Hi Dennis,

Points taken.  I told him about the coolant loss.  He certainly added
coolant as there was much more in there than when I took it in.
Whether or not it was properly bled is a good question.  And I'll make sure
it is done correctly.   I have a perfectly slanted driveway
just for this purpose..     ;)      Thanks again for your superb wisdom.

Steven

On Wed, May 17, 2017 at 5:36 PM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
wrote:

> Some thoughts:
> Did you instruct the shop to "only replace the belts"?
> When a vehicle is brought to me after an overheat, especially a boil over
> a more detailed approach is needed before releasing back into service.
> Of the two tanks there is the pressure or expansion tank, and the overflow
> or really the recovery tank. Make up coolant from the recovery tank back to
> the pressure tank or main system only occurs during cool down cycles. It
> does not occur during normal driving except maybe after the radiator fan
> cycles. But that is minimal. Whenever there is a significant loss the
> system has to be topped off by removing the pressure cap and topping off
> that tank. Ideally cold engine, just start it, and fill tank to top. After
> a massive loss the system should also be bled.
> A partially charged system may work for some time on the 2.1. Hopefully
> the system will fill from the recovery tank after a few cycles. If the
> engine is completely filled with coolant the system will not build pressure
> and micro boiling and vaporizing will do damage to the cylinder walls and
> head studs. Google cylinder cavitation erosion especially ford Diesels.
>  The WaterBoxer equivalent is busted studs.
> Also, after the event the system and particularly the cap should be tested
> for proper operation. The cap does not like steam. When the cap fails it
> usually will fail to hold pressure and in addition to the vapor problem
> noted above you can have an unexpected surprise coolant burp out at the
> worst possible time. Usually during or just after an extended highway run.
> Think of a pot on a stove. The coolant temp may be under control (bulk) but
> many parts are a lot hotter than the coolant. Lose pressure to contain the
> vapors or when flow changes due to say slowing down and all that heats gets
> to the coolant boiling off we go! Let that pot go dry and burn the bottom.
> Let the engine go dry and you burn the insides.
>
> It is possible that you avoided damage but you really need to investigate
> everything to avoid future surprises. Many parts in these vans are old and
> not tolerant of abuse. It's never fun to wait for a tow truck especially
> when far from home.
>
> Dennis
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> Of Steven Johnson
> Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2017 4:17 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: What can go wrong.....
>
> Here's an update.   Last night I worked on the van.  Removing the AC belt
> was a problem
> as I could not get it off of the main engine pulley.  Turns out there was
> an obstruction that
> I could not remove to save my life.   I cut the AC belt and tried all kinds
> of ways to push this
> obstruction out but no-go.   I finally threw in the towel and gave up.   I
> had the camper towed
> to Lonnie's University VW in Durham.   He ordered all three belts and had
> them installed and
> the van ready to go at about 1:30PM.   When I got there I paid the bill and
> checked the engine
> compartment.  The belts looked good and the oil dipstick tube was secured
> with..... tie wraps.
> I will have to keep an eye on those.   There was no coolant in the overflow
> and the evaporation
> tank was down about 1.5 inches.   I added coolant up to the max line on the
> overflow.  And drove
> it about 8 - 10 miles to my work.  No undue temperature indications from
> the temp gauge.  No drama
> lights.   Everything seemed normal.   When I got to my work  I peaked
> through the license plate
> access and saw that the coolant was down only a little in the overflow.
> I'll check it again before
> I drive home.
>
> It seems to run okay and I didn't see any drips.   Definitely keeping an
> eye on it for a while
> and find a better solution for the dip stick holder.
>
> Thanks all for your extremely valuable input.
>
>
> BTW.... the obstruction was a strange small piece of pressed wood
> fragment.   I have no idea how
> it got in there.....
>
> Steven
> 91 Westy
>
> On Mon, May 15, 2017 at 10:13 AM, Steven Johnson <sjohnso2000@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > 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
> >
>