Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2013 12:17:49 -0700
Reply-To: Tom Carchrae <tom@CARCHRAE.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tom Carchrae <tom@CARCHRAE.NET>
Subject: off with her heads
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My head removal is going ok so far. (84 1.9L) I have spent relatively
little time on it so far, but am keen to get the job finished before too
long.
Only minor exhaust wrestling - one broken stud (although with an ample
amount remaining to grip and remove). I will replace with all new
fasteners; I would love to get the van-cafe set, which seems like a deal
for $18, but the ~$50 shipping to canada makes that pretty expensive. :/
I have the heads loosened, but not fully removed. I'm now faced with the
typical cylinder stuck to head issue, and after some tapping and poking
with the tools I had on hand, I am going to buy a suitably sized pry bar to
stick in there behind the tabs. That all seems pretty straightforward.
On the driver side, I have not removed the water pump or thermostat
housing. Do I need to? It is attached to the head with a very short
rubber tube, that does not feel very flexible - I had originally hoped I
could slide the head off and that rubber would bend a bit and come off but
I'm not sure about that.
When I pulled the driver's side push rods, the bottoms of them appeared to
have black stuff cooked on to the metal, not serious amounts, but the other
side's push rods were all shiny and clean looking. Is that suspicious?
What I can see of the heads looks a bit crusty, but hopefully I'll get a
better view soon when the cylinder sleeves are un-stuck.
The rubber seal (looked like a thin rubber band) around the end of the
sleeves were badly damaged on one side. I also pulled out a chewing gum
sized wad of some strange blue stuff - looked nearly like blue-tack - or
maybe blueberry bubble gum?!?... There was also a lot of sealant around
the waterjacket seal, which seemed normal, but was a different colour (more
white-coloured).
The engine is still in the van at this point. I may drop it out, but will
see how I go. I bought a VW engine bench stand mount just in case. As I
understand it, the worst part of leaving the engine in there, aside from a
sore back, is getting everything lined up when it is vertical, and it
sounds like grease will work well as a temporary 'glue' for any gaskets
that don't get sealant on them - and probably a pushrod tube holder
(styrofoam and duct tape?).
Enjoying the job so far. We'll see, I may be cursing a bit more when I am
re-assembling.
Tom