Possible Headgasket/who knows

[Rising]

Well I had coolant but then i lost it when it all boiled out lol. No but after i lost my accessory belt it boiled a lot out. So I replaced it with water. Then it started boiling out all the time and I put coolant in it at first but that gets expensive when you are trying to figure out where it keeps going.

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[ORCoaster]

well. What's the beat brand or place to order a headgasket from?  

 I picked my last one up here along with the other gasket kit for the valve cover and such.  But you may not need all those parts.   http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?sid=zj0b0u55kwhz35mqdgbc1bn2&makeid=800026@VW&modelid=1285084@RABBIT%20LS%20DELUXE&year=1981&cid=20@Engine%20Parts,%20Seals%20%26%20Gaskets&gid=5412@Cylinder%20Head%20Gasket

How do I tell which one? Or just order a 3?    

Look at the description on the site.  You need to know the year and the thickness.  Thickness is determined by how much the pistons rise above the block.  That procedure has been described here someplace.

Will I need to have a machine shop check the head or can I do that myself? How long does a HG job take? Anything else to do while I'm at it beside the timing belt
 If you have all the parts in place and nothing fouls up on you then a days job.  Some do it half of that but I would plan a full weekend just in case you want to clean parts that are coming off or do additional work on things like valve guides or seals.  Kind of depends on what you might run into once you get the head off.  Cleaning it up right, measuring for warpage and such will take a new person more time than those who have been there often.  Like CRSMP5 or R.O.R.


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[Rising]

Okay well i went ahead and ordered all three thickness gaskets... and i'll send two back once i get the head off and i can measure the thickness. I'll be doing the job this weekend i guess. Hopefully all goes well.

I've got the following parts:
3 Headgaskets with 1 2 and 3 notches
valve cover gasket
10 new head bolts
new timing belt
new exhaust manifold gaskets
new intake manifold gasket

I'm going to pick up the new oil and oil filter locally, and the same for new coolant and the 12mm triple-sqaure.

Anything I'm missing? I'm going to use the stanley hinge + 10mm deepwell method for locking the timing. Do i need to buy a dial gauge or adapter or anything? I have a harbor freight right down the road if i need any of that. I was hoping i might be able to rent it from autozone/advance auto or something.

Anybody want to play with a headgasket this weekend? 

[billybobf]

did you get a new timing belt tensioner? and you will need the timing tool, not just the dial indicator (althoug I have wondered if a magnetic base stuck to the pump would work)

but you actually need the threaded adapter that holds the indicator to the pump

[Rising]

Nope I didn't think I needed one. Ill try to pick one up...

Do you have a link for that adapter? I'm not sure I know quite where that plays in.

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[billybobf]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VW-Audi-Diesel-Bosch-VE-Fuel-Injection-Pump-Timing-Tool-/260997223416?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item3cc4a593f8&vxp=mtr#ht_2274wt_1396

this actually holds the dial indicator

[Rising]

Awesome that's great.

On another note!! I found some more things that could be causing problems!

One : no thermostat...


Two : this dohickey over by the firewall is shut no matter what. ..


Wouldn't that cause coolant not to be able to leave the head? It appears to be going to the heater core... but i don't understand how coolant leaviing the head could get around it...

and I couldn't put my new thermostat in because i broke off thebolts to the thermostat housing  
I wasn't even twisting very hard... in fact i thought i had justloosened them up...

Anyway i think someone said earlier with no thermostat the car would overheat... well i have no thermostat and my car is overheating so it's worth a shot before i put the new headgasket on...

I already ordered the parts though so if it needs to be done great and if not i'll just keep the parts till it does need to be done

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[theman53]

Awesome that's great.

On another note!! I found some more things that could be causing problems!

One : no thermostat...

Two : this dohickey over by the firewall is shut no matter what. ..

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If you don't have a t stat in it, then that is the entire boilover problem. It will probably be fine until you drive it a mile or more, then boil. Put a T stat in and get all the air out.

What is by the firewall?

[Rising]

Sorry I forgot the pictures.

Hurray! I really hope that's it.

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[ORCoaster]

Thermostat is down by the water pump is it not?  You take the lower radiator hose off to get at it.  The top flange is just that a flange, backwards from most engines in America. 

The dohicky at the firewall is the temp selector on the dash.  Slide it hot it goes one way, cold it goes the other.  If it is frozen in place it could be open and allowing water to route through the core but I doubt it. 

[Rising]

Thermostat is down by the water pump is it not?  You take the lower radiator hose off to get at it.  The top flange is just that a flange, backwards from most engines in America. 

The dohicky at the firewall is the temp selector on the dash.  Slide it hot it goes one way, cold it goes the other.  If it is frozen in place it could be open and allowing water to route through the core but I doubt it. 

 

Really? I thought for sure that was it.... I cancelled my order for the headgaskets and bolts

Does anyone have any pictures of the thermostat location?

[theman53]

buy a bentley manual for your car.

Lay on your back on the ground. Slide under the bumper on the belt side of the engine. Look up and you will see the water pump. On the very bottom of it it will have a housing with two 6mm bolts *10mm heads* Inside that housing is the T stat. You don't have to even remove the hose to change it...if it is non power steering. Power steering is a different ball game.

[8v-of-fury]

Thermostat is down by the water pump is it not?  You take the lower radiator hose off to get at it.  The top flange is just that a flange, backwards from most engines in America. 

The dohicky at the firewall is the temp selector on the dash.  Slide it hot it goes one way, cold it goes the other.  If it is frozen in place it could be open and allowing water to route through the core but I doubt it. 

 

Really? I thought for sure that was it.... I cancelled my order for the headgaskets and bolts

Does anyone have any pictures of the thermostat location?

Yikes. I second the Bentley. Very simple things, and shearing bolts.. You got some reading to do my friend. Now I am not picking on you for not knowing, but it would be wise to do some learning before you proceed. This is good advice I'd follow .

The thermostat is located on the engine side of the bottom rad hose. What do you mean you do not understand how the valve by the firewall works? It is a valve, it determines whether any hot coolant enters the heater core or not. It is not the only path for coolant however. Coolant flows from the water pump (bottom of the engine) up through the block and then the head. Where it then comes out piping hot through the side of the head and the front of the head (where you torqued the heads off those bolts lol). From there it either goes to the heater core out the side of the head through that valve in one of your pictures, or out the front of the head and through the radiator, but only if the thermostat has opened. If the thermostat is closed then it travels down the by-pass hose that hugs the block behind the fuel pump, through the water pump to start its journey again. The hot coolant going down the by-pass is what heats the thermostat up allowing it open up, and allow coolant to go through the radiator while blocking off the by-pass route. The route of least resistance is through the by-pass, so you can see why it will overheat without a thermostat. The coolant will never travel through the radiator without a thermostat.

[Rising]

Yikes. I second the Bentley. Very simple things, and shearing bolts.. You got some reading to do my friend. Now I am not picking on you for not knowing, but it would be wise to do some learning before you proceed. This is good advice I'd follow Smiley.

Yeah I have been looking for one. The cheapest I could find was about $50. So with the car potentially ruined I didn't want to drop the cash on it only to find out my block/head is toast. But I have been searching for one. I'm definitely not the most skilled mechanic out there but I wasn't doing anything outrageous to sheer these bolts. I was using a small ratchet (No breaker bar or anything) and i just started turning the bolts (no yanking/twisting/hammering/jerking) they seemed like they were coming out fine until i pulled out half a bolt. In fact I didn't even notice they were snapped until after I went to the second one because the first one turned so smoothly i thought i should loosen the other side before removing the bolts all the way.

Anyway that's beside the point. I'm definitely not an incredibly skilled mechanic and I understand that. I came here to learn and ask questions to try and better myself and repair my car. I really appreciate all the help you guys have been giving me towards that goal but I certainly apologize for this thread since I've been kind of in a rush to get things done and probably should've done some more research.

What do you mean you do not understand how the valve by the firewall works? It is a valve, it determines whether any hot coolant enters the heater core or not.

I understand how it works. I was stating that it doesn't work. And I was asking if it being shut permanently (Nothing i move on the inside heater controls will change it's position.) would cause any sort of lack of coolant flow. I thought water was flowing in the front of the head and through the block and out the side which is what was confusing me. But thanks for the explanation of the coolant path. That definitely clears things up! (I searched for a schematic/picture of the coolant system for our car but I couldn't find anything... wish i had that bentley.)

Anyway I'll be replacing the headgasket this weekend with my dad (Alot more experience than me). If the car still runs after that (Miracle) I'll post up and let you know how things went. 

[billybobf]

if the bently is in good shape buy it! if your car is toast, sell me the bently? I need one but not yet, Might buy some parts off you or the car too, lol