ARe you using the "special" sealer?  Is the surfaces perfectly clean,
straight, and with out oils?

            Eric                   86-VW4x4
            vw4x4@fyi.net          86-SS Syncro
            Pittsburgh, PA USA     1936-Chrysler
                                   92-Jetta GWC
            www.fyi.net/~vw4x4/vw4x4.htm

On Sun, 16 Mar 2003, Mark Vermillion wrote:

> All-
>
> I have a 87' GL that has a recurrent problem with the pass. side head gasket. Problem is, it won't stay intact. I just replaced it for the fourth time, and got approximately 5 miles out of it. This is the "short" record. The previous gasket went 5k miles. The one before that was good for 500. I don't remeber how far the first went.
>
> The gaskets are splitting from what would appear to be the back, or water jacket side. They happen on the same corner each time: lower rear. There is some pitting on the water jacket in this area, but it not the only area with pits. I tried putting a little sealant to fill the pits... maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
>
> Anyway, any advice or comments would be appreciated. I'm about ready to push the thing into the Susquehanna.
>
>
> Mark
>