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%20GasketHow 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. Sent from my HTC Mecha using Tapatalk 2
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. ..Sent from my HTC Mecha using Tapatalk 2
...BTW your Bieber avatar is awesome.-Malone
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.
Quote from: ORCoaster on April 26, 2012, 03:30:33 pmThermostat 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 Smiley.
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.