On Mon, 9 Sep 1996, Turner,Ronald L. wrote:

> Hi Volks, I am looking into buying a '87 GL to upgrade to the larger engine,
> power steering, and A/C which my '84 doesnt have. the body is very straight ,
> paint good, and has the optional "sport stripe" kit ( wowee!!) and those neat
> "carat" alloy wheels. the price is very reasonable, I think, ($ 2300),  but
> there are a few drawbacks. First is that  the odometer reads 157k. At this kind
> of mileage I am sure the head gaskets have been replaced, but the current
> owners,( very short term that is,) don't have any repair records. How many of
> you 2.1 liter wasserboxer owners out there have this kind of mileage or more on
> your engines? What is the average interval for head gaskets? My '84 which has
> 110k on it had the head gaskets replaced at 80k by the PO. What other problems
> should I look for on a hi mileage van? The second problem is that the shifter
> linkage is messed up and I cant get it in gear, but I have a friend who had the
> same problem with his van and it was just the shift linkage,and not a problem w/
> the tranny. I ran It for a while and the coolant light did not come on so I
> guess this is a plus.    
> 
> Any advice would be appreciated ASAP as iI'm going down to look at it again this
> evening and go over it w/ a fine toothed comb. 
> 
> thanks
> chris
> 
      The reason you can't get it in gear maybe the clutch is not
      disengaging!

                           Check the clutch good!

                                         Eric ZEno