Well, I guess it was going to happen eventually but yesterday the radiator on my 1995 Chevy Astro Van finally decided to die in a big way. For some time, the radiator coolent had been slowly leaking and I was hoping against all hopes that I could keep filling it up and limp by until after tax season...but no such luck.
Sunday, while I was driving to the stables, the temperature begain to climb almost to the red line. I turned on the heater (this sometimes will bleed off some of the heat) and limped into the stable. I then popped the hood and checked the coolent level- completely dry! Great, I'd just filled it a couple of days back and figured I was good to go...I filled up the reservoir with water again and then went off to do my riding with Max.
Some five hours later just before leaving the stables, I checked the coolent level again- dry! This is serious. I filled it up again and left for home.
The next day I took the van to the mechanic. After some testing to determine where the leak was located, it was determined that there were two cracks in the radiator (it's made of plastic) and it was obvious it had been spewing coolent all over the engine.
Naturally, the mechanic also recommended replacing the hoses since they had never been replaced since the van was bought in 1995 (it would cost more having to do the job separately). Naturally, I agreed...the thermistat also needed replacement so the bill came out to $450 in total. Crap! And I was hoping to buy some more horse tack for my Punitive Expedition impression!!
I hope Max doesn't get ill or injured...it's not like I'm made of $$$!
Sunday, while I was driving to the stables, the temperature begain to climb almost to the red line. I turned on the heater (this sometimes will bleed off some of the heat) and limped into the stable. I then popped the hood and checked the coolent level- completely dry! Great, I'd just filled it a couple of days back and figured I was good to go...I filled up the reservoir with water again and then went off to do my riding with Max.
Some five hours later just before leaving the stables, I checked the coolent level again- dry! This is serious. I filled it up again and left for home.
The next day I took the van to the mechanic. After some testing to determine where the leak was located, it was determined that there were two cracks in the radiator (it's made of plastic) and it was obvious it had been spewing coolent all over the engine.
Naturally, the mechanic also recommended replacing the hoses since they had never been replaced since the van was bought in 1995 (it would cost more having to do the job separately). Naturally, I agreed...the thermistat also needed replacement so the bill came out to $450 in total. Crap! And I was hoping to buy some more horse tack for my Punitive Expedition impression!!
I hope Max doesn't get ill or injured...it's not like I'm made of $$$!
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