Date:         Fri, 10 Oct 1997 21:43:23 -0700
Reply-To:     Mark McCulley <raven@HALCYON.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon mailing list <Vanagon@Gerry.SDSC.EDU>
From:         Mark McCulley <raven@HALCYON.COM>
Subject:      Re: 88 Vanagon Leaks
Comments: To: Meg Van Wyk <megvanwyk@halcyon.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Are you sure it's a head gasket leak? Could be the water pump or a hose.
Even if it looks like it's dripping from the gasket it could be coming from
somewhere else. Before looking into rebuilding the heads, I suggest doing a
little detective work and finding out exactly where the leak is coming from.
Maybe you've already done this though...

How do you know the engine has low oil pressure? What weight oil are you
using? An engine with 86k miles shouldn't need to be rebuilt unless it's
been abused.

-Mark McCulley

At 09:27 PM 10/10/97 -0800, Meg Van Wyk wrote:
>My '88 Westy (~86k miles, '89 engine) just developed a bad leak from the
left cylinder head.  On top of this, the engine has low oil pressure.  I've
read the info on the Vanagon.com webpage.  I'm looking for add'l advice.
Specifically:
>
>Should I do both heads or just the leaky one?
>
>Should I go for a rebuild (given the low oil pressure)?  If so, whose?
>
>Should I use a independent mechanic or VW dealer?
>
>Any recommendations on mechanix/dealers in the Seattle area?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Jon Van Wyk
>'88 Westy
>