If you had an overheat condition, a top overhaul is recommended. That's
everything from the top of the engine case out. With an oil question, a
thorough inspection of the case is strongly warranted. Be sure and
include a crankshaft run-out check. With the cylinders off, wash out the
case with solvent and catch the solvent in a bucket. Pass it through a
paint screen and see what you get. Lots of metal - you may need to tear
down the case. If not, you may be OK. Do a crankshaft run-out check to
see if the crank and mains are OK. If the bottom end is OK, re-condition
the rods and rebuild the engine. Others have described what to do there.

Good luck,

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Jeff Lincoln wrote:
>  OK, well this might get kind of long and there will most likely be several
> questions. I'll provide as much info as I can.
>
> *The driver's side head gasket is most definitely shot
> *The large plastic water distribution piece blew an end out
> *The coolant line/pipe that enters the passenger side head at the rear (rear
> of the van) appears to be leaking coolant
> *Oil shows no sign of water in the oil but was very low (it wasn't low last
> I checked last week)
> *No leaking from the block
> *The van starts right up runs and sounds normal
> *No leaking from the passenger side head
>
> The Plan:
>
> 1. Check compression
> 2. Remove heads have them checked - if warped replace with heads from parts
> bus.
> 2. Replace head gaskets
> 3. Replace gasket to the coolant line/pipe at the rear of pass head
> 4. Replace coolant distribution piece
> 5. Change oil
>
> The Questions:
>
> 1. Do both head gaskets need to be replaced if the pass side isn't leaking?
> (seems the right thing to change both but someone has suggested otherwise)
>
> 2. If compression test proves poor (I suspect it wont) is it worth even
> proceeding with the repair?
>
> 3. Where did my oil go? Could it have been purged during over heating too?
> There is clearly oil in the engine bay.
>
> 4. The age old question - remove the engine to do the repair or do it in the
> bus?
>
> 5. I know I'm missing something, misguided, or not thinking of something
> because I lack the knowledge and experience with this type of repair. So set
> me straight :)
>
> There you have it Sorry to present such a long post but this is very new
> ground for me. Now I guess I need to go look through Benny Boys website for
> a while.
>
> Thank you all in advance for any words of wisdom advice and whatever else
> you can send my way. Good Grief.
>
>
> --
> Thanks,
>
> Jeff
> '90 Carat (Grover)
> '86 (We call this one Parts)
> '78 Bus (Melissa) Patty's Bus
>
>
>