Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 13:50:54 -0700
Reply-To: Dan Snow <dieselvanagon@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dan Snow <dieselvanagon@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Dan's Diesel Rebuild Part 4
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
This morning I finally got into puling the head off my diesel in
anticipation of putting it on a good bottom end. Let me just say before I
start that this is turning out to be simpler than I thought it would be
(famous last words, I know). Really, it is very intimidating for an amateur
to do something like this. But today went well and it was quite simple. My
description may sound complicated, but it's just a matter of looking at what
holds the head on and undoing that stuff.
I got our family "barf bowl" (it's big) and put it under the engine. I
loosened the lowest cooling hose I could find and drained as much of the
coolant out as I could.
I undid the four nuts holding the exhaust manifold to the exhaust pipe. They
had been soaking for a few days in WD-40, so it wasn't bad at all. There was
one bolt holding the exhaust to a little heat shield; undid that.
Left injectors in the head, but unbolted the fuel lines at the injectors.
Unbolted the connection from glowplug #4 to the car. Unbolted two bolts
holding the coolant line to the head. Then the coolant line closest to the
front of the van. Temp sense wires and another (oil pressure?) wire.
Loosened the belt tensioner, slipped off the belt. I unbolted the head bolts
and there was a little residual coolant leakage.
So with a little jiggling and cursing, I pulled the head off. I rotated it
(looking at it from the back) clockwise about 90 degrees and pulled it up
out of the engine bay. I had to hold it with one hand while I fished my keys
out of my pocket to unlock the sliding door and put it in on the floor.
Didn't think ahead on that one. I guess this is one good thing about
aluminum heads--they're light.
Upon first inspection the head looks great. The PO claims it is a new head.
I do see a little surface irregularity, maybe cracking but maybe not,
between a few of the valves.
Question: Anyone know how much cracking is acceptable? The cylinders look
fine, too. Even #2, whose big-end connecting rod bearing welded itself to
the crankshaft, looks fine.
So all the parts are sitting in the van. I can't think of an automobile with
a larger volume/engine size ratio. Try putting your Camaro engine in the
trunk while you rebuild it.
I have a call in to my buddy with the dasher 1.6D block, and we will put
rings in it and put this head on it. I am hopeful now.
Sorry for the length.
Daniel Snow
PhD Student
UC Berkeley
'82 Vanagon Diesel
'78 Puch Maxi Luxe Moped
'01 Xootr Scooter
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