Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2007 15:57:22 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: How to do a head reseal on a diesel vanagon?
In-Reply-To: <46EEF88F.8090605@earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
I'm sure you are quite right - not reasonable at all that it would be
original at that many miles. Third time makes sense for sure.
Overheated ? - that's 'normal' on diesel vanagons !
Just joking, but I'm eluding to the fact that even with impeccable
maintenance, like new phosphate free coolant every two years, for example,
even with that they are weak and delicate................
and ......there's this OTHER tendency I've noticed for years in
cars - cheap cars are owned by cheap people. They just drive them. They
know to change the oil, but that's about it. Combine those - cheap car,
cheap owner, delicate equipment....recipe for trouble.
There WAS time you could tell a car needed attention because it
didn't work as smoothly as it normally did, back in the points and carb
days. They got out of tune slightly, you knew it was time for something.
On cars that tend to work nicely anyway.....a diesel vanagon tends
to run the same for quite a long, long time........things are getting worn
out, and dry, and lube is getting old, brake fluid is getting old and
water-contaminated, gear oil gets old, CV joints get dry etc....but if your
'barometer' is how the van runs - and you think the whole van is fine
because it's working 'normally' and you do that for years, you're just
driving it into the ground.
And EVEN taking it to a shop twice a year for service is no guarantee
that you'll actually get real service done. I worked on one Rabbit with
rotted out freeze plugs - and the owner was so proud that her one regular
mechanic had maintained her car for just years and years - I asked her about
changing the coolant - nope , he never mentioned that. *Somebody* has to
take care of these great vehicles if they expect them to work safety,
reliably, and last well.
A partial list of vanagons I have for sale :
86 Syncro Westy, 93 subaru 2.2 engine conversion, rebuilt trans. Big bucks,
over 20K, many great features.
82 sunroof diesel vanagon, near show room condition, stored indoors, not
'really' quite for sale yet. I'd rather preserve it than see someone trash
it. To a good home only.
82 Diesel Westy, perfect 'light green metallic mist' paint and body, 97
Subaru 2.2 engine, presold, but haven't heard for a while from the buyers.
Can be diesel or gas.
86 GL vanagon, silver, perfect body, no rust.
83 Westy, 2.1 waterboxer engine, 1.9 fuel system, runs strongly, no dents.
Under $ 6k fully serviced and fussed over from one end to the other.
85 Hi top Adventurewagen. Perfect body, no dents, no rust. Full stock
perfect condition AW interior including furnace. Up to $ 15K if turbo
diesel. Might be putting in a 2.7 liter six cylinder Subaru XT-6 engine to
try it out that way, or that engine might go somewhere else.
84 GL 'semi-beater' low cost vanagon. Stock. Inspected and serviced
throughout. Under $ 2,500
aren't we having vanagonfun !!
scott
www.turbovans.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Mark Drillock
Sent: Monday, September 17, 2007 2:59 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: How to do a head reseal on a diesel vanagon?
You make good points but I would be surprised if the head is truly
original at 165k anyway. I consider it more likely that this will be the
third time the head is off than the first. Some live long lives but many
don't, particularly Camper models, and the 82s without the coolant level
sensor are more likely to be overheated at some point in their lives
when a leak occurs.
Mark
Scott Daniel - Shazam wrote:
> I'm being facetious, but you should automatically retire the head on a
> diesel vanagon with 1.6NA at 160K miles. I'll be surprised if the head
> itself is decent or useable on this job, but we'll see - maybe it's fine.
> In any case, do a nice clean job on a head gasket job, and hope for the
> best...................or ...............
> I don't know the exact situation of your friend or that relationship or
any
> of that of course - but I have seen cases where the customer goes for the
> very cheap repair, and then is upset when it doesn't work out. Of all cars
> out there in the world, overall ...a stock diesel vanagon with 1.6NA is
WAY
> up the scale of a poorly made, over-stressed engine, often with a poor or
> cheap owner as well......be careful is all I want to say, very careful.
> The way I'd approach the job, I'd sell it as a head removal and inspection
> job first, and then see how things look and consider options at that
point.
> Agreeing to just slap in a new head gasket and hope for the best ......all
I
> can say is that 'some people' , no matter how many times you tell them
it's
> an emergency risky temporary repair, they get their hopes up that it'll be
> fine for 5 more years, and they're very upset AT THE CAR TECHNICAIN WHO
DID
> THE WORK when it doesn't work out. ( btdt ) I doubt I would enter into
> this job professionally unless there was good money available to deal with
> whatever comes up. Red flags all over the place here, so be very careful.
> scott
> www.turbovans.com
>
>
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