No, this is the 90 Carat. While we were eating lunch yesterday, we read
in the Bentley that hairline cracks between the valves or valves and
spark plug holes do not affect the longevity of the head. I'm going to
have the old heads cleaned up and put away for the next van that needs
them. We have six Vanagons in the family.

It was Imogene Pass the we went over last year from Telluride to Ouray.
This year we tried it from Ouray to Telluride. We were almost to the top
when I killed the engine in a very steep incline. Stopped where we were
and got out to take a look, I stepped on a rock that rolled out from
under me and I fell down. Ripped my thigh muscle from my knee cap, I was
unable to walk. My wife, daughter-in-law and two grandsons were with me,
but they couldn't lift me up, fortunately a group of jeepers were passing
by and helped put me in the van and helped my wife get the van up to a
flat spot to turn around. I think the extra weight in van (three extra
people) is why I was having difficulty making the grade.

Anyway, my knee will be back to normal in about four more months. Won't
be able to finish the head job until next week because there are no
piston ring sets in Grand Junction.

Thanks for you help, I'll let you know how the rest of the project goes.

Steve & Jo Ann Wacker
Grand Junction, Co.
90 Carat
86 Syncro
01 Subaru Outback

On Sat, 21 Sep 2002 23:59:57 -0400 "Forhan, Thomas"
<Thomas.Forhan@mail.house.gov> writes:
Steve, is this the syncro thatw ent over Ladysmith Pass into Telluride
about a year ago? If so, I'd think the engine basically sound if there
has been no significant change in performance since then.
Ias I mentioned I have no experience removing a cylinder with the engine
still installed. If it looks like you have clearance, pull the jug and
see how the piston and cylinder look, fix that one to see how it goes and
then decide if you want to do it three more times.
A crack between valves sounds bad. Take it to a local machine shop and
see what they say.
Keep us posted and good luck
Thomas Forhan