Yesterday started out great. We picked the van up from the shop, went to the MVA, registered the van and got new tags. Everything was looking good.
Then I decided to check the coolant level while getting some gas. Not good. It was beyond low. I had some coolant with me so I added some and figured I would keep an eye on it and see how bad it was leaking. Not a big deal, right. Wrong. Well, when you get stuck in traffic from Beltsville to Arlington the temperature of the any vehicle can get up pretty high. I knew something was wrong when I saw smoke coming from the left rear. This is in heavy traffic in the 395 tunnel in DC, by the way. I pulled into the median and saw a stream of coolant flowing out and dripping onto the exhaust causing a nice gray cloud of smoke. Not good. I had at least 15 minutes of driving left with the traffic I was facing and I had to get there fast, otherwise the coolant would be gone. The van thankfully made it back home safely but not after causing me stress that I was not seeking.
I took the van to a local mechanic in Arlington today to take a look at it. They are suppose to call me today with the estimate. Mo money, mo money, mo money. I just hope it can get fixed by the 20th. This is when we leave Arlington and go to my parents before we head out on our trip.
Side note: I asked the secretary at the shop if they work on Vanagon's (some shops don't like to). She said "Sure, not a problem. We just replaced the engine in the Scoobie Doo van.", while looking through the window at my van to confirm it's the same kind.
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Sorry to hear about your Van. It sounds like it might be pretty serious. I have not had good experiences with overheating. It happened twice and in both cases I cracked the head gasket. I hope that is not the case in your situation. Take Care, Aunt Mindy :)
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