Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:21:32 -0400
Reply-To: pdooley <psdooley@VERIZON.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: pdooley <psdooley@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: Re: Engine Removal
In-Reply-To: <613379.96272.qm@web82712.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
David, I am a little paranoid about taking anything in for service.
I would mark the parts with a very small, inconspicuous marking or symbol in
a very inconspicuous place that will not get ground down or machined off by
the shop.
Take several digital pictures of the part with the markings showing before
dropping off at the machine shop.
You may still get screwed in the end but at least you can prove your point
and give the crooks a good scare.
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
David Kao
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 5:49 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Engine Removal
When I was much younger and inexperienced I sent a BMW 2002 head to a
machine shop for a valve job. They called me the next day and told me
that I had a crack on the head. I rushed back to the shop and saw
a head that I could not recognize and it had a severe crack. My head
did not have a crack like that before I sent it in. I could not do
anything to prove that it wasn't the one I sent in. I swallowed the loss.
A few years passed by and I saw on the news that the machine shop was
busted by police. The district attorney received many complaints about
the shop and launched an investigation. The shop owner was indicted
and the shop was closed. My BMW was not smog compliant and I eventually
gave it up to charity. The incident of the head prevented me getting too
deep into rebuilding it. I am glad that I gave it up.
But I have since developed a fear of going into a machine shop. I am
not trying to say all machine shops are run by crooks. What will you
do to avoid being victimized by machine shops? Of course I am now
much more experienced and I probably can avoid it by natural gut
feeling about a machine shop. But I am not sure how to identify a
good one from a bad one without getting some business done first.
David
--- Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
> Craig, send your heads out to a machine shop. They will do a valve job
> for you and also repair the exhaust studs no problems for not much
> money. They will also clean the heads and when you get them back you
> won't recognize them. Have fun and if you need anything please feel
> free to give me an email or call.
>
> Sincerely,
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> www.vanagain.com
>
>
> craig cowan wrote:
> > Hey Gang. As some of you may know, i've had nothing but engine troubles
for
> > about....a year and a half now. I just gave up. Something needed to be
> > done...
> > So i made arrangements with local Vanagon Guy Walt Spak to buy a good
> > running 1.9 from him. I still have dreams of a conversion someday, and
still
> > hope to do one eventually, maybe on my next van. But i need to get this
van
> > running for the summer, and i am home from college on spring break after
my
> > spring break plans fell through, so i thought "What better time than
now?".
> > Yesterday i got down and dirty with it, and successfully removed the
engine
> > for the first time! I was supprised as to how smoothly everything went,
and
> > it was so nice having the engine out! I had every intention on replacing
my
> > engine and all the components, as i have vaccuum leaks, everythings
rusty
> > beyond use, and my fuel injection system just SUCKS. In addition, after
last
> > summers exhaust issues ($500 in labor to have them screw up and 'fix'
their
> > screwup after breaking a drillbit off inside my head...all in order to
> > replace a single $2.50 exhaust gasket...), i had no intention on EVER
> > reusing that head.
> > With signs of headgasket leakage immenant, and a clutch that was too
weak to
> > make it out of the driveway... it was time to do something.
> >
> > A single college student with little mechanical background can remove a
> > vanagon engine with only an assistant for the latter portions of the
engine
> > removal. To go a few steps further, today i pulled the entire intake,
> > exhaust, fuel injection, and cooling systems, reducing my engine to a
block.
> > For curiosity's sake....i pulled the heads (some trouble with the
cylinders
> > trying to come out with the heads....). With the heads off it was
obvious
> > that this really IS a low milege engine (Supposedly a canadian rebuild)
as i
> > was told by the previous owner! Not a single crack between the valves,
minor
> > pitting, and everything looks as if its been working well! Long story
short,
> > it looks like i'll be reusing this engine and just replacing everything
> > around it! Aside from a few broken bolts, and some concerns about fixing
my
> > one exhaust port "propperly", i think this should be a good candidate to
> > make my van run and run well!
> >
> > Tommorow, I'll be dropping the gas tank (to revise my resealing of last
> > year), and replacing the rusted out coolant pipes using a good used set.
> > This should be quite a wrestling match, i have NO idea how well these
will
> > go in, as they were plently hard to get out of the parts car...
> > Any tips for this?
> >
> > Once the engine's back in with a bunch of good new and good used parts,
i
> > can start on the body : )
> >
> > Thanks for all the help and advice from so many of you! I've learned so
> > much, and i'm confident now more than ever in my abilities to work on
> > vanagons!
> >
> > -Craig
> > '85GL
> >
> >
> >
>
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