Had the same thing happen when first buying our bus�

The o-ring was so hard and compressed the face plates were flush.

 Eric
 Eric Wunrow Pictures
 85 S Union Blvd, #Q123
 Lakewood, CO 80228
  
 303. 988. 8717
 VW@EricWunrow.com

On Nov 23, 2014, at 9:13 AM, silcarr <silcarr@AOL.COM> wrote:

> All it takes is a brittle, cracked O-ring. Remember the Challenger explosion in'86?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Nov 23, 2014, at 8:55 AM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>> 
>> The heater valve, an inline plastic thingy, sometimes gets leaky and a
>> little coolant will cause a big smell.   On mine, when I still had that
>> heater, it was a brittle cracked O-ring in that valve.
>> 
>> On Sun, Nov 23, 2014 at 7:10 AM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> The rear heater core is prone to failure more so than the front. Have it
>>> inspected and replaced if needed. A small amount of coolant can make a lot
>>> of vapor. Also, I would only open the valve part way. Coolant that flows to
>>> the rear heater is not available for the front heater and it needs all it
>>> can get since it is heating outside air.
>>> 
>>> Dennis
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>>> Of Eric Caron
>>> Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2014 10:07 AM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Smelling coolant suspect rear heater
>>> 
>>>       Hi folks,
>>> 
>>>       I�ve been out with the van a few times in November and have turned
>>> the rear heater valve back to full and have been using the rear heat.  I
>>> smell coolant when I turn on the rear fan.  I don�t smell it when the fan
>>> is off.  I have not found any coolant on the floor under the seat.  i do
>>> have the drain plugs open as a prevention in case of leak.
>>> has anyone noticed this smell before a rear heater failure?  could it be
>>> the fan rather then the heater.  When I purchased the van the rear heater
>>> fan did not work but replacing the fuse has fixed the problem for over a
>>> year.
>>> 
>>> coolant level is unchanged.
>>> 
>>> Experiences,and recommendations appreciated.  I�m considering just calling
>>> a vendor to change out the core but it seems silly to do if it has nothing
>>> to do with the heater core.
>>> 
>>> Eric Caron
>>> 85 GL Auto
>>> 
>