Date:         Sat, 18 Oct 1997 18:34:02 -0700
Reply-To:     "Steven X. Schwenk" <sxs@CONCENTRIC.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon mailing list <Vanagon@Gerry.SDSC.EDU>
From:         "Steven X. Schwenk" <sxs@CONCENTRIC.NET>
Subject:      head gasket death...
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I got home and noticed the unmistakable smell of hot antifreeze back by
the engine when i climbed out of my 89 syncro westy this evening.  I
smelled it before, but i thought it was coming from my leaky rear heater
core....but i changed the core last night....could it be...dare i crawl
under there to check... i did, and although the engine was cold and i
did not have time to start it...the alumnium around the head gasket...on
both heads...is stained and there is evidence of some corrision...this,
together with the smell and the 89,000 on the odometer do not bode well.

my question:  assuming the heads are bad (what, tis the season for head
failures...re the other recent lists), and given the 90,000 miles on the
current engine, should i replace the heads or the entire engine...?
from what i've read, it sounds like a good rebuilt is about twice the
cost of new heads, but, given my current mileage, a rebuild should last
at lest twice as long as new heads without a rebuild, assuming the
engine with new heads is good until about 150,000 (compression is good,
no oil consumption).

has anyone been through this before who can give me a little guidance?