Aaron,

First, point your browser to http://www.bostonengine.com

Tom Hanlon
Palm Springs, CA
84 Westfalia

Aaron Robinson wrote:

> I'm thinking of putting in new headgaskets and was wondering what
> things I
> should do once I have the engine apart.
>
> History
> ^^^^^^^^^^^
> My van (now with ~200,000 miles) had them replaced at 100K and is now
> not
> leaking externally, but it is doing so internally I think. The reason
> I
> tink so...my expansion tank fills up and my cooling system is always
> running low. I believe this is because the coolant is leaking
> internally
> since there are no drips etc. externally whatsoever.
>
> The Problem
> ^^^^^^^^^^^
> I want to do this myself and have never done anything like this to my
> car.
> I've heard people say that it isn't impossible for somebody who isn't
> a
> mechanic to do, so I'd like to attempt this myself. I see myself
> driving a
> vanagon for a long time and would love to become more familiar with my
>
> car. Plus I'm a student and don't have money to pay somebody.
>
> I need to know what I need to do to do this. I also want to know what
> things I should do as "preventative maintenance" (eg. clutch, lifters
> etc.). Should I have my valves reground? Will I likely need rebuilt
> heads?
> Tose are the things that I am wondering about.
>
> I already plan on putting in a new clutch, new exhaust, and anything
> else
> that will help to keep my van running trouble-free for a longer period
> of
> time. If anybody would be willing to let me in on their experiences
> doing
> this and also point me out where I can find help on this I'd really
> appreciate it.
>
> I do have the Bentley, but that's about it. I would want to know what
> tools I should have (besides a good set of sockets and wrenches) and
> what
> other things would be good to have.
>
> I would appreciate all of your own experiences that you have had as
> well.
> I don't want to jump into this and then get stuck with something I
> can't
> put back together.
>
> Thanks
> Aaron
>
> arobinso@linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us