Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2014 03:19:11 -0800
Reply-To: Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: 89 Bluestar project
In-Reply-To: <9D9FC9AF-5480-44FD-9D26-36B48422A9C1@aol.com>
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What I can advise on:
2. As far I as know, yes. I had to yank the left head when I replaced my exhaust system due to a broken exhaust bolt, and the process was pretty much as you describe but with more detail. The pushrod protector plates had to come off and I also removed the coolant pipe that runs from water pump to thermostat. I found that a lot of stuff had to come loose\off just for access. Broken exhaust studs\bolts will be an edge-of-your-seat threat until the last one is loose. When at the last removal step of pulling the heads, be careful to knock them loose from the cylinders so that only the heads come off. Clean up, reseal and reinstall.
3. Work was done with the engine in the van, but would have been easier out and probably even better with an engine stand.
Good luck!
Stephen
On Saturday, February 1, 2014 7:50 PM, Steve Cotsford <cotsford@AOL.COM> wrote:
Well.....The cold weather finally abated somewhat here so I was back working under the van. I came to terms with the muffler and decided that the work I did to shorten the syncro heatshield was worthwhile. I still have some interference between the tailpipe and some bodywork under the bumper but I will remove the tailpipe again and shorten it by 1/2" or so to stop the intermittent light banging, which is just at idle.
At this point I have seen some some slight coolant leakage coming from both the cylinder head seals so I am assuming I have another big job, to replace the head gaskets and sealing components. I have several questions before I take this on.
1 All I know about this 2.1 engine is that it has supposedly done a bit more than 100K miles and came off a Syncro Doka. Exhaust was very heavily corroded. It was obtained separately from the 89 Bluestar but I bought it with the van but uninstalled and incomplete. Van has 140k plus.
2 Is this going to be a can of worms or is it just a question of removing the exhaust pipes and intakes from the cylinder heads, followed by loosening all the cylinder head bolts, removing valve gear, pushrods and pushrod tubes etc and then pulling the heads off?
3 Is engine removal essential or can it be done while installed?
4 I was given two very low mileage heads very many years ago and they are probably from a 1.9. This engine is a 2.1. These heads have no corrosion in the seal area and one has no cracks whatever between the valves and the other has very tiny cracks there. Are these potentially good heads to use or should I plan on reusing the existing heads?
5 I have not driven the van with this engine other than 200 yards in 1st and 2nd as it is not yet registered and insured. It seems to pull smoothly and the gear change is nice. No smoke seems to come out of the exhaust and there no ominous noises coming from the engine, Are there other tests I really should do on this engine before I decide that the head gasket job is worth while?
I have not yet been able to get the rocking out of the idle but revved up just a little or a lot it seems to be very smooth but I honestly do not know yet why the idle is not smoother than it is.
I do have some slight exhaust leaks where the J pipe is attached to the two pipes from the heads but they should be simple to repair. Could they be causing the idle rocking?
I know many people replace the original engines with something more modern and more powerful. At this point I would like to get the 2.1 running nicely if possible. Thanks for any advice. Cheers, Steve
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