In a message dated 10/23/99 7:12:48 AM, albell@UVIC.CA writes:

<< >The heater core is in line with the engine, not the radiator, so it will
show
>the same pressure that's currently in the engine. The radiator doesn't
>have any
>pressure until the thermostat opens. >>

This is incorrect.  There is no coolant flow through the radiator until the
thermostat opens but, in this closed system it certainly will be under system
pressure.

I feel that most of the trouble owners have with the waterboxer engine
results from the cooling system not being bled (i.e., purged of air)
properly.  There was a posting on this forum regarding head leaks being
caused by "hot spots" in the head.  The remedy was to apply a ceramic coating
to the combustion chamber in order to subdue the rate of heat transfer into
the head.  While adding this thermal interface to the heat flow path will
reduce localized heating, all it does for me is to show the extremes to which
some are going in order to correct a maintenance deficiency.If head leaks do
occur at hot spots, nothing else will cause the head to heat up like a good
old air pocket.

Unfortunately, I have found the air venting procedures in the Bentley manual
to be almost useless.  Considering the number of Vanagons I have seen with
less than full coolant pressure tanks, I wonder how many others are relying
on this ineffective procedure only to blame a leaking head on a weak design.
Believe me, the laws of thermodynamics were worked out long before VW put
pencil to paper for the Vanagon; if the waterboxer really needed ceramic
coatings, it would have had them.

Rich