Date:         Thu, 15 Oct 2015 09:27:55 -0400
Reply-To:     "kenneth wilford (Van-Again)" <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "kenneth wilford (Van-Again)" <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Problem with customer van that is driving me crazy
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Dear List,

Last year I rebuilt a 2.1l engine and installed it in a customer's beat up
but functional 85 Westy Weekender.  The engine ran great and there were
really no problems until almost at the end of the 12 month warranty.  The
customer only had 5k miles on the engine and it started having oil leaks at
the push rod tubes.  I repaired this, then it started leaking at the front
and rear main seals and the leaks seemed to get worse as she drive more.

She brought it back again and I replaced the engine with another low
mileage rebuilt engine that I had just bought from someone doing a Subaru
conversion.  That engine had just driven from New Jersey to Canada (Bens
Place shop) to get the conversion done with no issues.  I installed the 2nd
engine and everything seemed fine.  Test drove it 50 miles here before I
would let her pick it up.  She picked it up and drove around a few days and
everything was fine.  Went to drive to Michigan and got about 500 miles
away before the next incident.  She pulled off of the highway and got to a
gas station when the coolant bottle in the rear released pressure and
coolant went everywhere.

Took it to a very reputable Vanagon shop in the area and they tested the
radiator fan which is what I thought caused it, and said that it was
working fine.  Did some tests to see if the head gaskets had failed and
none of those tests came back positive.  They had a strange hypothesis that
even though the tests came back negative, that when the van was driving
down the road, under heavy load, there would be a very small combustion gas
leak into the cooling system which would eventually lock up the system and
cause the van to overheat.  This theory was not confirmed by testing
because all of the tests for combustion gases in the cooling system that
the shop did and that I have done since then (4 altogether) have all come
back negative.

I got the van back here again and the coolant tank cap had failed (it was
brand new German).  I replaced that and then went to test the radiator fan
myself.  The fan worked at first then didn't work.  I went to check the
fuse and it was super old and crusty looking.  I threw it away, cleaned up
the contacts at the fuse panel and installed a brand new one.  Now the fan
was working every time.

Jumped in the van and drove for 2 hours at 70-75 mph on the high way,
stopping a few times to use the rest room, and check to see if the fan was
working properly.  Everything worked perfectly.  Drove 100 miles no issues
at all, van running great.

At this point I am thinking that the radiator fan was occasionally not
working.  This would allow the van to overheat randomly.  I even think that
my oil leaks on the first motor could have been caused by the overheating,
but I am not sure how to prove it.

The customer has very little confidence in the van at this point.  She
thinks it needs heads and head gaskets.  I would be glad to do that work,
if I thought it was really the problem, or if there was a test I could do
that would prove it to me.  I would hate to go to all of the extra work and
expense of doing the head gaskets and new heads only to have her get
another 1000 miles down the road and have the same thing happen again.

Any advice or help on this would be appreciated.  I am just trying to do my
best for this customer and get her a reliable van.


--
Thanks,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com