---- Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>    My Vanagon's cooling system has fooled me before... Cool air coming from
> the heater? ....that turns out to be one of the Vanagon symptoms of coolant
> loss...Who'd a thunk that, if you weren't familiar with Vanagons?

Cool air coming from the heater is a standard symptom of low coolant level in ALL liquid cooled vehicle engines that I know of.  I learned that from my parents back in the fifties, and have seen it proven time and again on various vehicles.

You are right, gauges are valuable, and the Vanagon indicator system leaves a great deal to be desired.  But cars are being built now with no indicators for oil or temperature.  Those of us of a certain age thought "idiot lights" were a bad innovation.

David McNeely