Date:         Mon, 27 Sep 1999 11:34:26 -0400
Reply-To:     John <johnpatt@WARWICK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John <johnpatt@WARWICK.NET>
Subject:      VW service action
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

All list members &
especially engine builders,

While looking thru the VW service bulletin index today I came across a
bulletin (CMPGQLR-July '90) that covers a service action for all 86 thru
88 Vanagons. It is also discribed in a "campaign circular" (90vw06).

The campaign circular says that some of the cylinder head nuts could
have lost their tightness and should be retorqued. I presume VW paid for
this retorquing procedure but the procedure doesn't make sense - at
least to me.

The procedure removes the rocker arms and intake runners to access the
cylinder head nuts. Then the nuts are retorqued, not with a torque
wrench but by tightening all nuts by turning them 90*. I believe this is
actually a torque-angle method but that's not the point. If only some
nuts have loosened, then by turning ALL nuts 90*, some nuts will now be
overtightened. There is no mention of the repair manual cylinder head
torgue sequence but there is a caution not to back nuts off-only tighten
by 90* of rotation.

The procedure reassembles everything and brings the engine to operating
temperature and pressurizes the cooling system to one Bar.

Engine builders help me here:

Has the cyl head tightening process been changed to a torque-angle
method and my Bentley(2 stages to 37 ft. lbs.)is now out of date ?

If only some head nuts have loosened, wouldn't tightening ALL head nuts
by 90* exert unequal clamping forces on the head, P & C assembly and
overtighten some head nuts?

Has anyone else ever seen VW service action TSB #CMPGQLR in the ALLDATA
TSB index ?

If VW had a problem with cylinder head sealing, are they responsible for
engine damage for those motors that did not get this procedure performed
since they made this a service action and not a recall ?

Thanx,     JP