Hi fellow 4 vanlifers. I wish there were more of us here on saidit

submitted by AmWomanDontCallMeBro from self.vanlife

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[–]Zapped 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

Thermostat is easiest and cheapest to change, but could be the water pump, fan clutch, or even a leaky radiator or hose.

[–]Musky 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

The fan clutch, really? I think mine is out and the only issue is the AC doesn't work unless I'm moving.

I'd think the hose or radiator leaking would be easy to tell by checking the coolant levels or looking at the ground.

Water pump would be a bitch, they're often hard to get at.

Flushing the coolant doesn't seem like it's likely to work to me, what do you think?

[–]Zapped 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I've had two fan clutches go out. Both times, the AC wouldn't cool unless I was moving and one time the vehicle would overheat when running fast or pulling weight.

Sometimes you won't see a leak unless under load (higher pressures). Most shops have a pressure test kit for coolant systems. Some do it for no extra fee and some will charge over $100 on top of what you have it in for.

[–]AmWomanDontCallMeBro[S] 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Refreshing to hear you know all the inner workings of a vehicle and how to diagnose stuff. Thankfully I topped off the antifreeze / coolant which wasn't very low to begin with, and started up the van and the error light never came back on and I drove a few hundred more smooth miles no problems. As soon as I get settled I will take it to a mechanic for a complete diagnostic everything because I just drove 6,000 miles across the whole country and back all in the month of april. Whew

[–]Zapped 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Ok. Just a "low coolant" light and not actually overheating, then. Good deal. If it happens again, I would get it checked for leaks.