Right folks,
My '86 Westy (2.1 DJ engine) is giving me grief. I've noticed a slight coolant leak and the dreaded mayo appearing under the oil filler cap. Compression test seems to confirm my fears - cylinder 3 is down.
Before I dive in and tackle the head gasket replacement myself, I was hoping to tap into the collective wisdom of this forum.
* Anyone got any tips or tricks for this job on a DJ engine?
* Recommended head gasket kits? Goetze, Elring, other?
* Anything else I should be checking/replacing while I'm in there (studs, water pump, etc.)?
* Torque settings for the head bolts? (I've seen conflicting info online)
Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated! Don't want to mess this up! Cheers!.
Head Gasket Woes - Seeking Advice!
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Aidan
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Re: Head Gasket Woes - Seeking Advice!
DJ mechanical manual is available on Syncrosport website as is the electrical one
Good luck
Good luck
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cobblers
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Re: Head Gasket Woes - Seeking Advice!
These don't have a "head gasket" in a traditional sense - the path for coolant to leak out of the engine is a totally different path to that where water could get into the oil, and the way for compression gases to escape is different still.
I would start by looking at each problem on it's own fairly thoroughly before diving into taking the heads off. It's far from a straightforward job and is fraught with potential headaches before you even get it apart! In particular, the head studs are fragile and often snap on removal leaving the remains in a very difficult location deep in the water jacket.
Can you see where the coolant is leaking from? Is it significant? these have a rubber water jacket to head seal what often weeps. They'll usually just keep on weeping a bit for years and years, they don't usually "let go" all of a sudden.
Coolant into the oil is odd. There isn't really a single seal that holds these fluids apart. The oil cooler (under the oil filter) is the closest that these two fluids pass.
How much lower is the compression on #3 than the rest? If you had enough of a leak of combustion gases to cause a lower compression reading, you would have a vehicle that was quickly pressurising the coolant system and blowing water out of the overflow tank quite dramatically. You can do a sniff test on the air in the coolant reservoir with a cheap kit that will turn the fluid a different colour if it detects co2 meaning the gas has come from the combustion chamber.
If you do indeed have co2 in the coolant then taking (at least one of) the heads off is the only route, but it could be that one of the studs has already corroded enough to allow the head to lift, which would cause a coolant leak and a loss of compression.
I would start by looking at each problem on it's own fairly thoroughly before diving into taking the heads off. It's far from a straightforward job and is fraught with potential headaches before you even get it apart! In particular, the head studs are fragile and often snap on removal leaving the remains in a very difficult location deep in the water jacket.
Can you see where the coolant is leaking from? Is it significant? these have a rubber water jacket to head seal what often weeps. They'll usually just keep on weeping a bit for years and years, they don't usually "let go" all of a sudden.
Coolant into the oil is odd. There isn't really a single seal that holds these fluids apart. The oil cooler (under the oil filter) is the closest that these two fluids pass.
How much lower is the compression on #3 than the rest? If you had enough of a leak of combustion gases to cause a lower compression reading, you would have a vehicle that was quickly pressurising the coolant system and blowing water out of the overflow tank quite dramatically. You can do a sniff test on the air in the coolant reservoir with a cheap kit that will turn the fluid a different colour if it detects co2 meaning the gas has come from the combustion chamber.
If you do indeed have co2 in the coolant then taking (at least one of) the heads off is the only route, but it could be that one of the studs has already corroded enough to allow the head to lift, which would cause a coolant leak and a loss of compression.
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silverbullet
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Re: Head Gasket Woes - Seeking Advice!
I seem to be typing this a lot but...get a Haynes Transporter manual 3452.
The engine stripdown in the book is an early 1.9 but the later 2.1 engine is near identical.
Torque values are all correct.
Its a simple enough engine but its construction owes a lot to its Aircooled predecessors, which can make some of the details seem a bit odd to anyone who has worked on conventional pushrod inline engines.
The engine stripdown in the book is an early 1.9 but the later 2.1 engine is near identical.
Torque values are all correct.
Its a simple enough engine but its construction owes a lot to its Aircooled predecessors, which can make some of the details seem a bit odd to anyone who has worked on conventional pushrod inline engines.
1985 Oettinger 3.2 Caravelle RHD syncro twin slider. SA Microbus bumpers, duplex winch system, ARC 7X15 period alloys