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Date:   Tue, 26 Jan 1999 19:47:51 -0600
Reply-To:   Jen & Rog Johnson <rojen@CAPITAL.NET>
Sender:   Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:   Jen & Rog Johnson <rojen@CAPITAL.NET>
Subject:   Fw: Head Problems (87 GL) How bad is it.
Comments:   To: vanagon@vanagon.com
Content-Type:   text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Don, (from recent experience) the pressurization may well be caused by a breach in the head gasket seal - meaning the pressure is introduced into the cooling system from one or more of your cylinders. In my case #1 cylinder was both: 1. taking on coolant, and 2. releasing pressurized air into the cooling system. The result: 1. The coolant level in the resevoir tank dipped below minimum causing the red light at the temp guage to blink. 2. this coolant backed up into the fill tank (behind the rear license plate cover) and overflowed, which produced...3. a film of coolant covering the license plate and rear hatch. A bonus of the over pressurization was new leaks in all of the weak links of the cooling system. After repairing ancillary damage, I got a fine AMC (Spanish) head from Boston Bob and I was on my way. Depending on the condition you may be able to limp home - I was able to disconnect the braided hose connecting the fill tank and the resevoir (only when engine COLD!) and drain the excess coolant from the fill tank into a recepticle and back into the resevoir. The light would go off and I could drive 50-100 miles and then repeat the process. A dicey affair since (I believe) there is a risk of an air bubble gumming-up proper coolant flow which might end in a disasterous, siezed affair. I hope you get this bus for a okay price. The archives have a little info on pressurization. Not to discourage you, but I've spent sizeable $ on my deal - worth it depending on purchase price and gen'l condition. Bueno Suerte.

RJ 87 Westy, 66 Type I

-----Original Message----- From: Don Record <DrocerNod@AOL.COM> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Date: Tuesday, January 26, 1999 5:09 PM Subject: Head Problems (87 GL) How bad is it.

>I am considering buying an 87 Gl with "head problems". I can find no visable >leaks but the owner says the cooling system pressurizes every 50 miles or so. >Any ballpark on how involved the problem is. What about suggestions on how to >get it to "limp" home if I buy it? I have owned many aircooleds many years >but this will be my first experience tearing into a waterboxer. >Thanks for your help >Don >


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