I have been following the discussion on head gaskets since alas mine too are
leaking... more during this past winter, less now, and I was hoping to do
the work this summer, but am concerned by the posts that refer to the
sleeves getting stuck on the bottom of the head.  It doesn't sound like
there is much one can do to prevent this...if the sleeves are oxidized onto
the head then they are and no matter what you do during removal they are
going to slip off with the head???  This is more of a question, than a
statement since I have never done a head gasket job.  Some of you
knowledgeable ones out there say it is a do-able task for those of us with
average skills, and yet others seem to say that it is a bear  I suppose
there is no real answer to this until one tries it, but other than the issue
of rusty, stuck exhaust nuts, corroded studs, and sleeves stuck to the head
what other pitfalls await me.

I am going to take the advice of one person and check the condition
(flexibility) of the gasket and base my decision on that.  We do rely on the
van as a commuting vehicle for my wife and I'd rather not go through another
winter (although this past one was the first) of weeping from the head.

--
Dan Erlandson
Flemington, NJ
> danoer1@eclipse.net
91 VW Vanagon GL 170,000 mi
99 VW Passat 107,000 mi