Listers,
        i swapped out my radiator this past weekendand thought i would pass on a
few observations. Overall, it was fairly simple, just a pain in the a**
working under the front end without jack stands. The operation consisted of
removing grills, disconnecting thermo fan switch, remove spare tire and
spare tire tray, remove cardboard baffles, disconnecting fan wiring, and
finally, dropping the radiator. The radiator is held in place by two
brackets with two bolts each. When you drop the radiator, the shroud, fan,
and ac condensor all come down with it. I drained the radiator before
dropping as it is pretty heavy. Someone suggested lowering with a jack
which is a good idea. Also, the radiator can be removed and replaced
without disturbing the ac system. without the ac condensor and hoses, this
job would be a lot easier.
        My old radiator was leaking about 1/2 cup a day from the lower passenger
side of van and it was getting worse as the temperatures were dropping.

parts required:
new radiator-$250 from a list vendor (vw wanted over $400)
new thermo-fan switch gasket-$.75 from dealer
coolant

Thanks for all the responses I got regarding tips and advise!

Pat
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Patrick L. Larsen
Water Center/Environmental Programs
University of Nebraska
http://www.uvm.edu/~plarsen/pat.html
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