Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:57:50 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: I-4 coolant leak from block?
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hi.
I would be suspicious of frost plugs then..
if they were replaced.
lots of people thing NEW is absolutely better...
I think 'it depends.'
sometimes the new parts are not the same, or quite as good as the originals,
or sometimes there is a workmanship fault.
I just looked at the flywheel end of a 1.6 TD block..
there is a 'frost plug like' plug there...but it's for the intermediate shaft bore ..
if there's coolant coming out of there ...you're in big trouble !
on that flange at the end of the head...
two things .....those are often installed incorrectly.
it's offset. There is a tab on the outer edge of the gasket that looks like it should mate with the flange ..
but if you assemble it correctly ....offset of the main hole relative to the bolt holes...that extra tab of gasket sticks out on the other side of the flange side.....kinda weird that way. Those are often installed 'the other way around' ...doesn't hurt much though.
the other ...sealing .........I really like to use Toyota Black Silicone there ...
that stuff is for sealing bare water pumps to aluminum engine blocks...no gasket, no o-ring ..just sealant.
I use that there....usually on a gasket, or the thin remains of one if it's evenly flat.
if you saw steam...that makes me think of coolant spraying onto the exhaust system. For actual visible steam to appear, it would have to be something pretty hot like that I'd think.
Scott
----- Original Message -----
From: Shawn Wright
To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans
Cc: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 9:31 PM
Subject: Re: I-4 coolant leak from block?
Scott,
Sounds like a pressure test is in order. Yes, I check the flange on the head, but will check again, as it's leaked before. Could be the steam I saw was residual coolant in the b/h area, as I only ran it 15 minutes or so. It's a slow leak, like maybe 1-2" in fill tank after 1000 miles, but it hasn't leaked a drop since the rebuild until now. Frost plugs were replaced, which is what made me think of them.
On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 9:24 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
can you pressure test it ?
I did see one diesel block cracked right at a head bolt hole on that end of the block once.
Just that one ever though.
and that flange on the end of the head ......you checked that ?
leaking freeze plug seems unlikely to me , at least I have never seen one ....maybe one on the underside of the block ..
but never in the bell housing area. .
Head gasket possibly of course. I don't like to see the heads left on 'just forever' ..like 8 years is a long time.
pressure test would be a good test to do.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message ----- From: "Shawn Wright" <vwdiesels@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 8:52 PM
Subject: I-4 coolant leak from block?
My 1.6TD has developed a coolant leak which appears to be from the end of
the block - coolant is appearing between the block and bellhousing.
Possibilities I can think of are failed head gasket right at end of block,
leaking frost plug on end, or cracked block. Anything else I should check? I
just took it for a drive to get hot, and then looked everywhere for leaks
but all I could find is dampness/steam on the bellhousing area - all the
hoses/fittings appear dry.
Yes... it's back on the road, and no, I don't want to talk about brakes. :-/
--
Shawn Wright
'88 TD Westy
--
Shawn Wright
