Another overheating Vanagon

[wtcumby]

Hello, my '91 carat with 250k miles isn't staying cool at idle sitting still. The head gaskets and valves were done just 6k miles ago. The other day I was watching the temp go up to trouble shoot in driveway and a rush of coolant started to come out of the expansion tank accompanied by a suction noise.

I shut it down. The temp had not reached flashing red light but was about 3/4 up the gauge. I researched the samba and thought it might be a expansion tank cap gone bad. I bought a new one. Before I called it good I attempted to bleed the system. I used a 3 foot long 1" ID plastic tube shoved in to the expansion tank and filled it up with about 6" of air space at the top.

I started the van and set rpm around 2500 w/ screw driver. I cracked the radiator bleeder bolt and a bit of coolant and air was draping out. It was warm. As the engine heated the coolant in hose rose and began to slowly overflow. It's clear plastic and has no air bubbles.

I shut engine down and plugged coolant hose end. Pressure eventually built up and launched tube out of expansion tank along with a geyser of coolant.

Is this a thermo state issue? Please help.
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I've got the vanagon fever

[Shojimon]

I didn't see any kind of reply for the Island champ. Here's my 2 cents, and I'm no mechanic.
As you may have noticed earlier in this thread, a guy was talking about his head having a crack and the compression causing too much pressure.
I think that Island Champ should check out that aspect. It's fairly common with Vanagons. But could be doing this on his Euro...
Do a compression check and see if there is a weak cylinder.
Good luck.

[jwallis]

[Ahwahnee]

[jwallis]

removing/replacing the thermostat is a pretty serious chore isn't it (at least if you have air conditioning)?

[dbcdad]

I remember this happening to us about 12 years ago in my girlfriends van and the water was boiling bubbles in the expansion tank as we were pulling a steep grade. Ended up being the radiator. New Rad and hasn't happened since.
Have fun, David C

[bukwessul]

Good advice on problem checking the coolant system. Thanks for the tips and experience.

I too have a mysterious disapearance of antifreeze. Mechanic said there had been a coolant problem some time ago but didn't seem to be a problem. So I removed the rear heater to reconfig the interior anyway. (I live in FL) connecting the feed and return lines back into a shorter route, I notice that the hose has an inate ability to kink. I turned the "y"s to go a bit straighter, but still isn't ideal. Hope this gives me a bit more time till I can get more time to work through it more completely. Anyone see a major cooling foul for the next few weeks?

[island champ]

so.. now all this, hissing noise, seems like getting hot, temp gage is going crazy.. sometimes hot, sometime cold, no visual leaks.. but thats today.. i read a way to check for head leak.. with top of expansion tank.. run .. take up in rev's and see if water swirls or shoots out.. is this ogood.. cause i paid few hundred dollars for leak test.. so , still hot and very confused.. please advise if can.. mahalo, vik

[island champ]

sorry, not used to this yet.. so messege got cut off.. so where was i. took back to mechinic cause now leaking in front hose .. and it sptopped running.. he had to replace timing belt and one hose.. brought home overheated.. took back and it was leaking from front again and this time ebefore he or should i say afterwards he did the belt.. he accidentlly put in oily substance in coolant.. he admitted this and now gunk in tank. overheated so we took to different mech. they did flush of system, change out temp sending unit.. third time now.. took home..overheated.. took back. he said water pump .. so they put in new pump and said timing belt was bad.. so they replaced.. again with roller.. which said had to be replaced each time pump was sodone.. hmmm? brought home.. overheated with leak in front hose.. enough , so i changed this hose and drove it round and it was okay.. but still not as cool as i would like.. making hissing noise. so all this and not sure if air was released from system, rad was checked or what.. but was told that oil cooler may be the reason for oil in water.. ah, they did a leak down test for head.. it was neg.. so where to satartor stop.. three thous dollars, and with rust here on islands.. not much more worth putting in dollars.. mahalo for answeres

[island champ]

[MarkWard]

Hello, Welcome to the Samba. You should post the year of your eurovan and the engine type. Bleeding is very important, but should not be required unless the cooling system has been opened for some reason. Probably good to do the work with your wife's help. Some model eurovans had an oil to water cooler made of aluminum. It is common for them to fail and pump oil into the cooling system. Oil will weaken the hoses. Post some more information, and you should get some more specific help.

[island champ]

aloha, wow.. after reading all these posts on overheating.. i seem to understand much better my problem. new to water cooled vw's and the euro, but since having work done here on our third world island of kauai.. the lady van has blown several hoses, overheated several times, three mechinics and bout three thousand dollars later.. i read here to think it may be that these guys just have not bled out system.. i did not know this either. so, my question is.. if not bled out.. will it cause all these things to go wrong. i have had several hoses split..after putting on new ones, water pump go out or least that what was told, and now has lots of oil substance in coolant.. even after flushing.. but we thought it was accidentllt put in by bad mechinic..who confessed to this.. so putting oily substance..can this make things go so wrong.. lots of problems.. and unfortunally i am blind and not work on the vas ..yet that is.. i know my old chevy.. ut this van is competly new to me..but learning now that i cannot afford anymore mistakes made to my lady van. so, my wife and i do the work now.. just need her eyes to help some. so.. after all this rambling.. bleeding the system really important that is then.. so where would you all start?? any advice would be great.. also, we do not have a manuel..so help in describing what things are and where at would be great help too.. wife not too good at reading books to figuer out.. mahalo much, vik

[1st.gear]

ive got a question, replaceing thermostat, i know that the thermostat goes into the housing, but im also not to sure if the seal goes, into the housing first, then the thermostat, or is it the thermostat goes into the housing first, then the thermostat seal, 3rd. then the thermostat cover w/ the 4 bolts. just to be sure, this is my first to own a vanagon waterbox. the way i did it, thermostat into the housing, then the seal, and finally the thermostat top cover. is this the right way? (hopeso). a second opinion will be nice, just to be sure, thanks guys.

[quigleyp]

if the head is cracked what is the $$ damage?
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84 Vanagon
2007 Beetle (totaled it)
and a 63 splitty that got away

[veganvdub]

Happy to hear it. I just had to replace the water pump, the metal pipe that is on the left side of the engine and a new radiator to finally get my '87 GL to run cool. A lot of work and money, but it sure is nice driving it without worry about overheating.

Good luck with yours during this very hot summer.

[eeza]

update
Ok gang, my thanks go out to you all.
If there is one word I would use to describe approaching an overheating vanagon it is PATIENCE.
And lots of it.
After repeatedly following the steps I realised that good old fashioned patience was called for.
I ended up replacing the stat & the split coolant level sender, bled the rad for over an hour little by little, topping up the tank each time. And finally, driving the thing!! I cannot stress enough how much better the situation got after a quick blast down the highway. I think the constant revs, cool air flow through the rad & the systems natural ability to bleed the remaining air saved the day.
It's been fine ever since. The temp gauge reads more accurately, the stat works as it should & i don't have to refill the tank every 5 mins!!
Thanks again guys
until the next time eh?............

[thinair]

I hope this is not your problem but......

A month ago my friend brought home a nice van that the owner said needed engine work. It had the same symptoms as yours. Ran Great until it overheated. Once it would get up to normal operating temp water would start squirting out of the expansion tank temp sensor gasket and around the small overflow hose. We replaced those, but water leaked out again. After each test there was a lot of bubbling from the expansion tank into the overflow. Lots of extra pressure. It turned out that the heads were cracked sending compression over to the water side. There was no water in the oil, or oil in the water, just a small crack.

Like I said I hope that is not your problem. Check everything else first. Also maybe run it with the expansion tank open and have someone step on the accelerator. If you have a head problem coolant will come blowing out the expansion tank. If not, you will only notice coolant swirling as the water pump has picked up.

[vwmaniaman]

Just a thought, but do you have oversized spare tire pinching off water hose to radiator. Didn't get my spare center once and ran warmer.
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75 Westy "Pumpkin Van"
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[Terry Kay]

You really shouldn't run without the thermostat---

here's why---

It'll take the engine longer to get up to the proper operating temperature, and then once you do all the water will be the same temp--
The thermostat regulates the temp of the coolant.

It closes to get to it, it open to cool it down.

The coolant in the radiator won't spend enough time in the radiator to cool down.
It'lljust flow right through it, and back to the engine--all the same hot temp eventually.

Go over to E-Bay and buy a BEHR radiator for $149.00

It's a real good buy and a good radiator.

It sure sounds to me like it's time.

If the top of the radiator is cold it's half plugged.

Have Fun,
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T.K.

[aviatorjames]

I also bleed mine with the front way up.
Don't forget to open the rear heater core valve (under the seat) and put the heater lever to full hot.
This will insure that you bleed out any air trapped in the heater cores.
jim
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