I would contact the dealer ASAP. As long as there is no evidence of you
doing something to promote the failure, they will try to fix it. The
main problem you may have is that there are no more replacement engines
available through them. Don't bother to re-torque the heads. If the
leakage is there, it is too late and any benefit of re-tourqing will be
temporary.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of James Demer
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 8:47 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: advice on head leak

My 1986 syncro westy has a dealer installed factory rebuilt 2.1l motor
that was installed a year and a half ago. I have put less than 6000
miles on the motor and I am having the problem of serious pressure in my
coolant system on highway drives. after trying every fix I can think of,
I believe it is a head gasket leak. I guess the advice I am looking for
is:
1. Do I have any leg to stand on with the dealer to try to get a
warranty fix? (warranty was 12months, 12,000 miles)
2. If I get no break from the dealer, is there any chance of just
re-torking the heads without pulling the motor?
My dilemma is that I cant really spend another grand or more on the van
right now, but I dont want to really damage a newish motor. Thanks for
any input!

James Demer
1986 syncro westy

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