gauges and lights are not nearly as a good as a good�nose,eye and brain.�� Knowing your coolant level is critical.
It is a PIA to unload the back area when camping to look at that plastic coolant tank.�� No reason not to pull over to look when empty.�� There are too few of these engines left.�� It ought to be a sin to kill them off but having said that it could happen to any of us.�� So many places that these engines can fail.�� good luck gary
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Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:59:20 -0800
From: Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Subject: Re: coolant leak story

Yes, I agree, I do want to make the engine swap, and I have this WB =
sitting on engine stand in the workshop. I just don't have the =
energy/time/motivation to swap it in. Mind you I do seem to have the =
time to help a friend drop engine and tranny to do gas tank R&R on =
syncro tisi last weekend. Talk about charity begins at home?

Your story is my nightmare. Setting aside today's events, I do all I =
that I can to not have a breakdown on a family trip. LAt time I had a =
tow was on my honeymoon back in '92. That is a story in itself :)

alistair

On 2012-11-27, at 6:45 PM, Tom Carchrae wrote:

> Perhaps not pulling over when the coolant light is flashing is some =
kind of
> subconscious way of saying you want to do that engine swap. :)
>=20
> Of my coolant leaks, I suspect one of them was caused by me working on =
the
> engine - pinhole leak. The other two caused by a bad cap.
>=20
> My similar tale is seeing the temp rise after a 15km traffic crawl on
> a Canadian highway (cause by mudslide)... OH WE ARE CLOSE, I SAID, =
ONLY
> 50M TO THE END OF THIS TRAFFIC MESS. about 20M to the end it went =
POP
> HISS. kids ask, "will we have to sleep here?", mom says "well the tow
> truck won't make it through this traffic mess". everyone starts =
crying!
> seconds later thunder and lightning start. giant scraping sounds of
> diggers clearing the highway. oh formative memories! (we poured =
whatever
> water we had back into the system - it was the coolant sensor that
> exploded) and limped along. Very thankful VW coolant sensors are =
common
> parts ($5 + $70 cab ride) and we were back on the road the next =
morning.
>=20
> ...and drove on another 2000km on that trip.
>=20
> Tom