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IoWesty
Samba Member
Joined: February 17, 2014
Posts: 181
Location: Iowa
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 Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 9:36 am Post subject: Coolant smell |
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| I think I'm smelling coolant when I run the heat in my 91 Vanagon. My van does not appear to be leaking coolant, but every few weeks the coolant overflow tank gets low. What can be the problem and how do I fix it? |
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Jeff's Old Volks Home
Samba Member
Joined: December 19, 2011
Posts: 819
Location: Chester Basin, Nova Scotia
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 9:43 am Post subject: |
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Are you mechanical at all? You need a heater core, you need to take the dash out, and the heater box, split the box, replace the core and the blower motor and resistor while you're in there. I charge 6 hours labour ($70/hr). It's an easy job might be tricky for the first time. We do one or 2 a week.
Jeff
_________________
www.jeffsoldvolkshome.com
2004 Jetta TDi Wagon
2002 Smyth Ute TDi
1990 Vanagon weekender Syncro AAZ
1987 Syncro Doka AAZ...soon to be TDI 
2014 DL650ABS Xpedition
1986 Weekender Syncro (Under construction)
1987 Westfalia (Under construction)
1987 Syncro Single cab |
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JDEL
Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2010
Posts: 110
Location: Orange County Ca.
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 9:52 am Post subject: |
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| I would check the rear heater, the one under the bench seat. Mine had a very slow leak and went unnoticed for a few weeks. |
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vanagonjr
Samba Member
Joined: October 07, 2010
Posts: 3431
Location: Dartmouth, Mass.
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:03 am Post subject: |
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| Jeff's Old Volks Home wrote: |
I charge 6 hours labour ($70/hr). It's an easy job might be tricky for the first time. We do one or 2 a week.
Jeff |
6 hours! Man you are fast.
I am not worthy, I am not worthy, I.....
_________________
John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed
LiMBO (late model bus club) www.limbobus.org
LiMBO is on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/
FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798 |
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Jeff's Old Volks Home
Samba Member
Joined: December 19, 2011
Posts: 819
Location: Chester Basin, Nova Scotia
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:05 am Post subject: |
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| vanagonjr wrote: |
| Jeff's Old Volks Home wrote: |
I charge 6 hours labour ($70/hr). It's an easy job might be tricky for the first time. We do one or 2 a week.
Jeff |
6 hours! Man you are fast.
I am not worthy, I am not worthy, I..... |
I do 2 some days... Now I have a heater box rebuilt and ready to install. It has a new heater core and blower motor and cleaned up. I have an early and a late one ready to install all the time.
Jeff
_________________
www.jeffsoldvolkshome.com
2004 Jetta TDi Wagon
2002 Smyth Ute TDi
1990 Vanagon weekender Syncro AAZ
1987 Syncro Doka AAZ...soon to be TDI
2014 DL650ABS Xpedition
1986 Weekender Syncro (Under construction)
1987 Westfalia (Under construction)
1987 Syncro Single cab |
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vanagonjr
Samba Member
Joined: October 07, 2010
Posts: 3431
Location: Dartmouth, Mass.
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:24 am Post subject: |
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| Jeff's Old Volks Home wrote: |
| vanagonjr wrote: |
| Jeff's Old Volks Home wrote: |
I charge 6 hours labour ($70/hr). It's an easy job might be tricky for the first time. We do one or 2 a week.
Jeff |
6 hours! Man you are fast.
I am not worthy, I am not worthy, I..... |
I do 2 some days... Now I have a heater box rebuilt and ready to install. It has a new heater core and blower motor and cleaned up. I have an early and a late one ready to install all the time.
Jeff |
Yes - I have recommended to people to buy a used box, rehab it and then do the swap in a day.
Note people, if a shop quotes you 10 hours for the entire job, with re-habbing your box, they are being plenty fair - at least in my opinion. If you want to tour Canada into Nova Scotia, and you need a new heater core, it appears a visit to Jeff can offset the price of Canada gas. 
_________________
John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed
LiMBO (late model bus club) www.limbobus.org
LiMBO is on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/
FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798 |
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16503
Location: Brookeville, MD
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 12:16 pm Post subject: Re: Coolant smell |
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| IoWesty wrote: |
| I think I'm smelling coolant when I run the heat in my 91 Vanagon. My van does not appear to be leaking coolant, but every few weeks the coolant overflow tank gets low. What can be the problem and how do I fix it? |
Try running the rear heater and NOT the front.... do you smell coolant? Then on another drive do the reverse, run the front and not the rear, smell coolant?
Try to isolate which heater core (front or rear) is leaking (and they could both be leaking)... let us know.
_________________
Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD
"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson
MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646
Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371
The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794 |
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GeeZ12
Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2009
Posts: 303
Location: Mesa, AZ
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 1:58 pm Post subject: |
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Vanagon front heater valves are notorious for leaking - especially brand new ones that were manufactured faulty. I waited 6 months for Van Cafe to get their order in for the factory valves but had to do something sooner. After the 3rd faulty cheap new valve I finally decided to retrofit with a non-original push pull valve-cable set up. Problem solved and no more antifreeze smell in the cabin or drips on the ground. I was having to top off my expansion tank weekly.
Just my 2¢
Gary |
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IoWesty
Samba Member
Joined: February 17, 2014
Posts: 181
Location: Iowa
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| Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 2:57 pm Post subject: |
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| All good ideas. Thanks for getting me started. |
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