[Vwdiesel] *81 Rabbit overheating*

[Rolf Pechukas]

cool (so to speak)
glad to know 197°f is not off the charts
I will be giving it a stern test today - picking up my boy 2 hrs away  
then driving 3 hrs back to go snowboarding for a few days
we'll see if it stays at 197°f on the hwy

btw, what did anyone think about no pressure in the system ??
can just unscrew the res cap, no waiting for pressure to abate
???
this is not normal in my experience

also, I did feel the radiator
upper part warm/hot, gradient down to cooler at the bottom
also, lower rad hose cool, upper hot
this indicates to me that t-stat no opening (yet?)
50mph driving, flat, 4th gear, @20°f out
maybe not *quite* hot enough?
or maybe new t-stat not working either?

thoughts? thx
-- 

Rolf in MA