My '86 Vanagon has 178k miles on the odometer. The PO had headgaskets, oil pump, one head (used), a couple of lifters and a rocker arm assembley replaced. Test drive seemed fine, and I bought it. Well , it didn't take long before I had overheating issues that I ultimately found to be exhaust gasses blowing into the coolant. Pulled the heads, one was junk with a crack between the valves. I had the good head and another head rebuilt and pressure tested. I've pulled the barrels and pistons, and I am wondering whether to rebuild the bottom end, or not. Side play on the connecting rods seems normal. I can't feel any play when I push/pull toward or away from the crankshaft. I'm also wondering if it's normal for the core to show what looks like fine cracks on the solid area to the left of the connecting rod (see photos). Wrist pin wear looks minimal and the pistons look pretty good, but I'll probably replace the pistons. Thanks for any advice, Tom |
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