John-Reed Maffeo said:

>I am going to replace the main tank and cap and the sensor.

.. and the sealing gasket for the sensor!!! 8-)

>1. Did the excess pressure in the system contribute to headgasket
>        leaks?

I guess it's possible. Something's got to give .... maybe your
sensor popped because it was the weakest point.

>2. Is anyone else experiencing a problem with the overflow tank
>        continually running dry? It seems that the cap lets
>        coolant get sucked out of the overflow tank but not
>        back in.

Mine does, but it's leaking out of that pipe beside the water
pump. I've got orangey stalactites on the underside of my engine ...

>3. How can one tell if the quantity of coolant in the system
>        is correct and/or that there are no 'air pockets' in
>        the system.

Dunno. Do the 2000 rpm fill-up-and-bleed-front-rad trick (it's in
the archives) and everything should be fine. I parked my van
upwards on our driveway & all the air bled out. I measured how
much fluid went into the drained engine & it seemed to tally with
what Bentley said.

>John-Reed Maffeo '86 Syncro - Glacie
>Mesa, Arizona

Pete C

--
Pete  Cassidy,                   pcassidy@apple.com
Sacramento, CA, USA          http://www.iol.ie/~pcassidy
'88 Wolfsburg "Muriel"         *not speaking for Apple*