Squirrel, you've got a little gremlin, one addicted to coolant, sipping through a straw.  Being intoxicated, he dribbles when he drinks.  mcneely

---- Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> I'll keep this short. Scout's honor.
>
> On Friday my son and I drove to a trailhead for a weekend hike. The last
> 8 miles of road are washboardy, gravel, and steep uphill in places (rear
> wheels juddering on the gravel). When we arrived I noticed a small
> puddle under the rear of the van. I took a look at the refill tank
> (behind the licence plate) and the coolant level was up to the lower
> edge of the filler cap, and the outside of the tank was wet. It was a
> cool morning and at no time did the engine get hot. I've driven this
> road before, and rougher ones, with no incident.
>
> I didn't look any further into the situation, we wanted to hit the trail
> and whatever had happened could wait until we returned.
>
> On return I was not happy to see that the puddle was still visible, but
> maybe coolant doesn't evaporate clean like water. I worried
>
> The refill tank was bone dry. The expansion tank was completely full,
> and it looks like just plain coolant.
>
> We filled the refill tank to the "max" line with clean water (about a
> liter) and drove off.
>
> We stopped several times on the 130 mile trip home to check the level in
> the refill tank and due to the warm engine, it was higher, about 1/3rd
> up the filler cap. There were no leaks. When I got home, the level was
> still 1/3rd up the fill cap.
>
> This morning, the van cold, the coolant is back to the "max" line.
>
> I was worrying about a head gasket leak or something pressurizing the
> cooling system.
>
> But now I think that the more likely explanation might be that the cap
> was a little loose and when the coolant expanded it drooled out of the
> refill tank. I'm not convinced, though, since the last time I did
> anything with that cap was back in April and I've driven a couple
> thousand miles since then, on equally rough roads.
>
> Given this information, anyone care to offer another theory about what
> might have happened?
>
> --
> Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
> 1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
> Bend, Ore.

--
David McNeely