Hello,
I recently did some work on my coolant system (replacing a hose and the thermostat, cleaning out the rear heat exchanger, new hose clamps, etc.) on my 1983 VW Vanagon with a 1985 1.9L engine. After one failed bleeding of the coolant system (tried to do it by myself), I finally got the system bled properly and it seemed to be running quite well and at a lower temp than before. However, it now seems that I am leaking coolant out of my head gaskets, primarily the driver's side, but Ive also seen a drop hanging off the passenger side, and I can smell vaporized coolant when I park after driving for long enough. I do not believe it is leaking into the cylinder, as I do not see any white smoke out the exhaust or have any starting problems. I am and always have used phosphate-free coolant.
I have had a similar problem before when I had my thermostat replaced which resulted in a massive coolant leak out of the head gasket while ~100 miles from home. After getting the head gaskets replaced, the van ran slightly hot but with no leaks. Fortunately this time I identified the leak before leaving town. Now I am wondering whether I should just attempt to tighten down the head bolts or go ahead with a full gasket replacement. I expect either way this is either going to be tedious (if I do it myself in the nice, cold, midwest winter weather) or expensive (if I take it to a shop). I have been interested in expanding my repair skill set into more engine work, but Im not sure if now is the best time for it. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.
aloha Mike Braden