In a message dated 98-03-12 20:20:27 EST, you write:

<< Actually, I think halon is now illegal under the new CFC laws which
regulate
 the use of halogens and other ozone depleting chemicals(refrigerants). Save
 the van, kill the rainforests? >>

I'll take a guess that as a test engineer for Walter Kidde Aerospace, that is
to say the guy who tests the Halon supression systems on airplanes, I may be
the resident "expert"  on Halons....note the plural.....Halon 1301 has been
banned for all but air craft use by the 1995 Montreal Protocol...another
refrigerant, HFC 125 is *not* certified for aircraft but is a
"green"agent.....we use HFC 125 as a simulant for 1301 for engine and
apu's......for cargo class "d" (to prevent another"Valuejet") only 1301 will
do for testing.....however another "Halon", 1211 can be used for engines...but
its boiling point is high enough that you need to heat the discharge
nozzles...not easy in a vanagon.....your best bet is to find a source of HFC
125 and have your extinguisher charged with it, run some plumbing to the
engine compartment and have a manual valve installed where you can reach
it.....just a few pounds of HFC 125 should do for a VW.......makes about 2.5
cubic feet per pound and you want a 6% by volume for fire knock down.....
Me? I have 2 2.5 lb ABC dry chemicals ,
one in the back and one horizontal under the radio.....and I can have all the
HFC 125 I want.

steve..