Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 15:03:26 -0400
Reply-To: Ben huot <huotx@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ben huot <huotx@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Subject: Re: Head gasket leak - does retorquing work?
Hi,
Re-Torque the stud won't do much (pretty sure)! But if you try, yes torque
first to see if you had the right torque before and unscrew to reseal.
If the radiator are heathers core are old and will need change in a near
future, put 2 bottle of radiator STOP LEAK in your cooling system, that
should do the job for a year (it did stop my leaks!). (IF THEY ARE NEW,
DON'T USE THIS METHOD, this stuff is known for partially clogging
radiators)
This is a short term "band-aid", doing that for too long will result in a
high cost heads overall and new rad.
>>If I have a water jacket leak, is it likely that I have coolant in my
combustion chamber leak also?<<<
NO, not necessarily. But if you have coolant in the system (combustion
chamber, and you should have with smoke in the back) there is a good risk
that you will have a slow piston rings seizure. (That what coolant is doing
to the rings on a long run) with time coolant will also make it's way into
the oil, resulting in an oil level increase or vice versa. (Long term!)
Basically when you have a pistons ring seizure, you are up for all kinds of
problem, including low compression, heating, liquid (Oil/Coolant) mix-up.
Of what I know about the vanagon engine leaks history, the outer flexible
gasket is the main problem. I DID NOT CHANGE MY DEAP O-RING when I did my
job (The one at the base of the cylinder), even if one of the sleeve
(cylinder) was moved. I was not in the mood to play with the piston pin and
engine cylinder with the engine still in the van. (Yes, it is possible to
do so)
Logically, having a bottom O-ring failure should result in a lost of
coolant (coolant in oil), I am pretty sure that the coolant pressure exceed
the oil pressure in the bottom of the cylinder (But that is only
speculation from my part). Anyway, if it's the opposite, you will have oil
in the cooling system resulting in a coolant rising and color change.
>>>Follow-up question, any damage to be done by driving it (assuming I have
no combustion chamber leak and if I keep it topped up)?<<<
Yes, the area of the gasket that leaks could result (with time) with a head
mating surface pitting. Leak should be stop as soon as detected (money
wise)
Doing the top head gasket job is a joke if you are slightly mechanically
inclined.
The heads gaskets job is a 4-hour job per head (gasket job, not the
draining part).
2 common problems can occur:
-Stuck exhaust bolt, they will be stuck for sure, if they are stripped cut
them with a metal saw or any high speed cutting tool to remove the head and
have the remaining of them remove when the head is out.
-Stuck cylinder to head matting surface = get the head out to about 1 and a
half inch (no more or you will get the piston rings outside the cylinder),
bang the cylinder portion all around with a rod with some rubber at one
end.
I wish I had my "heads gaskets change" pictures / procedure. I took 35
pictures (including pictures of the stuck cylinder) when I did the job,
very clear and precise picture. They are gone for now!!
Regards, Ben
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