[Vwdiesel] Oil instead of antifreeze

[Sandy Cameron]

At 01:05 PM 24/09/2007 -0700, you wrote:
>Went and looked at a 1981 Rabbit diesel at lunch time at a car lot.  It
started up pretty good but the hoses have been messed with.  I noticed this
right away when I saw the top small hose from the reservoir was going into a
bottle.  I took the top off the reservoir and looked in and saw dark black
oil.  I expected antifreeze with oil but not straight oil.  My question is
did someone just think that is were the oil was to be added or did they put
oil in instead of antifreeze to cover something up.  The car is pretty
rusted and they are asking $800.  Just was wondering what people thought?

BLOWN HEAD GASKET !

If it runs OK, the problem is the  part of the gasket where the oil pumps up
thru the block to the head is blown in to the cooling system. 
There is a rubber grommet in the gasket that lets go and lets oil into the
coolant.

Head has to come off and the gasket replaced.

$300 to $500 done by a shop.

Can be done at home for abt $100+/-  for gasket and set of replacement
stretch head bolts, if you have tools and courage.

Need good set of wrenches, special bits for head bolts (allen or 12 pt.),
torque wrench, other home shop tools.

Car is worth about $300, unless there is other restorative work to be done
to make it road worthy, then it's not worth anything except for the education..

Sandy