Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 19:27:15 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: My Vanagon's blinking coolant light problem vs other
peoples'---it all blends together Some Friday sarcasm on warning
lights!
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That's a wonderful idea you have. In the event of a sudden massive coolant loss if you don’t notice the steam behind you or following drivers using their wipers the coolant temp and oil temp gauges will come in handy as the replace engine notifier. Maybe that won’t even be necessary. We can just wait for the fire and blame it on fuel lines. Why? The reason VW and other manufacturers use a coolant level sensor is that the coolant temp gauge only works when submerged in coolant. Make that flowing coolant. Loose the coolant and loose the gauge. The gauge won't read until you get steam. Lose all the coolant and no steam. Also, you can have a coolant loss where it is still flowing and maybe the remaining coolant is being cooled and the gauge may even read close to normal. But the parts of the engine now above the coolant level will get damaged. Think of that pot on the stove boiling off just before the bottom starts to melt. Sure these warning indicators can give false readings but they can be fixed. One thing I have learned over the years. Manufacturers add nothing without reason or benefit. VW especially. If there it has purpose.
When we make suggestions we need to be mindful that some may follow them without a full understanding of what they may be giving up and without the skills and knowledge to compensate. Just think of folks with automatic transmissions removing the unneeded hand (parking) brake not realizing it is also the emergency brake.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Don Hanson
Sent: Friday, December 12, 2014 1:33 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: My Vanagon's blinking coolant light problem vs other peoples'---it all blends together
Black tape will do the job. Then you can figure a way to work around the coolant light. I installed an oil temp gauge, used in tandem with my coolant temp gauge and my alternator light I can deduce what is actually happening inside my motor rather than having to wonder if that blinking light means anything THIS time, or if it is simply sending another false warning.
After wasting time beating that particular "Dead Horse"... The sketchy blinking light that gets so much bandwidth amongst Vanagon owners... I found a better way. My Blinky-Light has been taped over now for 4yrs and
about 70k miles. Not elegant, but I have better things to do than
fiddle-d-f**k, repeatedly, with something the VW engineering didn't get quite right.
Now, if we could tape up leaky heads on the Wbx motors, we could all be driving fun places mor On Dec 12, 2014 9:35 AM, "Jim Felder" <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have now driven Vanagons for so long that I can no longer separate
> the problems I have had in past years from problems I read about on
> the list ;
> )
>
> I am having a problem now where on a warm day, I have to shut down my
> engine after starting and restart to get the blinking light to go off.
> This gets worse as it gets colder to the point that in the 30Fs, I
> might have to wait a minute or two and restart as many as three times.
> It always goes off, though.
>
> I have had problems before similar to this, but to my recollection not
> exactly line this. Compounding that is the fact that coolant light
> blinking is such a common problem that a problem I had 12 or 15 years
> ago sounds suspiciously like what I was reading about a week or two
> ago. I don't remember if my previous blinking light problem had
> anything to do with cold weather but this one seems to.
>
> In any event, it's a common problem.
>
> My sensor is clean, my connections are good, my coolant is properly
> mixed and fresh and I have pressed the back of the temp gauge while
> the car is running and no change. My grounds are good and in fact I
> have an extra ground or two.
>
> Any ideas? Come on, help me fix it QUICK while it is the only thing
> wrong with the car!
>
> Jim
>
