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djkeev
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Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32634
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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pablum
Samba Member
Joined: December 17, 2015
Posts: 562
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 Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 12:14 pm Post subject: Re: Which coolant expansion tank to buy? |
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No wood to knock on my van, but my 31yo tank is original.
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The wise man learns from history, the fool from experience.
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I see [a cat] in the street and i aim for the pest with my car. --  bluebus86 |
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Mellow Yellow 74
Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2014
Posts: 1615
Location: Sydney, Australia
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| Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2017 9:53 pm Post subject: Re: Which coolant expansion tank to buy? |
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My repro tank lasted just under a year - today I noticed a puddle of water underneath and found the tank had tiny cracks all around the top. Lucky I already bought a RMW tank to install at the next coolant change, so it went in today.
The changeover was easy and the tank fits well, I probably spilled half a cup of coolant and just poured the contents of the old tank into the new one. The tank didn't come with any instructions and the wire to the level sender didn't fit on the terminal on the RMW tank. But after some quick googling I found that you need to cut the plug off and fit a spade terminal on the blue/green wire and just leave the brown wire disconnected (because the metal tank acts as the earth).
I thought I could get away with not bleeding the system but when I started it the Gowesty audible temperature alarm (that I installed when I replaced the printed circuit replacement kit) went off after about 30 seconds so I shut it down straight away. The system must have been vapour locked so I cracked the radiator bleeder and started it again and a surprising amount of air came out. I went for a drive and cracked it a few more times and all is fine now.
The RMW tanks is great and the Gowesty audible alarm paid for itself because I am not sure I would have noticed the temperature gauge was rising so quickly and my 1985 model had no audible alarm originally.
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1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)
Last edited by Mellow Yellow 74 on Fri Jun 16, 2017 11:16 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Aryana
Samba Member
Joined: November 09, 2015
Posts: 568
Location: Southern CA
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| Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2017 10:43 pm Post subject: Re: Which coolant expansion tank to buy? |
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| pablum wrote: |
| No wood to knock on my van, but my 31yo tank is original. |
Same here... |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32634
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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timichango
Samba Member
Joined: April 07, 2012
Posts: 858
Location: Squamish, BC, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2017 4:30 pm Post subject: Re: Which coolant expansion tank to buy? |
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| Aryana wrote: |
| pablum wrote: |
| No wood to knock on my van, but my 31yo tank is original. |
Same here... |
Mine too. Inspected frequently, and zero signs of cracking/weakening. I'm at a bar, seated at a wooden table that I'm knocking upon presently.
I find it curious that on other forums, for other cars (subaru), I've seen the reverse situation play out: the stock metal expansion tanks corroded, and everyone was advocating for swapping out for plastic.
Surely plastic coolant tank failures aren't so common? Is there a specific issue with the aftermarket Vanagon tanks that could be economically remedied by swapping in a plastic coolant tank from another manufacturer?
Just wondering, ultimately, since I assume that at some point I'm going to have this problem too, from the sounds of other folks' experiences. And I'm surprised that the only reliable solution to a piece of plumbing that's ubiquitous to watercooled cars would be a custom tank from RMW.
Not that I don't like me some bling — but still...
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Vroomhilde-San: Our 1991 Silver Vanagon Westy automatic + Subie EJ25 |
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RicoS
Samba Member
Joined: December 02, 2006
Posts: 583
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| Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2017 8:07 pm Post subject: Re: Which coolant expansion tank to buy? |
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| timichango wrote: |
| . . . Surely plastic coolant tank failures aren't so common? . . . |
I have to wonder about that myself. In nearly 3 decades, I've never seen an OE expansion tank queef out. Coolant level sensors leaking, sure; check valves in pressure caps giving up the battle, yes, but not the expansion tank itself. It must be APS (Aftermarket Parts Syndrome).
In fact, I have a couple salvaged tanks I started to wonder why I was stashing.
Richie (near The Burgh) |
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kwilk
Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2010
Posts: 204
Location: Porlland,Or
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| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 11:02 am Post subject: Re: Which coolant expansion tank to buy? |
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| anyone have any experience at all with some summit racing stainless expansion tanks? I think it would be cool if someone made one including a glass level window....thoughts? |
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E1
Samba Member
Joined: January 21, 2013
Posts: 6585
Location: Westfalia, Earth
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| Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 11:26 am Post subject: Re: Which coolant expansion tank to buy? |
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| pablum wrote: |
| No wood to knock on my van, but my 31yo tank is original. |
Me, too, at 35 years.
"If it ain't broke......."
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‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman |
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bluntlunchbox
Samba Member
Joined: June 06, 2007
Posts: 330
Location: San Diego, CA
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| Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 9:35 pm Post subject: Re: Which coolant expansion tank to buy? |
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Just checking to see if anyone has tried the Dorman 603-451 expansion tank available from jegs and summit? They look identical to all the others, but less than 20 bucks would get me out of a jam if I needed it.
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1966 Beetle "Old Girl"
1990 Vanagon GL |
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termuehlen 
Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2012
Posts: 994
Location: Redwood City
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| Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2019 8:55 am Post subject: Re: Which coolant expansion tank to buy? |
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No new information here but it is accurate information. My plastic coolant tank has failed again. Life span on this one was 2 years, 8 months. Better than the last one which only lasted 2 years. The good news is that these disposable tanks keep getting cheaper. Only $21.95 including the $10 blau cap for free...bargain from Bus Lab in Berkeley! I feel like I should become the poster child for the RMW aluminum tank when I finally give up and buy a real coolant tank instead of these toy models.
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1988 Westfalia automatic Subaru OBD1
1986 syncro tintop wbx |
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kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 7925
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2019 9:15 am Post subject: Re: Which coolant expansion tank to buy? |
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My van's plastic replacement tank lasted not even 2 years before it cracked and began upchucking coolant about a mile from home. Its replacement was still going strong when I yanked it for an RMW tank... the problem with it, as with all previous tanks, was the damn level sensor leaking. The O-rings would get deformed and rock hard within just a few months of installing. Got tired of that nonsense and went RMW.👍
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~Kamz 
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
 1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
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blackglasspirate
Samba Member
Joined: June 24, 2006
Posts: 1612
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| Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2019 10:19 am Post subject: Re: Which coolant expansion tank to buy? |
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I replaced my stock plastic tank with an aftermarket plastic tank after having two level sensors blow clean out of the threads. I assumed maybe the threaded hole was slightly warped and that was causing the issue. The replacement tank lasted about a year and then started leaking around that stamped circle shown in one of the previous photos. Granted, it was a cheap tank bought in Lima, Peru and was my only option at the time, but it was supposedly made in Germany.
It even came with a Blau cap for free as well, but it ended up being bad out of the box.
I swapped my old one back in there in the middle of nowhere Patagonia and rode with that until we were back stateside. I replaced it with another plastic one from one of the common retailers and so far so good. Too many other repairs after that trip to spend the coin on the RMW one, but someday...
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jlrftype7
Samba Member
Joined: July 24, 2018
Posts: 3582
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2019 5:53 pm Post subject: Re: Which coolant expansion tank to buy? |
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Some small Condolences here, VW isn’t alone on Plastic Coolant Tank Failures.
I’m on my 3rd plastic expansion tank for a Land Rover Customer. 3 failures of . various cracks and subsequent leakage in a 4 month period. If there was a metal replacement offered , she would have gladly bought it by now... 
The strange thing is that the original tanks were not known for failing really at all.
Everything else in the coolant system, yes.....  , but not the Tanks... 
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'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto |
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