I have a 1984 VW Vanagon Gas Automatic. I am learning with this vehicle. The water level indicator would every now and then blink then go back to normal. Now it keeps blinking and if I sit for a few min it will start smoking. And it looks to me to be leaking antifreeze... When it over heats. I can not find the thermostat to replace it. Help me please.
You picked a "exotic" car to learn on! The light is blinking because it's over heating. Could be a water pump but most likely it's your heads leaking. Sorry to be the barer of bad news but Vanagons are famous for this. Almost forgot, the cooling systems need "burped" after being flushed, drained or whatever. Air gets trapped around the thermostat. Also there's a bleeder valve in the back in a plastic part that's fastened to the firewall. Be careful as it's fragile and replacements may not be available. Take the grill off and you'll find a bolt on the radiator on the top passenger side as I recall. Open it slightly and let the air out. There's a Vanagon newsgroup. You should join it.
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