Date:         Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:07:50 -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: 1985 Vanagon - unique head leak - not at gasket - 1 inch to
              the              left at #2 top bolt?
Comments: To: AAG - Larry Word <word_aag@COMCAST.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <000e01c89143$91d39ca0$6601a8c0@WordHomePC>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

There was just another report of leaking at a head nut on a waterboxer
engine recently.  Same case here ? or different ? 

60K is a lot of miles.  That's 5 years at 12k a year. 
Only things that come to my mind are the sealing surface is rough, that goop
isn't' that good, or a crack there in the head. 
  I usually end up with left over tubes of sealant from a waterboxer head
gasket set, including the smaller tube of the bright yellow stuff for the
head nuts.
 So I tried some on something else, to see what characteristics it had -
didn't seem to cure or get hard or anything, so I wonder how that stuff even
works at all, but it does, and I have had fine luck with it. 

How about this theory- that stud wasn't screwed in the block as far as it
should be, and the cap nut is bottomed out on the end of the stud, rather
than pressing against the head properly ? 
  I was appalled the first time I realized the head nuts also seal in
coolant.  Totally a joke.  But usually they seal just fine until the next
head job. 
Scott
www.turbovans.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
AAG - Larry Word
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 7:21 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: 1985 Vanagon - unique head leak - not at gasket - 1 inch to the
left at #2 top bolt?

My daily driver Vanagon has many miles on it.....

Today, in a mid-200 mile work trip, I sprung a leak - left (driver's) side
head.
It appears to be leaking from bolt #2 (counting from forwardmost bolt back
to rear of engine 1-4)

What would be occuring these heads were used and install probably 60K miles
ago w/o any troubles since.....

Larry 
Ga.

What I'm asking is could the leak just be the bolt sealant or is my head
likely cracked?


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