Craig,
Next time use capital V when referring to Vanagons.  Haha.
Zoltan
BTW, big congrats to your work.  Good going.  When assembling the heads back
on, you need real advice.

----- Original Message -----
From: "craig cowan" <phishman068@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 6:13 PM
Subject: Engine Removal

> Hey Gang. As some of you may know, i've had nothing but engine troubles
> for
> about....a year and a half now. I just gave up. Something needed to be
> done...
> So i made arrangements with local Vanagon Guy Walt Spak to buy a good
> running 1.9 from him. I still have dreams of a conversion someday, and
> still
> hope to do one eventually, maybe on my next van. But i need to get this
> van
> running for the summer, and i am home from college on spring break after
> my
> spring break plans fell through, so i thought "What better time than
> now?".
> Yesterday i got down and dirty with it, and successfully removed the
> engine
> for the first time! I was supprised as to how smoothly everything went,
> and
> it was so nice having the engine out! I had every intention on replacing
> my
> engine and all the components, as i have vaccuum leaks, everythings rusty
> beyond use, and my fuel injection system just SUCKS. In addition, after
> last
> summers exhaust issues ($500 in labor to have them screw up and 'fix'
> their
> screwup after breaking a drillbit off inside my head...all in order to
> replace a single $2.50 exhaust gasket...), i had no intention on EVER
> reusing that head.
> With signs of headgasket leakage immenant, and a clutch that was too weak
> to
> make it out of the driveway... it was time to do something.
>
> A single college student with little mechanical background can remove a
> vanagon engine with only an assistant for the latter portions of the
> engine
> removal. To go a few steps further, today i pulled the entire intake,
> exhaust, fuel injection, and cooling systems, reducing my engine to a
> block.
> For curiosity's sake....i pulled the heads (some trouble with the
> cylinders
> trying to come out with the heads....). With the heads off it was obvious
> that this really IS a low milege engine (Supposedly a canadian rebuild) as
> i
> was told by the previous owner! Not a single crack between the valves,
> minor
> pitting, and everything looks as if its been working well! Long story
> short,
> it looks like i'll be reusing this engine and just replacing everything
> around it! Aside from a few broken bolts, and some concerns about fixing
> my
> one exhaust port "propperly", i think this should be a good candidate to
> make my van run and run well!
>
> Tommorow, I'll be dropping the gas tank (to revise my resealing of last
> year), and replacing the rusted out coolant pipes using a good used set.
> This should be quite a wrestling match, i have NO idea how well these will
> go in, as they were plently hard to get out of the parts car...
> Any tips for this?
>
> Once the engine's back in with a bunch of good new and good used parts, i
> can start on the body : )
>
> Thanks for all the help and advice from so many of you! I've learned so
> much, and i'm confident now more than ever in my abilities to work on
> vanagons!
>
> -Craig
> '85GL
>
>
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