I started driving the van intending to daily drive it before I leave for Alaska on August 17th and my first trip to work it overheated!!!!!!!!!!!
This van has never overheated- ran cool always on two summer trips to Portland and to Sun Valley. As this blog shows I replaced most of the cooling system in 2016 (New Heater Core, Water Pump, Water pump housing and Thermostat) and then in May I had the radiator pulled and a bottom bracket repaired- at this time the radiator was flushed and flow tested as well.
The first thing I did to respond to the overheat was to replace the clutch fan since it seemed bad and sadly this did not repair the problem. My IDART Mechanic had other commitments so he couldn't do anymore than that so I took the van to a friend who owns a beautiful shop- Restoration Rods. He had his mechanics pull the thermostat and I got a phone call from him asking if I had installed shag carpeting in my radiator!!!!!
They found a cloth material all entangled in my thermostat and blocking my radiator channels.
When they pulled the water pump they found this:
Can you imagine this? Someone left a shop rag in my radiator and it was pulled through the system as it disintegrated!
Of course the mechanics that worked on it swear there was no shop rag---
so sad!
Now with my trip so close I need to buy a new radiator and water pump and pay the shop fees! Bad luck? I say incompetence....
I will fix it and carry on, thanks for letting me vent here.
Cheers
