I have an '88 with 134K. I had the head gaskets replaced at 120K.
This was mostly due to correct a prior head gasket repair that was improperly
done by the DPO at around 100K.
When I got the van the DPO appeared to be running the wrong coolant as well.

I had a compression leak into the cooling system - as opposed to just leaking
gaskets.
I drove for some time in denial about needing head gasket replacement. However,

when the van Snorts coolant out the overflow tank all over the back window of
your van
while at hiway speeds, well, it is hard to ignore that you have a problem.

Initially I thought that it was just a clever German anti-tailgating device -
to spray following cars with hot coolant. <g>

regards.
Todd
'88 Westy

JordanVw@aol.com wrote:

> how many of you 2.1L owners are on your second engine, and if so, at what
> mileage did you replace it? and what was the reason for failure?   how many
> of you have over 200k mi on your original engine (without rebuild) ??
>
> TIA-
> chris