Date: Sun, 15 Aug 1999 23:24:37 -0700
Reply-To: Coby Smolens <cobys@WELL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Coby Smolens <cobys@WELL.COM>
Subject: Re: 86 Vanagon with head gasket leak
In-Reply-To: <Pine.GSO.3.94.990814125149.23704A-100000@haleakala>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Ahoy!
Count on rebuilding heads and doing a reseal at a minimum. If the coolant
has not consistently been OE (VW Autobahn) from the beginning of the
engine's life, you may very well be tearing down the whole thing to fix
broken head mounting studs. Another possibility is that of a cracked head or
heads which might bump up the cost of the job.
If there is no one who has the technical acumen to deal with a waterboxer
overhaul in your neighborhood, I would be very hesitant to recommend letting
someone tear the thing apart, cause once it's apart you may be committed to
go the whole way. I think in your case it might be better to go with a
rebuilt boxer in a box, and do the swap yourself if you can.
Check with your local independent VW guy, though - many VW dealer service
departments I know have a less than user-friendly reputation, not to mention
a certain enthusiasm for large numbers... The other issue is that, in
Northern California anyway, VW rebuilt waterboxer engines are back-ordered
for an indeterminate amount of time. When asked, my local VW dealer (Sonnen
Motorcars in San Rafael, CA) says "at least several weeks" 'til they can get
one. They aren't saying they CAN'T get one, but I don't think they want to
sell them very badly. None of my customers, faced with the dealer's
"back-order", have elected to wait that long. Fortunately, they have
alternatives: Valley Wagonworks builds its own engines (as does Vanguard VW
and, I think, a couple other folks in our neighborhood. Marin County is a
kind of Mecca for Buses and Vanagons), by hand, one at a time, and offers
the same warranty as VW, and is a lot more accessible and easier to deal
with than the dealer.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
Coby
Valley Wagonworks
"Intimately acquainted with VW Vans since 1959"
Volkswagen Bus, Vanagon, Westfalia and Eurovan
Repair and Service Specialists
1535 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo, CA 94933
Voice:(415) 457-5628
Fax: (415) 457-0967
http://wagonworks.com
mailto:contact@wagonworks.com
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
> Of Russell Kackley
> Sent: Saturday, August 14, 1999 4:17 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: 86 Vanagon with head gasket leak
>
>
> Aloha, list members,
>
> This is my first messge to the list, although I have been reading the
> archives for a few weeks. I am looking for any advice that list members
> can offer me on my '86 Vanagon with a head gasket leak that is allowing
> combustion gases into the coolant.
>
> The reason I say it has a head gasket leak is as follows:
> 1. Test with Cal-Van Leak Check Detector showed color change from blue to
> yellow
>
> 2. Coolant is frequently pumped from expansion tank to refill tank and
> does not siphon back into expansion tank when motor cools.
>
> 3. Removing expansion tank cap, even with cold motor, releases a lot of
> gas pressure and coolant level sometimes overflows due to pressure in
> system.
>
> 4.Loosening expansion tank cap with hot engine allows lots of foam
> to spill out, like a head on a beer.
>
> The motor has 137000 miles on it. Both heads were replaced with new OEM
> heads at about 78000 miles when coolant was noticed seeping external to
> heads. The cylinders were honed and new rings installed at that
> time. Having been through this once, I wasn't looking forward to doing it
> again. I had been using only VW coolant and changing it once each year,
> so I didn't expect to have this happen, but I guess I have had some bad
> luck.
>
> As I see it, my options are as follows:
> 1. Replace the heads gaskets and/or heads
> 2. Rebuild the entire engine top to bottom because of the mileage
> 3. Trade my engine for a remanufactured engine
> 4. Sell the van and give up.
>
> Other than the heads, the van is in pretty good shape.
>
> Another problem I have is that, living in Hilo, Hawaii, access to Vanagon
> experts is somewhat limited. There is one mechanic in Hilo who
> specializes in VW's but I am not sure I know him well enough to give him a
> big job like this. There is a VW dealer, but it is a 2 hour drive away,
> on the other side of the island, making it inconvenient in case something
> goes wrong with the job. Any opinions on whether to go with independent
> mechanic or VW dealer?
>
> Any help will be appreciated.
>
> Russell Kackley
> Hilo, Hawaii
>
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