Kuuner
Member
I bought my clunker at an auction for $1,700.00. Canadian import 5 speed manual with 330,000 KM on the motor. (I'm still trying to learn how to convert when i'm on the freeway but that's the least of my problems)
I knew there would be things to fix but, it started, drove, didn't get hot, shifted, etc. A/C worked, interior was complete (for the most part) and the body was clean, as was/is the paint, so i thought what the heck, would be a great commuter car for me as my daily trip is 108 miles roundtrip and at almost 50mpg, thought i couldn't go wrong.
I've already replaced radiator fans, overflow bottle and cap, control arms and bushings, the missing interior parts, some electrical parts (switches mostly) and so on. Again, no elusion as to the fact that i need and will need to do things to get this thing tip top but went in eyes wide open. My next job was going to be suspension all around and at the same time, do the timing belt but, i had this persistent coolant leak problem. Bottle pressurized and stayed pressured. No leaks anywhere. Good bottle (OEM). Good cap on bottle (OEM). Did dye test, no leaks showed. No peanut butter on oil cap. no bad hoses. No EGR coolant leak. No heater core leak so, i thought, dreadfully, that the culprit could only be the head gasket. Well, confirmed with my mechanic, it's the head gasket. So...argh. Sh*t. I don't turn wrenches but so far, working on these VWs has been liking adult Legos. Almost fun! I thought to myself, i'll do it myself considering my mechanic wants $2,346. Granted that includes timing belt kit as well as head gasket but for that money, i'll put a bullet in her before i spend it. Yeah, i'll spend $500 on parts and could screw it up but, still, even if i screw it up, i didn't spend almost $2,500.
So...my question. I have done the research for the timing belt change. Lock the cam, lock the injection pump, mark everything, be methodical, be slow and purposeful, yada yada. I get that and think i can do that but now that i have to do the head gasket as well, i started researching on doing that. Ok, seems straightforward enough. Even though there are lots of videos of guys doing it different ways (Turbo removed, turbo not removed, cam pulled out, not pulled out, etc.), still, some things are always the same and at the end of the day, the head comes off. Well? When the head comes off, the cam comes off with it so, once i get the head back from the machinist, how do i ensure everything is where it should be and that all my sprockets, belts, teeth, timing, etc. are where they should be, and were?
I knew there would be things to fix but, it started, drove, didn't get hot, shifted, etc. A/C worked, interior was complete (for the most part) and the body was clean, as was/is the paint, so i thought what the heck, would be a great commuter car for me as my daily trip is 108 miles roundtrip and at almost 50mpg, thought i couldn't go wrong.
I've already replaced radiator fans, overflow bottle and cap, control arms and bushings, the missing interior parts, some electrical parts (switches mostly) and so on. Again, no elusion as to the fact that i need and will need to do things to get this thing tip top but went in eyes wide open. My next job was going to be suspension all around and at the same time, do the timing belt but, i had this persistent coolant leak problem. Bottle pressurized and stayed pressured. No leaks anywhere. Good bottle (OEM). Good cap on bottle (OEM). Did dye test, no leaks showed. No peanut butter on oil cap. no bad hoses. No EGR coolant leak. No heater core leak so, i thought, dreadfully, that the culprit could only be the head gasket. Well, confirmed with my mechanic, it's the head gasket. So...argh. Sh*t. I don't turn wrenches but so far, working on these VWs has been liking adult Legos. Almost fun! I thought to myself, i'll do it myself considering my mechanic wants $2,346. Granted that includes timing belt kit as well as head gasket but for that money, i'll put a bullet in her before i spend it. Yeah, i'll spend $500 on parts and could screw it up but, still, even if i screw it up, i didn't spend almost $2,500.
So...my question. I have done the research for the timing belt change. Lock the cam, lock the injection pump, mark everything, be methodical, be slow and purposeful, yada yada. I get that and think i can do that but now that i have to do the head gasket as well, i started researching on doing that. Ok, seems straightforward enough. Even though there are lots of videos of guys doing it different ways (Turbo removed, turbo not removed, cam pulled out, not pulled out, etc.), still, some things are always the same and at the end of the day, the head comes off. Well? When the head comes off, the cam comes off with it so, once i get the head back from the machinist, how do i ensure everything is where it should be and that all my sprockets, belts, teeth, timing, etc. are where they should be, and were?
