Date:         Tue, 13 Dec 2005 19:55:30 -0800
Reply-To:     Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: cylinder head drain plug
Comments: To: Roger Sisler <rogersisler2000@yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2005121317254574@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Congrats on your daughter's graduation Roger. Have you tried putting some
high temperature silicone over your epoxy putty? It might even replace  it
in the  place where the gasket was.  Just thinking.

On 12/13/05, Roger Sisler <rogersisler2000@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Thanks all. The concensous is to go ahead and take it out with a standard
> hex scoket. Solid.  I redid my off the wall head gasket repair last
> weekend.It worked,and I am now driving again,but it is leaking at night
> when the tempature gets low(a few ounces).Have to go in  there again
> (D#M).This leak will stop in warm weather, but I want it stopped now.I
> under estimated the tenasity of this head gasket to leak dispite my
> complete and undivided attention. It leaks at each end of the section that
> I cut out(7 inches). I know how to fix this ,but I guess I was not
> respectful enough towards this bada** head gasket.I need to cut the top
> rubber flap on each end, back to the point that the gasket still in the
> groove is still holding back coolant.Then apply the  Quick Steel puddy
> over
> this gasket and press it into the end where the rubber meets the puddy.I
> didnt do this to the letter well enough ,and the gasket knew it.Total
> gasket removed will be about 9 inches of gasket.Not a repair for the faint
> of heart.When I removed the old puddy from the previous repair,the puddy
> that was in the groove was still doing its' job.The previous repair failed
> because I failed to clean the engine case well  enough.The JBWeld didnt
> fail because of high tempatures.Got to pay special attention ,plus, to
> each
> end.Thats the key.The space between each end,no matter how large, is ez
> provided the water jacket is dry,dry,dry.I had to drill the actual groove
> puddy out with a small drill.The perfect puddy would be an expanding
> puddy,
> like the expanding morter that brick layers have to patch with.I removed
> all the oxidation around the gasket with a drill/wire brush,then sanded it
> by hand with 80 grit.Pretty! As a final touch, I added a lump of puddy
> over
> each pushrod tube between the top of the tube and the rubber gasket above
> it.This will act as 4 braces to hold the gasket inplace if it decides to
> leak along this area,sometime in the future.I would give you all
> pictures,but I dont have a digital camper ,and I can barely use this
> computer anyway.My son comes home from college this week,Maybe I can get
> him to do it.My daughter graduates from college this weekend,and I trust
> this repair enough to drive the 300 miles.Knock on wood.
>



--
Jake
1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
www.crescentbeachguitar.com