lol..
guess you haven't bought many used engines from junkyards.

it's a round metal glue-on thing ...silver in color .. about the size of
a dime.
changes to dark color in the middle if temp gets too high.
Very common on any junkyard used engine.

so if you have a problem and say 'hey ..that engine you sold me is no
good' ..
and they see their ( sometimes hidden a little ) heat tab has changed
color..
then they cansay 'dude, you overheated it.It's not on us. "

On 4/23/2013 11:24 AM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
> What are these "melt tabs"?  mcneely
>
> ---- Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>> No doubt you are fine, those tabs melt when the engine melts down.   You probably had some boiling around the cylinders, but I don't think you caused any damage in a mile and a half.  Just fix it and run it!
>>
>> Stuart
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of william landsman
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 10:45 AM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Possible...Overheating
>>
>> Hello,
>> Today I was out driving (about 2 miles) and my alternator froze up and the belt broke.
>> I took off belt and did not think about the water-pump being run by the same belt, "other stuff on my mind" regardless I drove another 1.5 miles and then it hit me. Pulled over immediately and turned engine off.
>> Engine temp was still not up to normal operating temp as I had just started driving and it is currently below freezing where I live.  The gauge was rising quickly before I shut it off in a safe location. Opened up engine compartment, I could hear water gurgling but nothing was spewing out anywhere and it had not hit a temp that caused the coolant to go from expansion tank to overflow tank.
>> Here are my questions.
>> 1. Have I ruined the motor...I did not see any coolant leaks anywhere.
>> 2. What temperature do the GoWesty Melt tabs actually melt and where are they located. (Just had a new engine installed recently...) 3. If the heads fail, would they leak immediately?
>>
>> I will get alternator and belts replaced.
>>
>> 4. Is there anything I should watch out for when I do start it up next?
>> Thanks for any advice.
>> Regards,
>> Bill
>>
>>
>> 🎭
> --
> David McNeely
>