Well, finding the history of the rebuild might be difficult.  As I
mentioned, the paperwork I have shows a longblock, does not show source.
This thing only started leaking when cold weather arrived.  Some seem to
think that is simply a chronic state with waterboxers, and they
evidently just let it go.  I fear finding myself out in the back of
nowhere, and the seals let go and I lose the coolant.  But from what you
say, I might not have any better luck if I do the seals, or even if I
get new heads.  So, what should be done with such a beast?  David

On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 9:30 AM, B Feddish wrote:

> My apology if I missed that. Leaky heads at only 30K eh?  I think the
> experts need to chime in here. You need to find out "why" they are
> leaking
> at only 30K. Was it a crappy rebuild, did the engine overheat, etc.
> Maybe it
> was just a bad seal and a new gasket will fix it for years. These
> might only
> be questions to answer once the heads were off or maybe possibly
> finding the
> history of the rebuild. Was it just a ring job and new gaskets or a
> complete
> rebuild with new pistons, heads, etc.
>
> Bryan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mcneely4@cox.net [mailto:mcneely4@cox.net] Sent: Thursday,
> December 17, 2009 10:14 AM
> To: bfeddish@netreach.net
> Cc: mcneely4@COX.NET; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: RE: head gaskets
>
> Well, I did say that the engine only has 30K miles on a rebuild,
> according
> to paperwork I got when I bought the beast last spring.  I have no
> idea
> where the rebuild came from (paperwork just states under "parts" that
> a
> "longblock engine replacement" was a part of the work done).
>
> So, you are saying either new heads or mill these, at minimum?
> thanks, Dave
> Mc
>
>
> On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 8:44 AM, B Feddish wrote:
>
>> You haven't mentioned how many miles were on this motor, that may
>> factor in
>> as to what you want to do.  Taking the heads off is a big job whether
>> you do
>> it or somebody else does it. If I were to go that far there is no way
>> I'd
>> just slap a new rubber gasket and some sealant in there and put it
>> all back
>> together. This is of course if there are allot of miles on the
>> engine. I
>> would at least have the heads done while they were out our better yet
>> put on
>> some new ones. Yeah, the heads are expensive but so is taking them
>> off in
>> terms of time.  Then again if you are budget conscious and you are
>> going to
>> do the job yourself then at least do the JB Weld thingy with the
>> heads while
>> they are out.
>>
>> Bryan
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>> Behalf Of
>> Dave Mcneely
>> Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2009 9:22 AM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Re: head gaskets
>>
>> So, I should do the head gaskets, or not?  It's very expensive, but I
>> want a
>> reliable van (or no van at all).  Thanks, Dave Mc
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 6:48 PM, mark drillock wrote:
>>
>>> This is a typical failure mode. Leaks in cold weather, stops when
>>> warmed up, leaks worse as temps drop. May go on this way for years
>>> depending on you and it. Mine has. On more than one van.
>>>
>>> Mark
>>>
>>>
>>> Dave Mcneely wrote:
>>>> So, I've done about everything I thought I should to make my '91
>>>> camper as reliable as it could be, including lots of cooling system
>>>> fixes.
>>>> Just replaced all coolant hoses, since so many think that should be
>>>> done.
>>>> .......
>>>>
>>>> Head gaskets are leaking. The question: I find it difficult to
>>>> think the gaskets just all of a sudden turned loose (I'd even
>>>> removed the tins to look for evidence of leaks when I did the
>>>> hoses, and saw none).
>>>> Could it be that the heads and or gaskets were already loose or
>>>> whatever, and the cold weather made them looser and so they leak?
>>>> If I run the engine a little while, the leaks dry up, suggesting to
>>>> me that temperature plays a role -- expansion, contraction ..... .
>>>> So, could the heads be sealed better even with the temperature
>>>> difference between normal fall temps and the quite cold temps we've
>>>> had lately? I'm just trying to understand why this suddenly showed
>>>> up, and wonder if it being coincident with the cold weather is more
>>>> than a coincidence.