Assuming that the engine was in good shape before the trip (who knows)
it sounds like the engine was pushed too hard for too long. It is common
for these engines to fail after long trips. The next step will be to
check the compression to determine the extent of the damage. The
depression on the back of the valve stems is the result of too many
miles, cheap valves, or excessive heat. After overheating of this type,
the case will have to be checked for straightness. If the head gaskets
failed, a common cause is case warpage which results in the cylinders
not being level. Replacing the gaskets or heads with out correcting this
will only result in quick failure again. My guess is that this engine is
ready for an overhaul.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
Of Tom Young
Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2003 3:02 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Some basic TypeIV engine help, please

Hi all:

Last night, I guess about 3:00AM, a friend of my daughter parked her '78
Westy in front of our house, having driven from Bellingham, Washington
over
the course of 3 or 4 days.  I had heard that "along the way" she had
been
having engine problems, though what I heard was the engine was leaking
oil
and the right-side pushrod tube oil seals had been replaced somewhere
around
Eureka, California.  Of course, now that the vehicle is in my driveway,
things are much worse.

Talking to my daughter's friend I'm told that the mechanic that replaced
the
right-side pushrod seals told her that one of the valve stems on #3 -
don't
know which one - had worn concave.  During the trip from Eureka to the
SF
Bay area she had to stop and put in a quart of oil every 15-30 minutes.
She
also reports that a few miles from the house she experienced a
significant
decrease in power.  When I started it up this morning it was hard to
keep
running, had virtually no power - I'd guess it's running on 3 cylinders
-
and blowing smoke badly, which the friend says is new.

I don't want to deal with this right now, but I guess I have to since
she's
here and has no money.

Anybody have so good "over the internet" diagnosis here?

Thanks!
---------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Young                       '81 Vanagon
Lafayette, CA 94549         '82 Westfalia
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