Eurovan head gasket replacement.

[cforssi]

My 1993 Eurovan leaks water out of the head gasket. It does not leak onto the cylinder but it leaks out the side of the head. I have to constantly refill the tank. My question is: How hard is it to remove the head and replace the head gasket. Is it something that is not that difficult or do I need to remove the engine to do it? This is the 5 cylinder version. Thank you for any answers.
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47 years of ownership of my bus!

[ocelotpotpie]

Doable without removing the engine. Pull the frontend, pull everything, pull the head.

But you'll want to check the head and the engine block surfaces for straightness. If the block isn't straight it'll need to come out to be corrected or replaced. If the head isn't straight that's easier to fix.

It's not a bad job if you're handy but if you're not great with cars this isn't something I'd recommend you undertake. If you've done a few head gaskets before it's relatively straightforward.

[BatesEV]

Not saying the head gasket can’t be leaking but there are two places it could be coming from. There is the single bolt coolant flange on the drivers end of the head. And on the passenger side there is a hose that runs from the T piece on the coolant tank to the head that could be leaking. Have you pin pointed the exact area? Another failure can be the oil cooler hoses.

[cforssi]

Thank you for the responds. When you say pull everything does that mean radiator and all of the stuff around it? Looks like a big job to get to the head gasket but I am up for it. Looks like the leak is near the number 5 cylinder. below the spark plug. I will get an estimate by a professional then I will decide if I want to do it. Thank you. Charles
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47 years of ownership of my bus!

[ocelotpotpie]

Yeah, you'll want to the pull the front bumper, headlights, radiator, etc.

It's actually not too bad to do. Once you've done it a few times you can pull the entire frontend in less than an hour. Draining the coolant is the most difficult part along with pulling the front bumper. Nice to have a second set of hands for the bumper because it's a big piece of metal and it's heavy.

Most folks seem to charge higher prices for Eurovans from what I've seen. If you do get a quote from a professional make sure it's someone with Eurovan experience ideally, or a LOT of VW/Audi experience. Bringing these vans to a random mechanic often ends in shoddy repairs, poorly informed decisions, and expensive mistakes.

If you're comfortable pulling the head and doing a head gasket yourself the job is maybe a long weekend if you take your time. That is assuming the head and block are straight, of course.

[Ti coune]

Do you have to take the top cam pulley out (and backplate), or can it stay on? Also, it looks like it's not necessary to take the intake off?

[MrPulldown]

Your saying that you have coolant leaking outside of the engine. Have you been able to pinpoint exactly where that leak is coming from. These Eurovans can leak coolant from a bunch of places other than the HG. I'd make sure first before diving in too deep.
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2002 EVC

[subdewd]

You'll want.to remove the cam pulley to lift.the head.off. A couple light raps with air hammer will do