Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 10:39:33 -0500
Reply-To: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Leaky valve cover tip of iceberg
In-Reply-To: <080520081507.10207.48986CAD000A85E6000027DF2216554886CE0103040A050C@comcast.net>
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Wow. Your car reminds me of the joke where the doctor names off all these
body fluid samples that he's going to need from the patient, who replies
"I'm in a hurry, doc. Can I just leave you with my underwear?"
All the stuff you mention is annoying, to say the least, except for the part
about the coolant in the oil, which could be catastrophic, or at least it is
pointing to a catastrophe if that's in fact what it is.
So what's the problem, exactly? Do you find oil in your coolant (look under
the coolant cap and inspect the contents of the tank) or is there water in
your oil (a greyish-brown mess on your dipstick)? If you already know you're
leaking oil on the case through a hole in the valve cover, it may be that
you also have a coolant leak via a rubber head gasket and it's mixing with
the oil on the outside of the engine. Let's hope.
To find out more, start the car in the morning (or sometime it is completely
cold) and let it run for no more than 30 seconds. Then shut it off and
remove the coolant cap. If you hear a burp, you need a cylinder head gasket
or new heads. If you don't, then you probably just need rubber head gaskets
and to clean up the rest of all those leaks. I can tell you from experience
that it's a good time to take care of all that other stuff when the car is
down for rubber head gaskets. If you pull the engine to do it, you can take
care of that leaking transmission seal properly, too.
Jim
On Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 10:07 AM, Cecil Eastman <ckelmo1@comcast.net> wrote:
> This is from that Pampers-wearin' 85 Westy again.
>
> Good news: I seem to have fixed the annoying drip of ATF from the tranny by
> adding some thickener to the fluid.
>
> Bad news: The power steering lines are still leaking like a sieve,
> regardless of the viscosity of the fluid. I'm thinking I'll have to try
> Ken's replacement hydraulic lines for the rusty metal ones.
>
> Worse news: The oil leak at the valve head still leaks after replacing the
> gaskets, at least on the driver's side. I did notice a small hole rusted
> through the valve head right at the gasket, so that may be the culprit, but
> that ain't all. Turns out that the leaking fluid is a mixture of oil and
> coolant. So am I looking at a cylinder head job here, or hopefully just
> some seals? I don't know what other criteria I should be checking to see if
> the heads themselves are bad.
>
> All guidance is gratefully appreciated.
>
> Cecil
> '85 Westy
>
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