[Vwdiesel] radiator flushing.

[Shalyn Shourds]

I think I posted a while back how over Thanksgiving, the road ran out 
from under me and cracked the radiator.  I don't know what it is with 
people leaving fence posts in fields. 

This weekend, I finally got around to replacing the radiator.  Turns out 
it's no fun on A4s.  You have to disassemble the whole front bumper 
assembly and the whole works (rad, condenser, headlights, frame) slides 
out a few inches and you're supposed to pull the radiator out the 
bottom.  I finally got it all out and back in.  BTW, those screws are 
all Torx30, not that I had one.  At this point, as penance for having 
put a can of "Bars Leak" in it--it was the middle of the night in the 
middle of nowhere, OK?--I filled it with water and a can of Lubromoly 
brand radiator flush.  I think next time I feel like doing penance, I'll 
say some Our Fathers, Hail Marys, a couple of Rosaries, do the stations 
of the cross, and maybe crucify myself on a pilgrimage to the Holy 
Land.  The flush is a can of surfactant (soap) and it took two hours of 
flushing to get the suds out.  It was like my car was possessed by the 
vengeful spirit of Lawrence Welk.  I finally pulled the thermostat to 
make it circulate faster.  I changed the oil real quick, re-installed 
the thermostat, filled it with coolant mix, and fired it up.  Good news, 
no oil leaks.  Bad news, the thermostat gasket couldn't take being 
re-installed.  So, now, it's 21:20 and I'm going to be riding my bike 
across town to the all-night Autozone to get a gasket.  I'll probably 
have to buy the whole thermostat to get it and throw away the off-brand 
thermostat.  Speaking of, isn't there supposed to be a hole in the 
thermostat plate?  My genuine German one doesn't have one. 

It'll be midnight before I finish this and I'm sure my neighbors love 
the sound of a wrench dropped in the darkness. 

I thought I'd vent that.  I have received a lot of good advice and 
wisdom from the list over the years.  I don't have much of that to 
contribute back so I figure I'll give what I can and let everyone know 
what not to do :(    The only positive so far for me is that my legs are 
getting huge. 


-Shalyn