... whew ... WELL DONE !! drive happy ...

--- On Wed, 11/9/11, Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM> wrote:

> From: Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
> Subject: It's back together and it runs.
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2011, 11:19 AM
> Well, that was a long month.� What
> began as an exhaust replacement turned into something else
> with a broken head bolt that necessitated a trip to the
> machine shop with the left head after the weldng-a-nut trick
> failed to get out the broken part.� I reinstalled the head
> and sundry ancillary parts on Saturday and put the exhaust
> on yesterday.� This morning filled with fluids and fired it
> up.� 
> 
> Looks like I may need to adjust the valves again since one
> lifter won't shut up, and I'm a little concerned about the
> seal of the various exhaust junctions; the metal donuts at
> either end of the J-pipe seem to be letting fumes out, and
> the two pipes going into the collector do not meet it
> parallel at the flanges so something might be getting out
> there.� I'll retighten after things cool down and check
> again.
> 
> I was very concerned about bleeding the cooling system
> after all the horror stories I'd read, but with the rear of
> the van up on wooden ramps in an already nose-down position
> in the sloping driveway, I simply removed the bleeder bolt
> from the radiator and put four tea kettles of water into the
> reservoir and that did it.� Topped off once after it warmed
> up.� I'll drain again and refill with phosphate-free and
> distilled after flushing this stuff through for a few
> miles.� I did not want to leak new coolant if I messed up
> the reinstall of anything.� If the only thing leaking is
> exhaust I'm way ahead of the game.� First drive will have
> to be to the inspection station since the expire date at the
> end of August is far behind us and I don't want to tempt the
> constabulary.
> 
> After spending a lot more time getting intimate with this
> van's innards than I ever anticipated, I must say my hat is
> off to those who work on 'em regularly.� It was
> educational, frustrating, enlightening, maddening,
> satisfying, occasionally painful, and I would not want to do
> it every day.� 
> Now to get this thing inspected and go camping.
> 
> Stephen
>