Date:         Mon, 13 Jan 2003 16:38:01 -0800
Reply-To:     mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         mark drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: update: Re: major problems?
Comments: To: Anthony Bailey <abailey@CLAS.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Tony, remove the valve covers and do the add coolant bit again. It is
not uncommon for a failure at one of the head studs to allow coolant
into the cover and from there it drains through a pushrod tube into the
block. The lower 4 head studs on each side are inside the valve cover.
These studs first pass through the water jacket and then through the
head into the cover. A special sealer compound is put on each nut before
the nut is installed and this is supposed to seal the coolant from
getting into the valve cover.

I have seen several 1.9 engines where one of the stud corrodes where it
passes through the water jacket, breaks in halve, and then fails to seal
at the nut inside the cover. 2.1 engines are getting up there in age now
so this may be a growing problem with them as well.

Mark

Anthony Bailey wrote:
> ...........
>
> I removed the coolant tank lid and listened to the sounds as coolant
> left it and then I reinstalled the lid. No coolant drained out of the
> oil cooler. However I thought I might open my the oil drain plug
> again to see if any more coolant had gotten in there, sure enough
> quite a bit of coolant drained out into my container.
>
> So it looks like head gaskets or heads or engine, really no way to
> tell without removing the engine and opening it up, correct?? I've
> got the Haynes & Bentley manuals, so that's kinda where I stand the
> moment. Not really looking forward to this, but I guess here I go....
> Tony
>
>