SOS, coolant disaster!

[insyncro]

Plugged radiator?

Do you see any chunks or gunk in the expansion tank?

Possibly the last owner knew the headgaskets were shot and added a few bottles of chemical sealant to the coolant, allowed it to set and now with use it has dislodged and has clogged up the works?

Check the tsat and see if chunks are in there.

Just grasping at straws from the other side of the country.
Curjous to know what the issue is or are.

I am standing in my shop next to an EG33 right now.
You have sparked my interest to keep messin' and building this motor up.

The EG33 is now old school.

[flomulgator]

No chunks, no gunk. PO had the head gaskets replaced a year before I bought it and I have the receipt. I'm sure I'm just doing something wrong.

Agree that the EG33 is old, only 5 years newer than the van. While waiting for my tow, I'm glad it's a Westy, and thus has whiskey.

[insyncro]

I have a vacuum filler for cooling systems and I believe Wild commented earlier to rig up a garden sprayer and attach it to the expansion tank with an extra hollowed out cap.
Dont go crazy with the pressure, but with just the rad bleeder cracked, perhaps removed completely, the pressure will force the coolant through the system.
Again, not a ton of pressure and jump back and forth from front to back, making sure plenty of coolant is in the sprayer bottle and listen for coolant and air at the rad bleeder.
It may take a bit, but dont start the engine and wait for a stream of coolant at the rad bleeder.
Replace the bleeder screw and good tested expansion tank cap and than fire the engine.
Dont rev it, dont drive it, observe it and hand test hoses pipes and the radiator.

If there is not an overflow tank hooked up to the expansion tank cap, rig on up, fill with coolant and watch for bubbles at idle.

There should be a slight drop in RPM when the thermostat opens for the first time and if you are near one of the large coolant pipes you will here coolant flowing and feel temp.

Good luck.

[malibu]

How did the rear heater break to begin with? Were you driving on the forest road and it started leaking?

Was the temp normal before it broke?
_________________
85 westy weekender - 2.5 suby
85 full westy - 2.2 suby - Sold

[Wildthings]

It sounds like your engine might be one big air bubble. Have you pulled the thermostat to see is the bleed hole is open in it? (I am assuming Subaru thermostats have bleed holes.) On other rigs this is what the bleed holes are for, to prevent the engine from air locking and just being one big bubble. Sometimes there are arctic thermostats that are made without bleed holes which can and will give problems should you lose coolant.

There are probably hoses or fitting on the engine which are best to loosen to relieve and air lock, I will leave it to others with more familiarity to your set up to make suggestions as to which ones to loosen to break an air lock.

[flomulgator]

Heavy jack was resting on the upper/supply heater hose. Horrible FS road provided ample bounce to snap the plastic connector on the heater box. 100% my fault, but I'd also like to point out that a long time ago I had to replace a blown VW engine due to their affection for plastic coolant parts; other manufacturers make their auxiliary heater units with metal bodies. VW cost savings at its finest.

[insyncro]

Is there a thermostat housing adapter creating the bypass loop?

AKA Tom Shield adapter.

It would be a machined aluminum spacer attached to the tstat housing with a extra, non stock hose attached?

[flomulgator]

Not sure. Here is where the coolant returns to the engine; I believe this is the T-stat housing?

view 2:

Here is where the rear heater loop T's off what I assume are the front HVAC lines. Yesterday after bleeding rear heater lines were cold, front HVAC was cold, and temps shot up indicating nothing in this pic had flow. This is close the the right rear trailing arm.

[Jake de Villiers]

If your engine is overheating and the hoses are cold, that means that your thermostat is not opening. Remove it and check it or replace with OEM only.
_________________
'84 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX
'86 Westy Weekender Poptop/2.5 Subaru/5 Speed Posi/Audi Front Brakes/16 x 7.5 Mercedes Wheels - answers to 'Dixie'
@jakedevilliersmusic1
http://sites.google.com/site/subyjake/mydixiedarlin%27
www.crescentbeachguitar.com
www.thebassspa.com

[insyncro]

Once again viewing from a phone, but I do not see the Shiels ad on.

Christopher is my extra set of eyes, so hopefully he will verify.

The plastic heater hose Ts are the second thing to change on a van when you get it.
First are the fuel lines.

RMW has bomber replacement unions, reducers and Ts.

I asked if you saw chunks in the thermostat so I assume you removed the plate and checked.
Throw the tstat in boiling water to make sure it works.

[flomulgator]

If the Shiels add on is a plate between that housing and the block then I don't think it is there either.

Good to know about the heater T's and RMW, this episode reinforces my hatred for plastic in the coolant system.

For some reason I interpreted your previous as chunks in the overflow tank, which there were none. If I pull the T-stat I'll check that.

I'm building a positive pressure coolant feed today, will report back how that goes.

[veloandy]

[flomulgator]

Fixed it!

First, thanks all! Now for the post-game:
Although I bought all the parts necesary to make a positive pressure coolant supply, I decided to give the Libby Bong one more shot. First I replaced my rear heater hose straight connector with one that had a screw-on cap for filling or something. I then filled up the bong and cracked that cap, bleeding the loop. I also opened a petcock that had been welded to the main radiator coolant return line.
Drained bong, fired it up and fiddled with the 3 air outlets (petcock, rear heat loop, radiator) while blasting the HVAC up front. Once warm it appeared stable but I killed the van, refilled the bong, and repeated. No air came out anything.

Took it for a test drive and the temp was totally stable and the front heat blew hot....well as warm as it ever blows. I think it was really bleeding that petcock that did it, as the return coolant pipe is at its highest point there before diving back down to the bottom of the engine to go in that T-stat housing. There was probably a big bubble stuck down in that housing is my guess.

Because it's pricier I'm going to return all the positive pressure stuff I never used, but in case it helps anyone else here's what I built:
5 gal bucket
10' garden hose
portable drill powered water pump ($10)
3/4' FGH to 1/2' MIP adapter ($
1/2" FIP x 1/4" PEX fitting with shut off valve between, brand WaterPEX ($15)
4' 1/4" vinyl tubing. ($2)

This was going to go over the petcock w/ a hose clamp. Never tested it, but the idea has worked for others and it all hooked together correctly. Hopefully saves someone an hour in the hardware store.

[flomulgator]

I should also add that I don't believe there is anything special about the rear heater loop. I couldn't see all the way into the rat's nest, but It kind of appeared the rear heater loop is a simply loop T-ing off the front HVAC lines, with no valves or sensors.

I have not verified though. I will replace those plastic T's when I replace the rear heater unit.

[insyncro]

If you just remove the rear heater and join the lines together...it becomes a great place to just hold air and have a difficult time bleeding it out.

[flomulgator]

That's what I was thinking this morning and why I bought that valve. The loop was pretty high compared the the elevation of the rest of the system and would need a lot of force to push the bubble down out the return side....where it would promptly go into the thermostat housing. I'm hoping the heater itself has a bleed valve on it for my....next project.

[insyncro]

[kalispell365]

The fancy metal tees that rocky mtn westy/van cafe sell are a common dorman part,available at rock auto,auto zone,etc.then all you need is a plastic,or metal reducer (called a SPACER in the loose nuts and bolts section,i even think lowes has them) available at any decent hardware store,i believe it is 5/8 o.d and 1/4 i.d.,about a half inch long...totally common.then you can replumb your rear heater with good quality,common 5/8 heater hose.
heres the tee:

http://www.dormanproducts.com/p-32593-56387.aspx

hope this helps!

[flomulgator]

Thanks that does help. I'd read in Phlogiston's Skadi thread that the 5/8" hose kinked at a bend and he had to go to the original 1/2" hose size for most of the length. Have you experienced any issues with installing 5/8" hose?

Fun aside, I've had to rip out my bench seat and all my flooring to clean up the mess. Glad I did to because the lowest level of plywood was saturated with coolant. I did find the PO took good care of the metal floor though.

[kalispell365]

The 5/8 works without any problems,and gets rid of the odd step down vw hoses.