Steve,
  If there is no other anti-freeze in it now, I'd use the Prestone Dexcool
long life.  Unless you know that your water is very soft,  distilled water
is a good thing.
   When adding coolant to a system that contains an unknown anti-freeze I
use the Prestone "mixes with everything" type.
  If I have to open up a system that has fresh coolant in it, I catch as
much as I can, filter out the dirt and pour it back in.

   You might have to shop for parts on-line.

Good luck ,
Larry A.

On Mon, Dec 9, 2013 at 8:10 PM, Steve Cotsford <cotsford@aol.com> wrote:

> I have just run the 2.1 engine for just a few seconds at a time as I don't
> yet have the antifreeze in it.   My questions are as follows:    I know
> antifreeze is a tricky subject in these vans.   Can I ask what common brand
> antifreeze I can use in this van.      I live in an area where I have
> Autozone, O'Reilly,  Napa and Walmart.    The closest VW dealer is more
> than 1 1/2 hours drive away.   My instinct is to use Prestone long life
> from Walmart mixed with my top of the mountain well water.   Other than its
> 25 years old and the engine is perhaps 3 years more, I dont really know
> what I've got.  By the time I have fixed leaks, probably replaced the water
> pump etc I will have to replace the antifreeze again.   Any tips?
>
> My noises are basically coming from the exhaust system.   I got second
> hand parts off a syncro I think.   I had to drive almost 3 hours to Raleigh
> to get these fairly expensive parts as I could find them no where else..
>  Vanagons don't seem to be easy to find parts for and there are none in
> this area that i know of.
> The muffler shroud is about 2 inches longer than it should be.   I drilled
> new holes in it when I installed it and now I need to cut off the excess
> length that is hanging down below the crankcase.   The tail pipe rattles
> against the body work close to it so its probably not the right one either.
>   I plan on rotating or adapting it until it clears stuff around it.   The
> threaded  port on the exhaust pipe is missing its cap and I am probably
> going to plug it with something, maybe weld it shut or drill and tap it and
> use a bolt and washer.      I also got cooling system parts, which I found
> on The Samba but these all seem to fit correctly.    I am trying to use
> original VW parts as much as possible but I am not well up on changes over
> the years.      Are there any other pitfalls I am going to run into :-) ??
>    Does anyone know Vanagon parts sources and gurus, here in the southeast?
>
> This has been a wonderfully helpful group and I thank you all in advance!!
>          Steve