Date:         Fri, 19 Mar 2004 08:48:02 -0600
Reply-To:     Birkenfeld Jeff <BirkenfeldJeff@JOHNDEERE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Birkenfeld Jeff <BirkenfeldJeff@JOHNDEERE.COM>
Subject:      Re: Water pumps and head gaskets (eek)
Comments: To: ahurley@VIEWIT.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Andree writes:
By the time I got to the ferry (30-50 miles) the reservoir was bone dry.
I added water twice on the way home to Port Townsend - another fifty
miles? When it finally stopped raining I saw a leaking on the right of
the engine (the water pump is on the left) and after taking to several
mechanics think it's the head gasket.

Jeff replies:
I'd say it's the head gasket.  You write that you added water to the
reservoir; do you mean the coolant bottle under the decklid?  If you
really added coolant/water to the coolant bottle under the decklid when
it was bone dry and engine hot (within 15 minutes of shutting it down)
I'd guess the coolant vaporized and created excess pressure in the
coolant jacket thereby rupturing the rubber head gasket.  I've done that
very thing.
$900 seems high to me but I do all of my own work, material runs about
$200 as I recall.

Jeff