Hi Jim,

I also reckon that 68k miles is a bit early for leaking. The engine is
not burning oil on startup.

That said, I read at
http://www.vanagon.com/info/articles/head-replacement.html that, " The
most common coolant leak is from a cracking or splitting rubber outer
coolant gasket at the head. Often this will be accompanied by a
corrosive reaction where the rubber gasket contacts the head.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way out of this repair. The heads must
be removed to replace these gaskets, and at this time a close inspection
of the heads will indicate the extent of corrosion. A corroded head will
not make the best possible seal with the gasket."

One other thing: unlike my aircooled 71 bus, many of the metal --
possibly aluminum -- parts in the 84's engine compartment have a funny
kind of whitish, mottled appearance to them. Like pot metal looks when
it has been sitting near a washing machine for a long time -- does that
make sense?

Best regards,

Michael Elliott
Carlsbad, CA, where the weather is always pleasant, rarely interesting
-- the "Lite Jazz" of weather
cell: 760 519 0193

Jim Felder wrote:

> Whoa! It may not be your head gasket, And even if it is, it's the
> gasket set you need (about $100) and not necessarily the heads.
>
> If the engine wasn't burning oil on startup and had good compression,
> take them to a shop and have them tested. At 68K miles they should be
> fine.
>
> Jim
>
> On Oct 10, 2004, at 7:17 PM, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:
>
>> Aw fudge and phooey. I got blue/green coolant drips under the heads on
>> Mellow Yellow. 68,000 miles, new to me a couple months ago, and now the
>> dreaded leak. Right, right it could be a hose and I'm going to do a
>> complete inspection. But assuming that the heads are corroded and need
>> replacing, who's got the Good Price on a set of heads?
>>
>> --
>> --
>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
>> 84 Westphalia: "Mellow Yellow (The Electrical Banana)"
>> KG6RCR
>>
>
>