Date: Mon, 2 Nov 1998 09:55:43 -0500
Reply-To: "Joe L." <jliasse@EMAIL.MSN.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "Joe L." <jliasse@EMAIL.MSN.COM>
Subject: Re: NEED HEAD advice
I just did my right head about a month ago with the engine in place.
With only one inch showing you should be OK just be careful that you do not
slip them out more. Most folks who have commented on the matter say you can
get away with 2 inches but I would not push it. The price to pay if you slip
the cylinder past the rings is just too high. BTW: If you have the Haynes
manual it will tell you that it is OK to pull the cylinders out with the
heads. THIS IS ONLY IF YOU HAVE PULLED THE ENGINE. The Haynes manual will
also tell you that you cannot do a head job at all with the engine in place
and ALL of their instructions assume you have indeed pulled the engine.
My cylinders were also stuck. Although I did no timing of the job I
would say that of all the time I spent replacing the gasket some 75% was
consumed getting the ^%&$# cylinders off.
If you look at the cylinder near the head you will see a couple of lugs
on each side. These are placed so it is near impossible to get any kind of a
prying device on them but you must do so nonetheless. I used a couple of
stout Craftsman screwdrivers (Use Craftsman because you can replace them
free when (not if, when) you wreck them doing this. Get several pieces of
thin wood to place between the screwdriver and the head so you will be
beating up on the wood and not the head.
Also useful is a long piece of wood about an inch square and a couple
of feet long. This is for rapping on the exhaust port of the head with a
hammer. Add to this several gallons of your favorite penetrating oil and you
should be sufficiently armed to go to war. After that it is mearly a process
of prying, dousing, rapping and cussing in no particular order until the
%&^%% thing gives.
I might say that, although I do all the work on my Van I am no
mechanic. In all of my proceedings my first rule is "do no harm" (at least
no intentional harm) having no idea of how hard I could pry or rap without
bending something I was rather gentle doing this and perhaps the job took
longer than it would have had I applied the "beef". Let me also say that
the above is mearly **what I did**. It worked but I may have simply lucked
out. I may well have been courting catastrophy with my technique but it was
the only one available to me. It could well be that there is a simple trick
to this but if such a trick exists I do not know it. If someone tells you of
such a trick please pass it along to me. I only did the right head and I am
told that I can expect the left head to fail sometimes within the next 20k
miles or so.
-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff <jeff@ELECTROPONICS.COM>
To: vanagon@VANAGON.COM <vanagon@VANAGON.COM>
Date: Monday, November 02, 1998 5:12 AM
Subject: NEED HEAD advice
>of my car repair ritual...)
>
>Now for the questions. The head is about 1 inch off the block. The piston
>sleeves are still attached to the head. How do I go about getting them
loose? Is
>it too far already? I didn't want to do the pistons, because I don't have a
ring
>compressor and am worried about my ability to do it correctly. Any tips
here
>would be appreciated.
>
>Second, best way to get the broken bolt out of the block.
>
>And last, list vendors or whomever... How bout a price on an exhaust
system?
>The whole deal from engine to tailpipe. 8-(
>
>Well, that's it. Thanks to William Dummitt for the Bentley loan and advice.
>(I would have called, but it's 4am)
>
>
>JW
>
>85 Multivan
>92 Jetta
>
>
>
>
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>Jeff Wiegand | Chief Meteorologist | Electroponics, Inc.
> jeff@electroponics.com | http://www.electroponics.com/
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| 
