[Vwdiesel] Head on 91 Jetta

[Val Christian]

The hose connectors have mostly been replaced.  It seems that the
coefficient of expansion between the plastic and the metal are different.
Ultimately, small leaks emerge.

O rings?  Like on the sensors?  Ha!  Done those a couple of times.
The first time one went it was a riot.  My son had a basketball game
in Buffalo, and it was Superbowl day.  At 1PM, the O-ring blew as I
passed through a toll booth.  Got a bunch of 2 liter bottles from the 
toll booth employee kitchen, and filled them with water.  Out of ducttape,
but still with a roll of athletic trainer tape, I fashioned a O-ring 
and plugged the bleeding.  The sensor is low enough, and the flow 
high enough, that one can't just leave things in leak mode.  Another
time an O ring went, it was a similar situation, but I was not stuck 
at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.  Yes, Buffalo is 
nowhere.

For popping the exhaust clamps, I have a klemfedderspreader, which the
now closed german car place in town special ordered for me.  A real pain
those springs, and that is why on the 1977-1984 bunnies, I simply left 
the manifold in the car when pulling the head.  I jsut haven't done the
same job on the 91.

My experience over the years with glow plugs is good and bad.  It's real 
good in that if the engine is running fine, they last forever.  On the
other hand, if the injectors are dribbling, or have a poor spray pattern
then the glow plugs look like someone took a cutting torch to them.
At least I never had the precombustion chamber insert come loose.

Then again, I am surprized that nothing did come loose with a couple of
the runaway cars.  Yep, a diesel bunny which still accelerates while 
doing maximum performance breaking, and your foot of the accelerator.
Good thing it left a cloud of smoke behind so the cops couldn't catch me...

Regarding the other post on doing water pumps, with AC and PS on a car,
having done that a couple of times, I can say I have it to a science,
(well sort of) and it's a big pain.  I simply budget 4 to 5 hours for the 
chore.  And it is just a chore.  I hate having a lower shroud on the 
engine compartment.

Keep any ideas coming...

Val


> 
> I have done head gaskets on 2 NA's, and on both, left the manifolds attached.
> Just pop off the exhaust pipe springs (watch your eyes) remove the
> necessaries, cam sprocket, 2 little bolts that hold the tin belt cover
> backing to the head, injection stuff, and out she comes. 
> What a great time to replace all the glow plugs, and rewire them with an
> individual wire to each, to a common point just above the injectors.
> 
> Remove the hose connectors (plastic, I think, 90 up. If metal, clean well.)
> and clean the mating surface and replace the O rings with NEW ones. 
> 
>  Sandy
>