Well, after getting the van home the first thing I did, after writing the
lists for help, was try and turn the engine over by hand, using the nut
on the end of the crank.... NO TURN, uh, oh...

Start removing number one plug, just to relieve compression... funny,
that plug is sure coming out hard, especially considering how I had
replaced it a month or so ago, and used my usual smear of anti-seize.
When I finally get the plug out I look down the plug hole and see... A
CHEWED UP THREAD.  OH SH*T!!!

Then I look at the plug itself.  Something has smashed the plug's
electrode back against the plug itself and it's the electrode that's
screwed up the plug hole....

Even though I didn't hear any expesive sounds when my engine died, it
looks like something expensive has happened here.

This engine is a GEX rebuild that I put into the car 28,000 miles and two
and a half years ago.  Only a few weeks ago I had told the lists that the
engine had run well and leak free all that time......

I'll start putting one of my rebuilds in the car tomorrow, and try and
determine what the problem is with my GEX rebuild sometime later.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Young               young@sherlock.SIMS.Berkeley.EDU
Lafayette, CA  94549    '81 Vanagon
---------------------------------------------------------------------