on an 84..
if the level sensor goes off,
it also pegs the temp gauge.

I just tested that on an 84 myself today, to be certain.
it's changed in later vans..
so level sensing and temp needle position are not intertwined like they
are on a 83, 84, and I suspect some early 85's.

scott
turbovans

On 5/8/2012 7:52 PM, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:
> So we dropped the leaky radiator on my 1.9 and set the hoses to drooling
> into a bucket. Only a few quarts (litres) came out. The cap was off the
> expansion tank.
>
> My son suggested starting the engine for a bit to pump out some more
> coolant. I reckoned it couldn't hurt (watch: I bet I'm wrong) so I
> started the engine.
>
> Within a few moments the temp gauge started climbing. Obviously the
> engine, which had been on for fewer than 15 seconds, was overheating.
>
> So what was the gauge reading?
>
> IN OTHER NEWS, I plan to run a couple loads of distilled water to flush
> out more gunk before we connect the rad and put in coolant.
>
> But if only a gallon or so comes out through passive droolage then that
> ain't gonna work. So I tried a trick that Zoltan told me about: stuck my
> air compressor nozzle into the top of the expansion tank, sealed the gap
> with a shop rag, and blew some air in.
>
> A lot more coolant came out, but not the nearly five gallons my owner's
> manual says is in the system.
>
> Other than disconnecting hoses from the friggin' water pump which I will
> /not/ do willingly (the 1.9 doesn't make it easy to get to them), is
> there something else I can do to get a more complete flush?
>
> The van is parked with the nose slightly elevated. It could be pushed
> off the ramps to lower the nose if that would help.
>
> Suggestions from anyone other than David Bereil are welcome. He told me
> to test the new radiator by jamming a screwdriver through the coils. I'm
> not sure I can trust him any more.
>
> --
> 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.
>