Date:         Fri, 7 Jan 2000 11:01:46 EST
Reply-To:     KENWILFY@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         KENWILFY@AOL.COM
Subject:      Alive! (or New Year in Georgia)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Thanks to all the folks who emailed offering help to us as we were stranded
in Georgia while I worked on my 91 Vanagon.  Here is the rest of the story.

I decided to replace both head gaskets although only one blew.  My
brother-in-law's father in law runs a small tire store and let me have a
heated bay to do the work in (Praise God!).  After removing both heads, I
could see why the gaskets blew.  They were both cracked and dry rotted.  The
one that didn't blow, would have soon.  The heads were pitted but I armed
myself with JB Weld and sent them off to be cleaned up and pressure tested.
The pressure test came back bad.  Even though the engine never showed
overheat on the gauge and I shut it off immediately when the red "low
coolant" light started blinking, both heads had cracks between the valves
that went into the water jacket.  So now a head gasket job turned into a head
replacement.

Bought a couple new AMC heads from myself along with a new waterpump.  In the
middle of putting everything back together I got the dreaded flu that is
going around this year.  Fought off nausea all day on New Years day to get
the beast back together.  Monday put on the finishing touches (still sick)
and drove it to where we were staying.  Rested and drove the van around on
Tuesday and Wednesday.  Ran great just a slightly rough idle.

Drove her back to New Jersey yesterday.  It was fine for the first 4 hours.
Then started bucking.  It would be fine at around 70 mph but if you tried to
decelerate it would buck until you let all the way out on the throttle.  Upon
pushing the throttle it would buck until you got it past a certain point and
then run smooth again.  I don't think it has anything to do with the new
heads, I am pretty sure it is fuel injection related (actually started
happening on the trip down before the head gaskets blew).

We did make it back safe and sound last night around 11 pm.  Thanks for all
the well wishes and prayers.  If you were trying to get a hold of me for the
last two weeks, I'm back and will be in the office today.

I
Thanks,
Ken Wilford
http://www.vanagain.com
John 3:16
Phone: (856)-765-1583
Shop:   (856)-327-0027
Fax:     (856)-327-2242