a new
> large hose, as I may have damaged it removing it.  It has a molded tee going
> over the top of the auto trans and it looks hard-to-find and expensive, not
> to mention difficult to replace.
> So now, I need a W/P, a belt, an octopus, a molded hose, some jugs of
> coolant and then I'll see how it goes from there.  No money available right
> now, so it'll have to wait a bit.  Oh well.....
>
> Mike B.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Roland
> Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 12:11 PM
>
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: V-Belt tightness -- how to determine?
>
>
> I've wondered about this also:
>
> - too loose, and the belt may squeal (maybe other problems if it is too
> loose).
> - too tight, and the water pump bearing might wear out more quickly (pretty
> sure an overly tight belt caused my last water pump failure).
>
> Roland
>
> On Wed, Aug 24, 2011 at 7:13 AM, Rocket J Squirrel <
> camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  Something I've never understood about tightening the belt. Instructions
>> usually say something like:
>>
>> "Be careful not to get the belts too tight. You should have
>> slight (1/8" - 1/4") deflection in the belts after they are adjusted.
>> This of course depends on the length of the belt."
>>
>> <http://www.vanagonauts.com/****printable.phtml?&catid=215<http://www.vanagonauts.com/**printable.phtml?&catid=215>
>> <htt**p://www.vanagonauts.com/**printable.phtml?&catid=215<http://www.vanagonauts.com/printable.phtml?&catid=215>
>> >
>>
>> >
>>
>> How much pressure do you put behind your thumb when testing? I can
>> deflect the belt anywhere from not much to a lot more by pressing harder!
>>
>> --
>> Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
>> Bend, Ore.
>> 1984 Westfalia. A poor but proud people.
>> 1971 "Ladybug"-brand utility trailer ca. 1972 from a defunct company in
>> San Clemente, Calif., now repurposed as The Westrailia.
>>
>> Sent from my kitchen.
>>
>>
>