[Vwdiesel] Engine hints --- (from a hillbilly point of view.) - (2nd atte...

[LBaird119 at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/8/2003 5:11:43 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
gavrik at cablespeed.com writes:

>     BR. 0 0460 494 130
>        VE R 136
>             068 130 109
>      015 531      22845
>
>      * the pump has a blue dot

  That would be a VW part # of 068 130 109.  The Bosch # is 0 0460 494 130.
>
>  The Rabbit has been loosing coolant for months now.  The rate has been
>  quite slow and I have not seen anything that would suggest that
>  coolant is getting into a cylinder or the oil.  It makes me wonder if
>  the leak only exists when the cylinder pressure is high.  If this was
>  the case significant amounts of coolant might be prevented from
>  entering the cylinder.  Is this possible?  Am I nuts?

  I've done several blown head gaskets and I don't recall ever finding
noticeable amounts of coolant in the oil.  You do get lots of exhaust
in the coolant, which leaves little coolant, and often oil in the coolant.
>
>  This weekend I plan to check the compression and if I can get some
>  air, do a leak-down test.  I might also remove the coolant and
>  pressurizes the cooling system to see if that tells me anything.

  It's unlikely a pressure test will indicate much unless your water
pump is getting ready to leak.  The compression may well show
one low cylinder or both middle ones low.

  I seem to have missed something about rod bearings.  I tend to
change rod and main bearings whenever I'm in an engine.  With
these diesels I'd often find perfect bearings unless the oil had been
neglected or some other failure.  I didn't replace mine through a couple
re-rings because the clearances were under .0015 inch.  I only replaced
them at the major overhaul because I lost oil pressure once and one
rod bearing showed signs of it.  :P
     Loren