You are correct-the diesel and gas radiators are different.

Wrap a wet towel around the surrounding area. Use a propane torch to heat
the metal boss on the radiator that the nipple screws into. If you are not
bubbling the paint right around the nipple, keep heating. The wet towel will
act as a heat sink so that you don't melt the solder that seals up the
radiator. Use the proper wrench (7mm?) to work the bleeder valve loose. If
you still end up breaking it off, *carefully* drill it out without drilling
into the radiator. The bleeder is made of real soft metal and a drill will
go right through it. If needed, replace it with an oversize nipple from your
FLAPS. They are avail for brake wheel cylinders.

TomC
tcarrington@relitech.com
http://volksweb.relitech.com
85 Vanagon Crew Cab
82 Westy diesel=>gas conversion
65 Notchback

> I'm planning to pull Reinhardt's radiator for a good cleanup.  The bleeder
> nipple on the top has been frozen for a while.  This is the diesel
> radiator.
>  The bleeder looks a lot like a brake bleeder nipple.  It is not a screw
> with a
> washer, as I believe the gas radiators have.  There's a good picture of it
> on
> Bentley, page 19.6, Fig. 2.  Since it has been stuck, I've simply loosened
> the
> radiator hose clamp just below it in the past to bleed (again, I think
> this
> location is specific to the diesel vanagon.)
>
> Before I take a pair of vicegrips and risk destroying it, I have a few
> questions.
>
>