Date:         Thu, 14 Oct 2004 11:52:48 -0500
Reply-To:     Al and Sue Brase <albeeee@MCHSI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Al and Sue Brase <albeeee@MCHSI.COM>
Subject:      Re: AMC Heads (My views)
Comments: To: Kenneth Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <003001c4b20a$971e29d0$6500a8c0@DELL>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

That reinforces my belief that it is NOT the coolant. My brother bought
a new 1987 that needed new heads in about 2 years. Where did the bad
antifreeze come from? Hannover Volkswagenwerk, that's where! It's
something else- alloy, electrical current, something. All that said.
Jbweld and factory gaskets/ sealant has bought 7 years on one fix. (3.5
times as good as VW new ones!)

Kenneth Wilford wrote:

>Corrosion resistance:
>Not only have I not had any valve problems but I have also had the
>chance to inspect a set of these heads that have been installed on a
>customer's van for about six years.  During that time the engine sat for
>about 4 years (this is the worst case scenerio for head corrosion).  The
>coolant in the engine was Walmart Tech 2000 (gasp, horror, gasp) green
>with water from my spigot mixed at 50/50.  The coolant is phosphate
>free.  Are you ready for the result on the head sealing surface?  How
>much corrosion would you guess was there?  Zero!  Nothing.  Now if these
>were the factory VW heads they would have been pitted to snot by this
>time.  I have looked over the service records of countless Vanagons and
>many of them needed new heads because of pitting problems after only
>four or five years (this is using the magical blue antifreeze as well).
>They have changed the alloy of the head with the AMC heads and also
>reinforced it with more metal in a spot where they tended to crack.
>
>
>