When I bought my van the PO had said that it needed rebuilt because of a
leaky head. Turned out that a pipe was leaking instead. Can't trust those
PO's. Rings and a valve job are the solution for compression problems. You
didn't say how many miles you have on it, but if it's over 150,000 and you
are pulling the engine anyway, might as well count on rebuilding the lower
end as well. You can do it yourself and save a few bucks, but you might
want to check out a rebuilt one from one of the list vendors instead. Pay a
few dollars more, but you also get a warranty.

At 03:26 PM 8/11/00 -0400, Carlos Del Rio wrote:
>I have an '84 Vanagon that I'd like to begin working on. My question is,
>Where do I start?
>Here's my dilemma: I have no mechanical background, but eager to learn. Have
>the books: Muir, Bentley, Haynes. Have most of the tools I think I'll need.
>First some diagnostics:
>The PO told me the #2 cylinder was "bad" but I
>don't know what he meant by it. I did a compression test and it looked lousy
>(or so I assume):
>Cylinder        6 tries per the Muir book
>        1             90-80-85-85-85-85
>        2             75-70-75-70-70-70
>        3             100-100-95-100-105-95
>        4             100-85-85-95-85-95
>Would this be corrected with new rings, I wonder? Or should I trash the
>engine?
>
>Again, I'm speculating,bcse I still need to pull the engine. From what I
>presume, inspecting the
>inside of the cylinder for damage is paramount. I would hate to have to
>split the case.
>
>Am I in over my head?
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
>
>Carlos
>