Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:01:27 -0700
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Leaking head nut
In-Reply-To: <4BD9A692.6090808@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Try some "leak stop" crap. If you are planning on a new motor anyhow, just
put some goo in there and drive it anyway...I dunno about WBX and stop leak
crap, but I bet plenty of em are driving around right now full of that
stuff. I've used it in the past on some vehicles and done cross country
trips without leaks coming back.
If you are lucky..
Don Hanson
On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 8:32 AM, Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@comcast.net> wrote:
> Roger, how do I know? Been There Done That. I feel your pain. Maybe
> someone has a good used AMC head they can sell you.
>
>
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> www.vanagain.com
>
>
> Roger VanTill wrote:
>
>> And the winner is............Ken Wilford! I took a good look at that
>> area and I can see the hairline crack. I'm f*cked! Due to unemployment
>> and a future Zetec install I couldn't afford to get new heads. They
>> looked fine and were only seeping at the gasket.
>>
>> Time to cry in my beer and figure out what's next.
>>
>> On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 8:08 AM, Ken Wilford <kenwilfy@comcast.net
>> <mailto:kenwilfy@comcast.net>> wrote:
>>
>> Roger, if you reused your old heads then what you have is a
>> hairline crack at the head nut. This is a common failure with the
>> OE VW heads as they have a thin spot right there and can crack
>> upon retorqueing. That is why I very, very rarely ever use them.
>> I always use the AMC heads which are brand new, but also they are
>> beefed up in this area to avoid this problem. Most of my
>> customers come here from at least 2 to 3 hours away. I don't want
>> them to have any problems because unlike a local shop, I just
>> don't have the "luxury" of taking chances and having people come
>> back. So I decided a long time ago that if a customer comes in
>> with heads that have any cracks between the valves, and we are
>> doing a head gasket replacement, I will always recommend new AMC
>> heads. I have never had one single problem with them over the
>> past 12 years of doing head replacements. Many happy Vanagons out
>> there still purring down the road.
>>
>> Just my opinion.
>>
>>
>> Ken Wilford
>> John 3:16
>> www.vanagain.com <http://www.vanagain.com>
>>
>>
>>
>> Roger VanTill wrote:
>>
>> I rebuilt my 2.1 this spring. Was very careful, read
>> everything I could,
>> watched Ben's videos, etc. Got the motor and new tranny
>> installed. Filled
>> the system with coolant this afternoon. It's sitting there,
>> not started yet,
>> unpressurized. I've got a coolant leak coming from one of the
>> upper center
>> head bolts on the driver side. Tears are still falling as I
>> write this.
>>
>> Yes I sanded the bolts flat and cleaned up the mating surface
>> on the head. I
>> used the yellow goop that came with the gasket set.
>>
>> Should I just drain it, remove the leaking cap nut and reseal
>> it? Do I trust
>> the other 15?
>>
>> Looking for advice and a pat on the back to tell me it'll be
>> alright.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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