I had the same thing happen though no rag was involved, just a broken belt.
Ended up losing the engine, and eventually the car. First thing I would do
after checking the plastic parts is to replace the thermostat. They do not
live through the first overheating incident. An overheated thermostat will
always cause a second overheating incident, then a third...

Jim

On Mon, May 15, 2017 at 11:33 AM Steven Johnson <sjohnso2000@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Thanks Dennis,
>
> As always, I appreciate your input highly.   I will have to put the belts
> back right, add coolant and secure the dipstick tube and then I
> will have a look at what the damage is.   I'm sure the coolant leak will
> identify itself shortly there after.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steven
> 91 Westy
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
> Date: Mon, May 15, 2017 at 10:50 AM
> Subject: RE: What can go wrong.....
> To: Steven Johnson <sjohnso2000@gmail.com>, "vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM" <
> vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
>
>
> There was some time between the belt failing and the overheat situation. A
> key point is that once the water pump stops the gauge will not register the
> overheating until after the boiling over begins. The engine at this point
> has suffered a trauma and you may get away with for now some damage has
> been done. Had gasket and stud failures along with cracks are often the
> result of past traumas.
>
> Since this was an accident (non-collision) there may be some coverage if
> you have compensation insurance. As part of the repair effort you need to
> inspect-test all those plastic parts in addition to the hoses and also the
> radiator and heater cores. If you still have the plastic coolant pipes
> remove the hoses and inspect the ends. These events are the main reason
> they fail.
>
> Dennis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Steven Johnson
> Sent: Monday, May 15, 2017 10:13 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: What can go wrong.....
>
> Well, it happened, the patient is a 91 Westfalia.  I had left a rag in the
> engine compartment after topping of the power steering reservoir with the
> Castrol Dextron ATF.
> So, in the short
> term, it knocked out the bracket holding the dipstick.  At the time that
> was the only damage
> done.   So I fixed this by tie-wrapping the bracket out of the way of the
> moving belts.
>
> Fast-forward to yesterday, I took a road trip from Durham, NC up to Laurel,
> MD without issue.
> But on the way back my battery/alt. light came on steady and shortly after
> the coolant light began to blink and the gauge went up toward critical
> red.  I took my foot off the accelerator and was able to coast off on a
> exit and right into a gas station.  By the time I got out and took a look
> behind I could see coolant spurting out.  Looks like I lost maybe a quart
> or so.   I could not tell where it had sprayed from at all.   The
> alternator/waterpump belt
> was completely shredded and the power steering pump belt was off but looks
> okay as is the AC belt.
>
> I thought about getting the spare belts out but I had a long way to go and
> by the time I got it
> done I don't think I could have driven back without some sleep time.   So,
> I opted for
> a AAA flatbed home. (Especially since I had to go to work Monday.   I was
> covered for the
> first 100 miles but the second I had to fork out $4.00 per mile.   I ate
> the deal and was dropped
> off at 1:00AM this morning.   All because I left a rag in my engine
> compartment and neglected
> to fix the bracket like I should have.
>
> Any suggestions on how to better secure the bracket?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steven
> 91 Westy
>