Thanks guys for the tips. I need to pull the hoses and better inspect
the plastic coolant pipes to best determine how to proceed, and whether
a repair is
sufficient for now, OR if I want to altogether replace the pipes. There
is a good Gowesty article on the repair option, using their kit as Scott
mentions.

One thing for sure is that IF and when I do replace the pipes, I will
likely drop the fuel tank and ALSO replace the fuel tank seal parts at
the same time.

-john

On 11/7/13 5:13 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
> Your best bet is going to be replacing the pipes. A number of vendors are
> selling the stainless steel replacements. They can be changed without
> dropping the fuel tank with some effort. The front clamp is the most
> difficult to deal with especially to re-install it. At some point you can
> save money for now and use that for the tow home and the inevitable engine
> replacement. Once they start to crack they can fail in places not just near
> the ends. As for "glues" these pipes do a lot of expansion and contraction
> with the temperature changes. This makes patching even more of a challenge.
> There are some Devcon epoxies that I have had success with. The pipes
> failing can also be a sign that you are experiencing cooling system
> problems. They don't take overheating well.
>
> Dennis
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> John Goubeaux
> Sent: Thursday, November 7, 2013 6:39 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Coolant Pipe repair
>
> 90 2.1L
>
> Does anyone have any advice on coolant pipe repairs ?
>
> I was about to change out the two large hoses that feed the radiator and
> noticed that where the return hose clamps to the return straight pipe there
> appears to be a small crack that is allowing the coolant to weep past the
> clamp. I was hoping to not replace the pipes just yet but realize the
> plastic gets brittle and will fail SO thinking that with maybe epoxy and or
> fiberglass the end could be repaired ?  Not sure what will adhere to the
> plastic ?  Are the original ones made of PVC ?
>
> -john