When I bought my '84 in May 1997, the used car lot said it had a blown head
gasket.  I drove it a few miles and it drive to well for something to be
seriously wrong.  Once I had the cooling system cleaned, bled, etc., it has
worked fine for over 20K miles.

John Lauterbach
Macon, GA
----- Original Message -----
From: t obrien <robot_works@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 1999 9:01 PM
Subject: T/S blown head gasket

> Ok Gang,
> here is the story.
> I bought the 84 Wolfy Westy cheep because it had a 'blown' head gasket.
> I don't know what the previous symtoms were.
> This is what I do know:
> Compression test:
> Cold:
> 151,151,145,145
> Hot:
> 151,151,155,155
>
> No oil in the anitfreeze that I can see, no antifreeze in the oil. Temp
goes
> up to midrange on the idio-gauge and stays there. After warming it up to
> temperature, I drove it 10 miles (16.4KM) in stop and go traffic, then
took
> it out on the highway and took it up to 80mph (130KPH) for a couple of
miles
> (3.2KM). No change in the idio-temp gauge. Sometimes the red blinking
light
> is on, sometimes it goes away.
> When I turn the heat on, there is a slight smell of antifreeze. Does this
> mean anything?
>
> So where do I go next in my search for evidence of a blown head gasket?
> Where do I get a cooling system pressure gauge?
>
> Van runs nice, slight valve tap at idle.
>
> tim
> 81 Westy "Hulk"
> 83 7 passenger "soon gone"
> 84 Wolfy Westy "Cory"
>
>
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