Tikkabik

So I had to drive up to Marlborough -- about 90 miles away -- on Friday to meet with a client. On the way back, the van started to heat up. It never actually overheated, but it got close. The temperature gauge in the van spans from 100 to 260 degrees Fahrenheit. Usually the gauge stays glued at around 150 or 160 degrees, but rarely does it get any higher. During that drive, it regularly spiked up to almost 250, and never dropped below 200.

Chevy vans like this one use "Dex-Cool," and they advise you against mixing it with conventional "green" antifreeze (Dex-Cool is orange) -- it's tough to find the special stuff at filling stations. I kept my eye out for an auto parts place but never found one.

Anyway, I limped home. The next morning I bought a gallon of Dex-Cool and cut it 50/50 with water. The van drank a gallon and a half. No wonder it was running hot.

The bigger problem, though: The antifreeze was pouring out almost as fast as I was pouring it in. I lost another half-gallon in the next day.

This morning my mechanic worked on it, and replaced the water pump. Almost $400 worth of work, but the van's not peeing everywhere now.

*sigh.*