New Vanagon owner looking for advice please

[DiscoSquirrel]

Hi, I am new to watercooled VWs, my previous experience is with aircooled. I have searched on here and found some info but would like any further advice if possible. Sorry for the long post, I wanted to give as much info as possible. Here goes:

I recently purchased an 89 Vangon GL 2.1, re-conditioned engine with about 75,000 miles on it. There is substantial service history. The van has been sat for a couple of years with little use. I performed all the essential checks, brakes, fluids, belts etc etc. I have been driving it for about 4 weeks now, regularly checking the fluids (every day at first then after no problems every couple of days), with no problems, it runs and idles great. The temperature needle has consistently been running slightly above the light, overlapping it slightly. This is at about 70 cruising speed. If I am in town the needle sits slightly higher, just above the light. If I increase cruising speed to about 75-80 the needle sits right on top of the light. Things of note are the idle is not constant; it bounces, very gently between 1000 RPM and 1200 RPM (research on here indicates this to be the throttle position switch and not a biggie). Also on a very few occasions the van has, I think the correct term is ‘bucked’, just once at a time, and then carried on fine. It actually did it during the emissions test, but the van passed first time (I can post results if necessary). Only other thing I have noticed is on occasion the van has struggled to move in 1st from a standstill when on an incline, there is a lack of power, with plenty of revs she will move fine and then continue no problem.

So, to the current issue. Yesterday I started the van in the morning (probably around 70 degrees outside temp), I did not check the fluids as I had done it 2 days previously. Start up was fine, all the right lights etc. I drove less than 100 yards and the oil buzzer started going off (I think the light flashed too but to be honest was shocked by the buzzer so cannot say for sure). I stopped immediately. I left it a few minutes and checked the oil level, was right on the mark, perfect, but it looked like there were air bubbles in the oil (or could it have been water??). I had a look underneath and there were no obvious leaks. So I re-started, again all the right lights, this time I got only a few yards before the buzzer went off again. I stopped again, checked oil again and all good. Confused I tried one more time, this time everything was good for the 20 miles or so to work. When I got there I put a piece of cardboard under the vehicle to see if anything leaked out while it was sat there all day. I found 2 small drips here:

I checked the coolant. The expansion tank was absolutely fine; the refill tank however was empty (it was full the last time I checked it). I checked the oil again and it was perfect, on the mark. This time there were no air bubbles in the oil. I left the van for the night and took another vehicle home. This morning (about 66 degrees) I topped up the coolant refill tank to the line with 50/50 mixture. I then started her up, all the right lights. I placed the cardboard underneath again. No problem starting, all the right lights again, and the usual idling characteristics. I let the van sit and idle for about 20 mins. For the first 5 minutes or so, there was a small amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust, and also some water (also, the end of the tailpipe is black – running too rich I assume? This could be recent or previously though, right?)

After 5 minutes there was no smoke or water coming out. I watched underneath for drips of any kind – nothing. After about 20 minutes the temperature had risen to here (see below) and then stayed steady. At this time the fan came on, for about 3 of 4 minutes and then shut off again. The temperature needle remained here:

After the van shut off I turned the ignition off. Coolant level in the refill tank is fine, right where I topped it up to before the test. The expansion tank level is perfect also. This has not changed since I have had the vehicle. There were no drips or leaks of any kind throughout the test.

I can’t think of anything else important right now but if I do I shall add it.
Edit: I should clarify my queries. Should I be worried about the smoke and water from the exhaust pipe for the first 5 minutes or so of running from cold? Should I be worried about what appeared to be air or water on the dipstick, as it seemed to disappear on subsequent check? The drips seemed minor, would I have lost all fluid from the refill tank here, or is there a chance there is another problem, such as a head gasket? Why would the buzzer go off if the oil was fine? Could it be a bad electrical connection somewhere? Is the temperature needle reading normal or is it too high?

My immediate thoughts are that I should pressure test the cooling system, and check the plugs for water (anything specific I should look for other than very clean plugs?). Is this the best place to start and is there anything else I should be doing? I do not want to run the van too much for fear of doing major damage. Any thoughts or pointers towards relevant threads on this would be greatly appreciated (I have found a bit of info but nothing close to my exact problem). Many thanks in advance.

Ben

[bucko]

Welcome to the land of "wasserboxers". I can offer a bit of help by suggesting the search function. There is a wealth of data to be found on common water leaks, and fixes. Your temp gauge for example can be due to a clogged original radiator. 20 or more years for an original radiator has asked it to work past it's prime.

You are exactly on the money by performing a pressure test. This will indeed have you locate any and all sources for water leaks.

As to the black tailpipe, remove the plugs and see their condition; are they black and sooty as well?. At the very least, replace the O2 sensor. Check the "cat"...is that plugged?

Start a search here, and enjoy the reading! There will be plenty to go through.
_________________
Current VW drives: 1984 Westfalia

Past VW drives: 1967 Beetle, 1973 Beetle, 1977 Bus, 1971 Military Type 181

[DiscoSquirrel]

Hi bucko

I don't think the radiator is clogged. I have a receipt for it's replacement in 2002 and the coolant is perfectly coolant coloured; no rust or dirt at all.

Where is the O2 sensor? And what exactly do you mean by 'plugged'? Sorry for the silly questions!

I have searched a little already and yes there is plenty to read!

Thanks for your help.

[Wildthings]

[tschroeder0]

Well, this doesn't really address your issue, but I have to say it:

On the subject of new owner, new van. First things first:

1) Check/Replace you fuel lines!!!!!!!, start at the "back" ie; fuel rails then engine compartment, then bypass/replace the connector at the firewall etc...

2) DO NOTHING ELSE (THIS INCLUDES DRIVING) UNTIL YOU HAVE DONE #1

Congrats and have fun! Cheers, Todd.

[levi]

[DiscoSquirrel]

[Wildthings]

Watch the small hose on the left of the pressure tank in your picture to see if a stream of bubbles enters the tank from it. When your engine is hot and has been run hard where is the level in the overflow tank?

[DiscoSquirrel]

[morymob]

seems like your temp is in norm range of wbx,and since it sat for awhile i think water level is stabilizing. only checking overflo tank level after a couple good runs and allow to cool down,if level in norm range u are ok. If u have to refill 3-4 times then u have a loss somewhere. If on hard run the overflo tank NEVER runs over then u dont have a compression leak,if this happens your temp guage will start to climb fast on any pull.plus overfill of o/flo tank.

[morymob]

seems like your temp is in norm range of wbx,and since it sat for awhile i think water level is stabilizing. only checking overflo tank level after a couple good runs and allow to cool down,if level in norm range u are ok. If u have to refill 3-4 times then u have a loss somewhere. If on hard run the overflo tank NEVER runs over then u dont have a compression leak,if this happens your temp guage will start to climb fast on any pull.plus overfill of o/flo tank.

[bucko]

I suppose you could have a higher temp rating thermostat than I do; my temp needle never rose above the LED, but rather always floated below it. I however put in a new radiator, lower temp thermostat, radiator pressure cap, and a complete flush. All this was done when I had the heads and seals replaced.
_________________
Current VW drives: 1984 Westfalia

Past VW drives: 1967 Beetle, 1973 Beetle, 1977 Bus, 1971 Military Type 181

[tikibus]

Okay,
The tank that is shown as the first figure/photo needs to have coolant right at the top of it all all times, cold or hot. If not right at the top can give false readings to the temp gauge in the instrument cluster that you look at.

Burp the system ASAP. What a silent killer is a air pocket in the WBX engine. Makes for a real ______ .

As for leaks, do a inspection from tip to tail. nothing overlooked. For one, the second photo shows a "blimped-out" hose. Save for a 12 PSI system, the hoses get old. The real test is to find culprits that have a residue on them. wrap with a paper towel and wait ( a host of hoses to do, but saves the $ in going in and doing the whole). Run her to if the paper towels are away from very hot pipes.

My guess, is that a leak is from the T fittings to and from the rear heater core, off the 1st cylinder and above the tire clam.

Start looking.
_________________
Happy Trails!
Mark
______________
Founding member of the Empire State VW Camping Club.
http://www.empirevwcamping.org/
1984 Westy - Tiki
1997 Honda Civic -The Green Hornet
1971 Volvo P-1800E- needs TLC

[Belladonna30c]

[JBange]

[tencentlife]

[tencentlife]

[DiscoSquirrel]

Hi, sorry for not reporting back on this for a few days, I was away all weekend. I took the van on a good long trip Sunday, 300 miles round trip, she did well, apart from the voltage regulator giving up on the way home, but we made it.

wildthings - after 150 miles hard run (I had my foot in it slightly as we were running a little late) I had a look for bubbles in the pressure tank - nothing. the level in the refill tank had risen to just above the max line, that was from here when I started:

morymob - thanks. I have only had to top up the refill tank once in probably getting on for 1000 miles or so since I have had it. Having topped it up to where it is in the pic above it has not changed at all again.

Having said this I still have a leak from the bottom of this plastic piece:

I thought I had sourced it to here:

as there was a slight drip which I figured was just running down to the lowest point, so I tightened the clamp and the drip here stopped, but it is still dripping off the plastic piece. As yet I cannot figure out where it is coming from as I have checked all the hoses that connect around here and they are all good. Is it possible there is a tiny crack in the plastic somewhere that I cannot see? I will have to have a much closer inspection.


bucko - yes that could be right. the suggestion to observe relative changes in the needle position seems the best, and I have seen consistent changes in the needle position so far which is good.

tikibus - ok, I will top it off before driving home tonight, thanks. when you say burp do you mean flush and refill? I have inspected and the only leak I can find is the one outlined above. I will however go back and do a more thorough check, and use towels as you suggest, thanks. Indees some of the hoses do look a bit old, I may just replace the lot, for peace of mind if nothing else. I will go look at those t-fittings too.

Belladonna - very good information there, thank you. My current feeling is that it is a system failure rather than an oil pressure problem as that was a one-time occurence and I have not had a repeat episode, and there are no oil leaks. I will however look into replacing some parts and see what happens. I do not see the need to add auxiliary gauges etc, everything that is needed was provided from the factory right? Thanks again very helpful.

JBange - oh ok, so should I not bother or is it not a good idea to top off the pressure tank? thanks.

tencentlife - thanks for that, good to know.

Thanks again everyone for the input.

Ben

[madspaniard]

don't know about your "plastic piece" but the one coolant leak I was able to find in my westy when I bought it was in the expansion tank, a crack had developed along the seam of tank (tank is made of two plastic parts). The crack was undetected to the naked eye, and coolant was leaking to the lowest spot.

[DiscoSquirrel]

Hi madspaniard, yeah sorry for my not very technical description of that part! I don't know what it should actually be called. But yeah that is exactly what I was thinking might be the cause, a crack that I cannot see due to it either being out of view or very very small. Thanks.