Head gasket help - opinions please!!!

[simonslp]

So while I was having a bit of brake work done this past weekend, my mechanic pointed my gaze to this leak (passenger side):

another view:

Appears to be a blown head gasket (maybe with a bad head to boot) .
FWIW My van is a 91 syncro westy with 117000 miles. Original motor.

In a way this is not a huge disappointment as I've been thinking of doing an engine upgrade anyway and this seems to be a good excuse (might be a better sell for my wife). But I wasn't quite planning to do it right away. (Major cash and logistical issues).

My mechanic said he didn't think it'd last the winter, and might be a risk even for my upcoming ski trip at Christmas (200 miles each way with a remote mountain at the far end.) He advised carrying coolant and towing insurance if heading out on longer trips.

My van runs very nicely with no overheating issues and has not been losing coolant to any appreciable extent. I have not noticed any coolant on the ground. I recently completed a 5000 km trip to Utah/Arizona, climbing steep grades and cruising at 70+mph including hot weather running.

I've done a bit of sambasearching and think I could try some of the Subaru sealant/conditioner.

My questions (All of your opinions are welcomed):
1. How bad is it?
2. How long will it last before total failure?
3. Does anybody know how head gasket failures typically play out? Is it an "all of a sudden catastrophe" or would I have some warning and the ability to top up coolant and nurse it to a destination if it start to overheat/leak etc?

Cheers

[dubstar]

funny, I was going to ask the same questions tonight...mine has had some sort of slow leak for over 3 (5?) years now, but I am wondering if the end comes "catastrophically", or are you generally able to limp home...
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1963 Type II Kombi
1977 Type I Fuel Injection

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"you could transport really tall things too, like a giraffe"

[simonslp]

Thanks dubstar for the response... I guess if you've been driving fo 3 years like that it could be considered a good omen for my upcoming trip to the boonies (touching wood as I type). Is your leak as bad as mine?

[dubstar]

at one point, it seemed to be worse, with coolant under the van, but now there is never more than a few drops, if that...I frequently make 2-3 trips, but now no longer push to 75 like I used to, instead staying around 60-65
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1963 Type II Kombi
1977 Type I Fuel Injection

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"you could transport really tall things too, like a giraffe"

[Williamtaylor33]

I drove for 6 months with a headgasket just like yours. And then one day i barely made it home when the low coolant red light started blinking. When i got home all the coolant in the system dumped out on my driveway. You might drive another few thousand miles or you might not get out of your driveway before your headgasket is gone for good.

The engine was still warm when i started pulling parts off of it to pull the heads. Long story short. I got sick of the WBX'er and installed a zetec. Best choice ever and money well spent. Over 20,000 miles from that day and still going strong.
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89 Bostig powered syncro westy

[simonslp]

I was thinking of a subie myself...

[davideric9]

I have 1987 westy syncro as well. From time to time I found small leak of coolant on the ground. Some times none. It did give way suddenly with lots of coolant spraying out and no way to keep it in. I used the subaru sealant prior to this failure.

All that being said, if you just want to buy some time before the conversion money kicks in, go ahead and do the head gasket replacement and don't touch anything else while you are in there. This can be done with the engine in the car as long as you remove the heads without disturbing the cylinder walls.

If your engine is running strong, just seal it up again without even looking at the heads, cause it will just upset you and you will want to spend money making it better, but you want a different engine so just get it back on the road as it was before the coolant leak.

I did not do this and wish I had. I thought as long as I am in there do lots of things, which turned out to be a waste of time and money.
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1987 Syncro Westfalia, stock (bought 1994)
1986 Syncro Westfalia SVX, 3 knob (bought 2008)
1987 Westfalia (bought 2010)
1988 Wolfsburg GL (bought 2012)

[JunkYarDog]

Mine is an 85 with a 1.9 liter. I drove it for a long time with known small leaks. The gaskets did eventually and most literally "blow". But it was due to my neglect that it happened. I forced the cooling system to seal when it was trying to vent. This was an attempt to retain coolant on a trip. As it turns out one of the lower hoses exploded and the gaskets on both sides were deformed by all the pressure and heat. I also thought I could press on for a half mile for a safe place to stop after the hose went out. The temp gauge never moved, but with no water on it where was it going to go...

To the point; there is not guarantee it will last. But IMHO if you monitor and take care of it as if it were geriatric it should provide a little more service with no issues.
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85' GL Sunroof
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(67' Volvo 122S pending)

[morymob]

If the van cools normally then get an old press cap if u have one and drill a vent hole thru center of flat metal plate (1/16" ok) and run without pressure , i have done this since '92 and on my 5th wbx without any problems,all the leaks went away that u normally get but u may have to replace anyway,maybe when it's warm. I run no pressure all time but u have have a cooling sys that cools normally as this won't fix that.

[kenwilfy]

You may be able to get another year out of this by using bars leak or the Subaru stop leak but it is a gamble. What can happen at any given moment is that a large chunk of the bottom of the head gasket can sudden blow out under pressure and you can lose all of your coolant in under 60 seconds at highway speed. BTDT. The smarter thing to do would be to would be to plan on a head gasket replacement in the next month or so. That way instead of being at the mercy of your van or some tow truck driver somewhere in the middle of nowhere, you are in control. Remember it is always going to be cheaper to have it fixed near home than away on a trip somewhere when it is an emergency break down. Just my opinion but I have been dealing with these situations for 11 years now and I think I have a little experience in this area. If you need anything please let me know.
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Thanks,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com
856-327-4936

[Williamtaylor33]

[ftp2leta]

[simonslp]

Thanks for all the input guys!

To recap, so far the consensus answers to my 3 questions
(1. how bad is it, 2. how long will it last, 3. what does failure look like)
seems to be:

1. it's bad in the sense that it will eventually be terminal
2. no guarantees but will likely last me up to the mountains at Xmas (could of course go at any time but hard to predict, and many folks have run with similar looking leaks for months if not years)
3. failure can take the form of a long slow decline OR a short sharp pee in the parking lot and this is hard to predict as well.

I ask the question below in the knowledge that I can't get this problem rectified in the way I want (sube 2.5l) before Christmas and with the strong hope to realize my dream of driving up into the remote mountains of Vancouver Island for a well-deserved (and much fantasized) Xmas skistravaganza.

(NB I have CAA towing coverage and will get a whack of antifreeze)


SO without further ado --- a poll:

Considering the above, would YOU drive this rig 5 hours into the boonies?

thanks Simon

[JunkYarDog]

IMHO what you should rally do is sign the title over to me and forget about it

Honestly, I'd go for it. Cooler time of year means less strain to keep temps down. You can do the no pressure mod but this is something I can't see doing for a longer trip, you'll still lose coolant thru the overflow. But if you can keep your coolant level full in the system and the overflow you shold be able to keep air out of the system and in turn keep pressure down.

But if you decide to forgo this and want to give me the problems....
_________________
I have never owned a VW I didn't like, but there have been a few Fords and Chevy's.
85' GL Sunroof
68' Beetle sedan
72' Chevy C10 (LWB Step)
(67' Volvo 122S pending)

[Gauche1968]

Honestly, I wouldn't do it. People have died out there on some of those remote roads in the Winter.
_________________
1984 Vanagon GL
1984 Vanagon Westy

[dubstar]

on average, what should a head gasket replacement cost?
_________________
1963 Type II Kombi
1977 Type I Fuel Injection

http://instagram.com/john_aka_dubstar/
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"you could transport really tall things too, like a giraffe"

[ftp2leta]

Do your trip, keep monitoring the engine temp and coolant level all the way, you should be fine. I have seen folks crossing Canada/USA with worse leak than yours. Still, it's NOT a calculated risk.

Let the engine warm up for a few minutes at every cold start.

After i'll sell you a conversion (insight)

Ben
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Working with rust, grease, dirt and dust is a sad truth.
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[ftp2leta]

[Jedi]

I agree Just take it apart and fix it it is cheaper now than later to fix man
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1961 Westfalia SO23 Mango Green/Seagull grey
1961 Westfalia SO34 T/BW
1961 Westfalia SO34 SWR
1964 Westfalia SO33 pearl white
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1973 Pumpkin orange Thing
2 1963 Rag top bug's
1965 Manx
1970 Single cab
1971 combi
1990 Vanagon GL
2007 Audi A4 3.2L quattro

[simonslp]

Thanks again for the opinions everybody!

I'm not going to put any $$ into fixing the current leak as I'll be changing the whole motor soon anyway.

But based on your input I am resolved to enjoy Christmas as planned, albeit with a Subi stopleak treatment before heading out, and towing insurance and a stash of antifreeze in my back pocket.

Everybody send me good juju!