[Vwdiesel] Oh-Oh...First winter **** up!

[LBaird119 at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/8/2004 1:56:12 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
erikjlane at yahoo.com writes:

> I expect Loren will jump in here, but I'll offer a few
> ideas.
> 

  Well, I wasn't going to but...  ;-)
  I've seen the passage in the head gasket leak oil into the coolant.  Not 
sure I've ever seen one that actually has the copper seal do it but the 
ones with the ridged rubber seal definitely!  I'd seen and heard of a LOT 
of the oil coolers leak.  So many that we didn't even attempt to put in 
the one that came with Dad's TD engine.  Besides it meant a couple 
of more spendy hoses to replace as well, plus we can just plumb in an 
air to oil cooler if needed.  It's actually a quick warmer for the oil more 
than a cooler.
  AFIK the oil "coolers" (in this country) came on GTI's and TD's after 
the A2 bodies, I'm not sure.
  If a hose splits DON'T try to fix it other than an emergency fix.  It 
usually 
means it's time to replace all the hoses!  I wouldn't worry about copper 
though.  A lot of older radiators are brass or copper.
  It sounds like it got hot enough to at minimum, compromise the head 
gasket and possibly warp the head a bit.

>>Absolutely! Had a friend who got annoyed when the
>>light would come one, so she just put her purse in
>>front of it!! :) That engine lasted longer than you'd
>>expect, but it still wasn't very long...

  I'd always heard that was kind of what happened to the "choke" knob 
on cars.  They were a nice, handy place to hang a purse!  Couldn't 
figure why the car ran so bad either!
     Loren