With the wife heading west for a wedding, I jumped at the chance to load my 2
"can't get enough camping kids"  into Pooh, our 87 Westy for a final fall
weekend.  The 4 hour trip to Hains Falls, near Woodstock, NY went without a
hitch.  Pooh cruises happily @ 75mph and we made the trip in plenty of time
to set up and build a fire overlooking North-South Lake.  Saturday again was
a flawless, waking to the sound of an 85ish diesel Westy leaving camp,
pancakes, bacon, coffee and hot chocolate for the kids.  After a hike a
beautiful drive into Woodstock on NY Route 16...a killer mountain road giving
the breaks a real good workout.  Today the drive home was again flawless
until we pulled into a gas station in Newark, NJ on our way to pick up the
bridesmaid at Newark airport when I smelled the all too familiar sweet smell
of coolant!  Sure enough it had puddled a 18 inch diameter spot from the area
somewhere above the automatic tranny, about where the clear coolant pipes
turn up from the long horizontal run from the nose.  I checked the reservoir
and it was still showing full, (BTW the heads had been replaced about 10K
ago, however I have never changed any hoses which I imagine are original with
13yrs and 165k on them.  In traffic around the airport I was on pins and
needles waiting for the temp gauge to start it's rise, but it never did.  I
did add a small amount of water for the return trip home, but it never seemed
to lose much additional coolant.  Upon entering the NJ Turnpike, both the OX
sensor and alternator idiot light came on and stayed on for the duration of
the trip.  Not sure if it was just time for that silly Ox counter to trip, or
if it is related to the leak?  Any ideas are always appreciated.  Will be
taking Pooh south again in March and need to get everything in good order.
Perhaps it is Pooh's way of saying that he prefers the Catskills to
Newark...and I must agree!
Thanks for listening,

Finn Runyon
Princeton, NJ
87 GL Westfalia Automatic