I think I'm getting the runaround!

[toddschneider]

Took my '93 Astro van (125K) to the local repair shop for a new thermostat, coolant flush and new battery. Drove it home (ran fine), parked it for a few days... could barely start it (blowing black smoke). Died at a light on my way back there, towed it back and am told it needed major tuneup.

They did the work and still not running right, finally they replaced a coolant sensor(?) which they say fixed it. Drove it home and its leaking coolant from freeze plug.

Anyone know how a thermostat replacement could cause a major meltdown? The van drove fine before I took it in. How would the freeze plug go bad?

-T

[CD Smalley]

Freeze plugs can corrode and begin to leak. I had it happen on my 9c1. If you let the cooling system go for a long time w/o flushing and replacing the coolant things like that will happen. Given the age of your van, I'm not all that surprised by freeze plug failure. Also, the coolant flush that the shop performed at your request, probably worked a bunch of corrosion loose from the freeze plug and allowed the leak to start. Now that being said I would have expected the shop to perform a pressure test to check for leaks once they were done, which the obviously did not.

Same thing I guess could be said for the sensor failure too....