| Author |
Message |
Questy
Samba Member
Joined: February 28, 2015
Posts: 36
Location: Port Townsend, WA
|
 Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2018 7:45 pm Post subject: Next 4 weeks no coolant. Anything special I should do? |
 |
|
I’m 4 weeks from the Bostig swap, and today the old Wasserboxer in the Billy Goat Gruff finally gave up the ghost. The water jacket seal seep turned into a cascade. No coolant in the pressure tank—any water added to the tank just dripped out the seal.
I knew this was a possibility — 33 years and 180K miles in total and over the past 3 years we’ve owed her — and as our DD — she’s never stranded us, and oh how we’ve roamed.
I want to make sure to protect the new cooling parts I installed last summer (ss pipes, new radiator, new rear heater core) while the Guffster sits the next month with no coolant.
To be a good neighbor, and stop the dripping, I vacuumed out all the remaining coolant, and the system is now empty.
Is there anything special I should do besides disconnect the battery for the coming month of just sitting there?
Thanks.
Required photo of the Billy Goat Gruff in her natural habitat.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16496
Location: Brookeville, MD
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SyncroHead 
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2018 9:18 pm Post subject: Re: Next 4 weeks no coolant. Anything special I should do? |
|
|
I concur. I would not be concerned about it.
Jim
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
IdahoDoug
Samba Member
Joined: June 12, 2010
Posts: 10248
Location: N. Idaho
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2018 10:09 pm Post subject: Re: Next 4 weeks no coolant. Anything special I should do? |
|
|
Agree. A corollary with an engine sitting with plain water however - never do this. Plain water will rust an engine's internals very quickly.
But with it dry - you're fine and even what's left in there in crevices and the like was a coolant mix, so thats fine, too. Good luck with the service.
_________________
1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16496
Location: Brookeville, MD
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7455
Location: WA/ID
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2018 10:39 pm Post subject: Re: Next 4 weeks no coolant. Anything special I should do? |
|
|
| dobryan wrote: |
If it makes you feel
any better I have the engine from my ‘77 911 sitting on an engine stand for the next two years without coolant while I strip the body to the tub and rebuild it.
 |
I sure hope you remembered to flush it with the blue anti-freeze mixed with Redline Water Wetter before mothballing it.
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
|
Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JudoJeff
Samba Member
Joined: May 24, 2013
Posts: 1179
Location: Near Springfield, MA
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 6:12 am Post subject: Re: Next 4 weeks no coolant. Anything special I should do? |
|
|
Remove your WBX and start prepping the engine bay.
_________________
________________________________________
1989 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Burned up on 7/31/16.
1987 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Bostig & Rebuilt, sold
1986 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper, Bostig Sold May 10, 2021
1999 Ford GTRV Westfalia camper (30% bigger Westy layout) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Jeffrey Lee
Samba Member
Joined: February 04, 2014
Posts: 1488
Location: Wisconsin
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:09 am Post subject: Re: Next 4 weeks no coolant. Anything special I should do? |
|
|
On the other hand, speaking from personal experience (ahem), I would suggest NEVER letting an engine sit with coolant in places it doesn't belong ...
When I blew the head gasket on my $200 1978 Renault LeCar (with the sweet rollback roof like this one, but sans the cute girl in bib overalls) just 3 hours after I bought it, my job at the time didn't allow me to attend to it immediately, so I simply parked it.
When I was finally able to pull the head, the result of coolant sitting in the raw cylinders for almost 2 weeks was ... well, disastrous. No amount of penetrating oils, heat, or torque would loosen the pistons. Dragging the car behind a pickup truck and popping the clutch at increasing road speeds only made flat spots on the tires and some smoke.
In the end, much pain, wasted effort, and hilarity for my neighbors resulted before the wrecker hauled it away.
I did eventually get the girl, but without the aid of a LeCar ...
_________________
Camp Westfalia
Camping Tips • Newsletter • Cool Campervan Apparel
www.CampWestfalia.com |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
vanagonjr
Samba Member
Joined: October 07, 2010
Posts: 3430
Location: Dartmouth, Mass.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Vanagon Nut
Samba Member
Joined: February 08, 2008
Posts: 10365
Location: Sunshine Coast B.C.
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:56 am Post subject: Re: Next 4 weeks no coolant. Anything special I should do? |
|
|
My '88 had been sitting with the long coolant pipes open. I kept a rag in each. I doubt it'd happen but if a mouse smelled the tasty coolant, got stuck in a pipe.....
Neil.
_________________
1981 Westy DIY 15º ABA
1988 West DIY 50º ABA
VE7TBN |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22633
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
|
| Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 2:58 am Post subject: Re: Next 4 weeks no coolant. Anything special I should do? |
|
|
It would be taken care of by the cat
_________________
.ssS! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
GreggK
Samba Member
Joined: May 17, 2008
Posts: 897
Location: Colorado/Philidelphia
|
| Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 7:00 pm Post subject: Re: Next 4 weeks no coolant. Anything special I should do? |
|
|
| I've had my engine installed for about 6 months now while I've been hooking up everything to it. While working on the fuel system I came across a bee that had made its way down one of my hoses. I'd plug everything up that you can while it sits. One time I even had an insect of some kind build a cocoon in my tachometer which kept it from working. Untill I found the cocoon I thought my tach just went bad. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
