Date:         Mon, 17 Jul 1995 21:40:51 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         eugp@uclink3.berkeley.edu (Eugene C. Palmer)
Subject:      78 x 90.5

Awright you maniacs,

Got the engine out, looked it over, no major problems, no visable cracks in
the heads (whew, $800).  I think I have a leaky cylinder to head connection
due to my overheating the engine and torqueing the heads to 18 ft. lbs.  The
cylinders are showing glazing which means I am running too rich and am
trashing the seal.  I am going to drop the compression to 6.8:1 (from 7.2:1)
since it is out and am sure this will keep engine temps down, maybe get new
pistons/cylinders too?  Still am not sure why #1 & #3 aren't firing even
though the distributor shows spark when lifted.  Fuel injection continues to
test out perfectly, plenty of spritz on all cylinders, 34 psi.  

I WANT AN ENGINE THAT WILL CLIMB MOUNTAINS AND NOT OVERHEAT!

What I mostly noticed, after I got the engine out, was that the muffler was
cracked where the pick-up flange was attached, making a distinctly icky
noise, which I thought was the heads leaking.  

Found out why my other engine (69 x 90.5, in storage since December) started
smoking.  Apparently I forgot to install a wrist pin keeper (or it worked
itself loose and disentigrated), allowing #3's pin to contact the cylinder,
making a nasty gouge in it and hence the oil smoke.  Oops.  Looked into it
because I thought I'd be able to use the heads if my 78 x 90.5's were cracked.

Isn't livin in the USA great, where you can screw up an engine and not have
your car impounded by EuroBeaurocrats?  Polluting the atmosphere all the
way?  Good luck in Sweden.

Gee, that Red Hook ESB is good.

I will be calling Dr. Berg in the morning.

Eug,
'71
builder of race engines that break.........

Dave, rebuild that baby at 6.8:1 OK?