Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:04:05 -0500
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Coolant Distributor Replacement - and a parts review
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Mine cracked!!
Coolant was leaking onto the ground and a crack in that part is nothing
to be taken lightly. Should it let go, all your coolant will be out of
you cooling system and on the ground in just a couple of minutes. What
to do? What to do?
Well, for the '86 and later GLs (can't address the syncros) the part is
made of plastic. As the part ages, the plastic gets brittle, vibrations
over the years, and other things leads eventually to parts failure in
the form of a crack. Nothing to do but replace it.
Dilemma! It would seem that in VW's wisdom three different
configurations of this part were used, using three different part
numbers. Therefore to be sure about the particular part in your van, you
have to pull the part out and look at the part number so you get the
correct part when you order - OR - you can do like I did - and order the
stainless steel universal coolant distributor kit from Van-cafe. (no, I
have no vested interest in Van-cafe - they just happen to have a good
solution for this). This metal kit eliminated any concern about part
numbers and getting the part with the correct configuration. One size
fits all - 86 through 91 standard two-wheel drive van.
Delivery service was superb. I ordered on Monday morning, requested USPS
Priority Mail rather than UPS, and the kit arrived Wednesday morning
about 10 am. That was from California to Alabama. I rushed on down to
the shop where there is a mechanic who knows my van, for him to do the
R&R.(I'm not up to scrambling under my van any more - the Red Brick was
going on the rack for this job.)
The engine hatch was removed, and work began. There are two sheet metal
screws that hold the plastic distributor in place. The top one was
accessed through the top of the engine bay. The bottom one from
underneath. For ease of access the right hand rock shield was removed.
Removal went off without a hitch.
The box was opened with the new part. There was the welded stainless
steel distributor, one brass plug, and one brass reducer, and one piece
of common water hose and one formed hose. That made up the kit. The
metal work and welding was very well done.
On the plastic distributor there are two little pieces of plastic that
act as both "stand-offs" - hold the part a certain distance off a
surface, and they also receive the sheet metal screws. On the new
stainless piece, these two "stand-off's" are made from a special long -
about one inch - machine thread stainless steel nut that is welded in
place. Very nicely done.
Now an odd thing happened. I stepped out for just a few minutes to get a
soft drink, and when I returned, there lay the on the mechanics bench
one of the stainless nuts - separated from the distributor. No machine
screws were supplied with the new unit, so my mechanic got screws and
ran them down into the nuts - and one decided it was not going to come
back out. While attempting to get the screw back out - the effort
sheared the head off the screw. Now it was drill and EZE-out time. All
went well....... until the EZE-out snapped off in the drilled hole,
leaving a piece of hardened steel in the hole. Nothing was going to
drill that out. The mechanic worked at it and worked at it -
then........$*&##@*%$$&!!! I heard the mechanic say! The welded nut
broke from the stainless distributor. So there we were - my new part
not usable and the mechanic with egg on his face. Now I'm a trained
aircraft mechanic, and such things are really frustrating to a
professional who puts a lot of effort into getting things right the
first time, but it really was funny to see the expression on his face.
But what could I say. Sh*t happens. BTDT in my career as a mechanic.
So, the van was down while the man took the part to a machine shop to
try and get it fixed. They didn't have a stainless nut of the right size
and shape, and rather than get into a big hassle I asked Chris at
Van-cafe to send me a nut. In the meantime, the part was installed as
best could be, and secured with tie-wraps to hold it for a few days
until I can get it back into the shop for proper repair of the part and
re-installation.
I chatted with Chris via e-mail about this and he went back and checked
all the units in stock and found only one with a very tight fit on the
screw, one that could possibly cause a problem with jamming a screw.
That problem has been eliminated. I also mentioned that if the correct
screws were provided with the kit, that would help further eliminate any
effects of Murphy's Law from coming to bear and make for a more perfect
kit. Hopefully he will attend to that.
What a hassle. No reflection on Chris or Van-Cafe. though. The part that
was sent was of very good quality, and only because of a snafu in the
shop did things get screwed up. I recommend the part to anyone who
needs to replace the distributor. I'm a big fan of metal.I have two
other vans and will use this kit in both of them.
And by the way - the chocolate chip cookies that came packed in the
order were excellent with my morning coffee.
Regards,
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
