Date:         Wed, 17 Feb 1999 00:45:06 +0800
Reply-To:     Peter Noto <peter_noto@BIGFOOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Peter Noto <peter_noto@BIGFOOT.COM>
Subject:      Need info on head leak.
Comments: To: vanagon@vanagon.com
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Hi all,

I'm new to the list and vanagons in general.  I just bought a 86 westy with
82,000 on her.  Of course I had to find this list and learn about the head
gasket problems after I plopped down my $.

I've read all the info under the problems section of the site and I know I
have the ability to swap out heads if I have to.

I bought the van because I am moving from the Florida Keys to San
Francisco, and needed transportation that could get me, the dog and all my
junk to the west coast.

The van runs great, and always well within the center of the temp gauge
after worm up.  I have had it for about 3 weeks.  I checked the cooling
fluid after reading about the head gasket problem last week.  The fluid was
about 3/4 of an inch bellow minimum.  I was in a hurry and at a gas station
which wanted $10 for a very small bottle of anti-freeze so i topped it off
to just below the maximum line with water.  Within a day i started to notice
a sickening sweet smell when I got out of the van after a drive which got
the van to mid temp gauge reading (I make a lot of very small trips, I live
on an island).

At first I thought it might be burning out the clutch or something, but
after some sniffing around I found a wet spot on the top of the forward left
cylinder right at the seal of the head.  I ran the van until it warmed up an
left it idol.  I could see a very small amount of fluid escaping at this
point and cooking off, hence the sick sweet smell.

Now obviously I have a problem, my main question is this.  Is it fatal and
if so, is it immediately fatal?  I need to move soon and I want to know if I
can make this 3,000 mile drive without killing my engine.  The van does not
run hot, if I leave it to idol after a good hard run, it runs with the
needle just about above the bulb of the warning light, if I am driving any
speed, it stays pegged dead center of the heat gauge.  It does not leak any
fluid parked with the engine off.  I am wondering if the addition of water
lowered the boiling point of the coolant fluid, allowing it to boil and
create steam pressure forcing the leak?

Any thoughts, comments or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Peter Noto
Westy 86
peter_noto@bigfoot.com
305-292-1484