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Date:         Sat, 18 May 1996 09:24:33 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         dgeiger@k2nesoft.com (Don Geiger)
Subject:      Oh no, is my engine shot?

My '80 aircooled westy is home sick.  She's got 148,000 miles on her engine
and over the past 18 months she has progressed to drinking oil at the rate
of about a quart every 400 to 500 miles.  I know she's due for some work,
but compression's good and she's been running so strong I hoped to get
another month or so out of her until I found a replacement vehicle while I
could rejuvinate her.


While driving to work yesterday the engine started to sound louder than
usual and hesitate a bit.  Check the oil.  A little low, but OK.  Limp back
home (about 5 miles) at about 30 to 35 mph.  Checked the compression.  120,
130, 125, and 135?  Not too bad.  I expected one or more to be real low.  I
take her for a short ride to listen to the engine.  Bad hesitation, feels
like I got the brake on or something.  Loud chugga-chugga sound and some
scary, but not too loud knocking sounds if I try to accelerate to much or
too fast.  Back in the drive I listen to the engine at idle and then open
the oil filler.  Wow, gurgling oil and strong breeze out the filler pipe.  


What's up with this?  I always expected my compression to go way down when
my engine went south.  Any ideas on where my problem is?  Engine problem,
that is!  Not sure where to go from here.  Other engine tests, things to
look for?  How do I know what my engine really needs?  Do I just take the
engine out and apart and try to tell from what I can see what needs to be
replaced?  Do I just redo the heads and cylinders and hope the bottom end is
OK, or is this asking for trouble?  Any ballpark ideas on costs of this type
of work.


Help!  I need advice from the cognoscenti.  This is my first VW and I'm no
mechanic.
I know this is a lot of questions but I want to get her back on the road,
and I want to do it right. 


Thanks




<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
<<>>  Don Geiger                        <<>>
<<>>  '80 Westy in NJ                   <<>>
<<>>  dgeiger@k2nesoft.com              <<>>
<<>>  http://www.k2nesoft.com/~dgeiger  <<>>
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
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