Blown gasket

Ok so took my 1981 vw conv to shop today and guy said that the smell on the oil dipstick was strong meaning fuel strong i knew i had fuel mixing in with oil and he said probly blew a head gasket.Great i said but he said that replacing that gasket wasnt difficult at all and he could rebulid those engine in a day.How true is that?And what kind of price should i excpect him to throw at me.Or should i say what is a fair price don't want to be taking for a ride

Reply to
shellyatkins79
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Hmm.. I'd get a second opinion on that if I were you.

Reply to
Madesio

So took my 81 vw rabbit convertable to shop today i know that i have fuel mixing with my oil guy said possible blown head gasket if so is it a hard job? Guy made it sound so easy that he could rebuild that type of engine in less than a day.I was wondering what was a round about price for that job so he doesn't try to pull a fast one.

Reply to
shellyatkins79

So are you a write-only poster? You already have had the first response to your first posting of this.

Reply to
Tom's VR6

skrev i en meddelelse news: snipped-for-privacy@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...

IMHO : He is full of *shit. The smell of fuel in the oil is often happening when an engine is used for shorter trips or in cold wheather.

To decide if a headgasket is blown: Check for bobbles in cooling water when idling ( engine just warm, not hot) Check for water in oil (white or grey color) Take a compression test.....on alle 4 cylinders.

Have a nice day.... Michael (Denmark)

Reply to
DerGolf

meddelelsenews: snipped-for-privacy@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...> Ok so took my 1981 vw conv to shop today and guy said that the smell

Thanks to your response but whoever tom is what are you saying dude? What is a write only poster and by the way i posted the first topic and it never appeared so i posted again then it put both posts up at same time but appreciate the sarcasism

Reply to
shellyatkins79

meddelelsenews: snipped-for-privacy@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...> Ok so took my 1981 vw conv to shop today and guy said that the smell

Shelly:

With respect, your posts are hard to read as they lack punctuation and clarity. Sometimes posts do not show up instantly. Give it some time (more than an hour, anyway) before deciding it didn't make it.

That being written, the guy in the garage is very definitely focused on taking you for a ride, that or you misunderstood him. But as DerGolf suggested, gasoline smell in the oil has nothing much to do with the head-gasket. There are a couple of things you can do right away:

a) Take the vehicle out for a LONG ride, at least an hour at a sustained speed of at least 50 mph, faster is better. This will serve to clear any water/gasoline/sludge out of the oil (and the water would be from condensate, not coolant (hopefully)) and therefore give you a much better picture of what is going on.

b) After this ride, put the car in a garage or park it and let it sit for 24 hours untouched. Then when the engine is DEAD COLD, remove the coolant cap. Is there a distinct *POP* when you do so? Are there any streaks or floaters in the coolant water? If No and No, that is a good thing.

c) Is there even the slightest hint of *WHITE* smoke in the exhaust upon starting? If so, how long does it last? Does it smell sweet? If No and No, also a good thing.

d) Is there even the slightest hint of *BLACK* smoke in the exhaust upon starting? If so, how long does it last? Does it smell of raw gasoline? Something else?

So, the long ride clears out any contaminants in the oil. A *POP* would suggest pressurization of the coolant, usually by a leak in the head gasket. Streaks or floaters would suggest oil in the coolant. Also from a leak in the head-gasket. White smoke suggests coolant in the exhaust. Bad head-gasket or cracked head. Also the sweet smell. Black smoke suggest you are running rich or burning oil. Neither have anything much to do with the head gasket (in most cases, that is).

Hope this helps.

Peter Wieck Wyncote, PA

Reply to
pfjw

Could also be a problem with the ign system or fuel system. Do what pfjw says but I might change that oil before the long trip. It does depend on how much fuel is in the oil though and I have drained a few that seemed like it was 50/50 and was overfull by quarts. Is your oil level way too full? Usually the spark plugs will tell you if there is a problem by the color of their electrodes. Black is usually an indication of running rich which could be caused by leaking injectors, overly rich mixture, weak spark, bad

02 sensor, and more!

It also would be nice to know how this vehicle is driven. Only short 15-20 minute rides or ??? How it starts and runs? MPG?

JMHO

Reply to
dave AKA vwdoc1

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