Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 12:48:36 -0800
Reply-To: gary hradek <hradek@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: gary hradek <hradek@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Coolant leak! Decision time
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Jeremy,
Leaks will happen sooner or later. Likely it
has been leaking for some time and got big enough to
see. First sign of leaks happens when it is cold and
you have been driving and you shut it off. The
rubber gasket has seperated from the head just the
smallest amount.
Fix it or get it fix. If you run it too long this
way you will do damage to the head. The head surface
will become more and more pitted. May want to do the
waterpump and a few of the harder to reach hoses when
you do the job. Worse job will be the exhaust bolts.
Read up before you do the job. E-mail me if you want
the reading material. gary
Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 09:42:29 -0600
From: Jeremy Speer <jspeer@POBOX.COM>
Subject: Coolant leak! Decision time....
Volks,
I don't drive my van much once the salt starts being
spread around, but
i do start it and fully warm (45 minutes +) it every
weekend. Yeah, its
been cold... and yes, the van sits outside. Dunno if
that has
contributed to the most recent problem.
Friday i noticed a dark spot under the driver's side
head. I also
noticed the snow and ice had been melted away under
that spot. This
morning i pulled off the lid, the driver's side of the
engine was
puddled with coolant.
I toweled off the coolant and started the engine.
Started as you might
expect a van to start on a 1 degree F morning...
sluggishly, but it
fired right up and kept running. The exhaust does not
have any smell of
coolant. The engine idled fine.
However, there is clearly seepage at the head gasket.
Although no
coolant seeped from the top of the head gasket (at
least not while
idling with me watching), there was a very slow drip
from the tin under
the driver's side of the engine. Total volume lost so
far... maybe half
a cup.
So......... what should i do? Let's assume the seal at
the cylinders is
still good and the gasket is failing only on the
outside edge.... it
still means the head has to come off... and you don't
want to do just
one side, right? I know the engine has low, but even,
compression, so
is this the big sign that now would be a good time for
a rebuild?
My wife and i were hoping to take the summer off,
finally, and drive to
Alaska... so what do all y'all think: Just have the
heads pulled and
the gaskets addressed? or do i go for a local rebuild,
or, call Boston
Bob and get that big valve i've been lusting after for
two years now?
Money's always an issue, but i've been saving with an
eye to this kind
of eventuality, so please be honest with
suggestions... what you think
would be the best long-term option.
Many Thanks,
-jspeer,
'89 Westy GL, "Mystery Machine"
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it!
http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/
