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shorepig
Samba Member
Joined: November 30, 2005
Posts: 516
Location: Vancouver, B.C.
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 Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 8:06 pm Post subject: Van went kaboom! |
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So here I sit, in the backcountry of B.C., Way up a logging road, in -5 degree weather, a beer in hand, diesel heater pumping away, camping for the night in a pool of coolant.
Here’s what happened:
I finished a spectacular day of birthday snow boarding with my crew at Whistler BC, fired up my Westie and let it warm up for about 15 mins. Pulled away and was surprised to see there was no hot air coming out of my front heater vents, just lots of cold air. I blipped the throttle and bam, nice hot air. So, I cruised to my camp spot for the evening. Final approach was a steep climb, one that only a 2wd with a Peloquin or syncro could make. Found a primo spot with no neighbours for 30 miles and stated levelling the van. Rock here, stick there, move the van a foot, repeat. You know the drill. All of a sudden I heard a foreign, squealing high pitched sound coming from my van. I quickly jumped in to turn it off and saw my temp gauge flashing away!!! Right when I cut the motor KABOOM! Niagara Falls followed by a sweet smelling steam bath which I did not enjoy. Something blew up and all the coolant dumped out in about 3 seconds. Lol. Had quick look under the van but couldn’t see where it failed. I’ll deal with it in the morning. As I type this I can hear a bloody mouse somewhere in my van! Hopefully it smells the yummy sweet coolant, drinks some and dies, preferably outside of my van.
So, who wants to guess what happened? I’ll report back in the morning  .
_________________
85 Westy
92 Mitsubishi Mighty Max 4x4 V6
74 Honda CB500T cafe racer
2013 ktm 690r
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16503
Location: Brookeville, MD
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?Waldo?
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2006
Posts: 9752
Location: Where?
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| Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 8:38 pm Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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| Here's my guess... you overheated and popped one or both of your head gaskets. |
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Xevin 
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 7624
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| Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 8:39 pm Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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Another guess. Broken belt? Like this.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...9ed72ddf13
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candyman
Samba Trout Slayer
Joined: December 20, 2003
Posts: 2694
Location: Missoula MT
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| Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 8:40 pm Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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| What engine is it? |
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pnwkayaker
Samba Member
Joined: April 01, 2008
Posts: 919
Location: Sammamish, WA
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| Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 8:41 pm Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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I love your attitude, I'd be all stressed out (thinking gazillion scenarios/root causes), but you are calmly taking it as part of the adventure!
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87 Syncro Westy EJ25 ("Tardis")
Seattle Meetup at Marymoor (link)
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Steve M.
Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2013
Posts: 6829
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Fl.
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| Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 11:33 pm Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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30 miles...snow...+5°...could be worse...ya might not have had access to The Samba.
Good luck.
Stay warm. It's Friday. You got the weekend to get it out of there.
Keep us posted. Have you GPS co-ordinates to give out?
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zoti
Samba Member
Joined: December 26, 2007
Posts: 2060
Location: Plano, TX USA
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| Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 11:53 pm Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound good.
Hope it’s just a hose that gave in to pressure. |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7466
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 11:57 pm Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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| shorepig wrote: |
I quickly jumped in to turn it off and saw my temp gauge flashing away!!! Right when I cut the motor KABOOM! Niagara Falls followed by a sweet smelling steam bath which I did not enjoy. Something blew up and all the coolant dumped out in about 3 seconds.
So, who wants to guess what happened? I’ll report back in the morning . |
"temp gauge flashing away..."
The LED was flashing? It was low on coolant? Or was the needle also showing a high temp?
What happened? Your van's cooling system was breached and you lost coolant.
- Find the leak, repair it,
- melt some snow or harvest some water from a nearby source and add it ro the cooling system
- add anti-freeze if you have some
Drive home, burping a few times if needed.
If you're looking for guesses on where it breached, I vote for the H-pipe. A random guess but it happened to my '85 so my confirmation bias is strong.
_________________
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| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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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). |
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Vanagon Nut
Samba Member
Joined: February 08, 2008
Posts: 10371
Location: Sunshine Coast B.C.
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| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 2:07 am Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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All told....
Did the rear heater fall?
I'm impressed you found dispersed camping in Whistler! The last time I slept overnight in -Cº temps, without a heater, it was damn cold!
As Shorepig would know, in an overheat situation with his 1.9 engine with Digijet, the LED would light up and temp needle would pin at the same time.
Neil.
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1988 West DIY 50º ABA
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stuzbot
Samba Member
Joined: March 30, 2018
Posts: 377
Location: Pining for the Puddles of Yesterday
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| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 5:47 am Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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| pnwkayaker wrote: |
| I love your attitude, I'd be all stressed out (thinking gazillion scenarios/root causes), but you are calmly taking it as part of the adventure! :) |
Me too! Top marks for that. Although don't be too hard on the wee mouse. S/he could end up being your only friend, if you're stuck there a while. If you're stuck there even longer, s/he could end up being your dinner!
My standard approach when something like this happens is to swear like a trooper for ten minutes solid and promise the van all kinds of torment when I get it home [engage Basil Fawlty mode]...
Link
Then, I'll sit for 15 minutes, calm down and let the problem-solving side of my brain take over and come up with some ingenious 'field repair' that gets me to where I was going.
FWIW: I've had coolant loss 3 times on mine. Gotta love that 30 year old rubber! Once it was a hose. Twice it's been the plastic flanges that bolt onto the engine block. Unlikely to be what you experienced though, as those were both fairly slow leaks, not sudden pyrotechnic steam baths.[/youtube]
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22648
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:05 am Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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If you run cooling group parts on any car past 10 years you are running on a run-to-failure model , and should expect to deal with this on the road. 30 year old rubber is like complaining you lost the lottery, aka stupid tax.
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stuzbot
Samba Member
Joined: March 30, 2018
Posts: 377
Location: Pining for the Puddles of Yesterday
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| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 6:49 am Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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| Abscate wrote: |
| ...30 year old rubber is like complaining you lost the lottery, aka stupid tax... |
Unfortunately, we're not all rich Americans with warehouse sized garages, multiple vehicles, who can afford to order shiny new parts by the ton. Some of us just have to muddle along, fixing stuff as it breaks :(
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Butcher
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2015
Posts: 1285
Location: Right Here
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| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 7:15 am Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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There is always the thought that maybe some of us cannot afford a snowboard and all the gear because we purchased car parts, so we are not stuck on a forest road, in winter time, 30 miles from the nearest neighbor.
Either way, past decisions have lead you where you are now.
Last edited by Butcher on Sat Dec 12, 2020 7:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32597
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 7:18 am Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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| stuzbot wrote: |
| Abscate wrote: |
| ...30 year old rubber is like complaining you lost the lottery, aka stupid tax... |
Unfortunately, we're not all rich Americans with warehouse sized garages, multiple vehicles, who can afford to order shiny new parts by the ton. Some of us just have to muddle along, fixing stuff as it breaks  |
This is true and I'm one of those who muddle along.
Keep in mind we don't know what failed yet. We Also know he was planning to Winter camp.
When you are going to venture into areas little traveled and remote, especially in Winter where you can quickly die from exposure, one should be prepared for the unexpected. Food, water, blankets, proper clothing, etc.
but also prepare your unit, you do not want mechanical failure there in that remote spot.
There are preventative maintenance priorities based upon known failures in any given model.
Coolant system failure is a known weak link on these units.
Find the funds to update the system. It is folly to do otherwise.
No funds? you better carry a fair quantity of used bits just in case. Many members on here will send you their take off hoses and aging plastic bits for the small cost of postage.
These used bits can get you out of a bad situation for very little money.
Dave
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537
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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert
Last edited by djkeev on Sat Dec 12, 2020 11:08 am; edited 1 time in total |
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MarkWard
Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2005
Posts: 17122
Location: Retired South Florida
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| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 7:33 am Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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| stuzbot wrote: |
| Abscate wrote: |
| ...30 year old rubber is like complaining you lost the lottery, aka stupid tax... |
Unfortunately, we're not all rich Americans with warehouse sized garages, multiple vehicles, who can afford to order shiny new parts by the ton. Some of us just have to muddle along, fixing stuff as it breaks |
Penny wise. Pound foolish. Preventative maintenance is always less money than waiting for a major failure.
Plus, this sounds like a could become a safety issue at some point.
Ideally a hose failed at a connector and can be cut back and RE clamped. Otherwise it might be MacGyver time. Fingers crossed.
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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 4777
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 8:50 am Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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it's daylight and we should be getting the forensics... but my WAG is the pressure tank cap launched off after everthing got hot and plastic-y from idling. others have had the same experience... thermoforming plastic tank sets above the catalytic converter in a cube of an engine compartment that is essentially closed on 5 of 6 sides with the open side the opposite from the rising heat!
for others, if you have heat issues it is an indicator you may be low on coolant... OR you have the heater fan on high at idle.
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60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
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owokie
Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2003
Posts: 533
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| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 9:05 am Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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| djkeev wrote: |
| stuzbot wrote: |
| Abscate wrote: |
| ...30 year old rubber is like complaining you lost the lottery, aka stupid tax... |
Unfortunately, we're not all rich Americans with warehouse sized garages, multiple vehicles, who can afford to order shiny new parts by the ton. Some of us just have to muddle along, fixing stuff as it breaks |
This is true and I'm one of those who muddle along.
But
When you are going to venture into areas little traveled and remote, especially in Winter where you can quickly die from exposure, one should be prepared for the unexpected. Food, water, blankets, proper clothing, etc.
but also prepare your unit, you do not want mechanical failure there in that remote spot.
There are preventative maintenance priorities based upon known failures in any given model.
Coolant system failure is a known weak link on these units.
Find the funds to update the system. It is folly to do otherwise.
No funds? you better carry a fair quantity of used bits just in case. Many members on here will send you their take off hoses and aging plastic bits for the small cost of postage.
These used bits can get you out of a bad situation for very little money.
Dave |
Geez guys. I mean, I'm a bit of an asshole, but we don't even know what happened here. Seems a bit premature to be pointing fingers about presumed lack of preventive maintenance, no? Plus the guy's got snowboarding gear, a snowboard, and cell service. Pretty sure he's not gonna freeze to death. |
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?Waldo?
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2006
Posts: 9752
Location: Where?
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| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2020 9:24 am Post subject: Re: Van went kaboom! |
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It is fun to see how some people can interpret the best-intentioned comments as attack.
"You look nice today."
"You jerk! You're saying I look bad on most other days!" |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32597
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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