Hi All,

I've been worried about the head gaskets on my 84 Westy for some time now.
 It has 117K on it and the refill tank is fluctuating wildy.  Sometimes it
spews coolant on the pavement after a hard drive.  It was seeping around the
heads externally which stopped after putting in some Bars leak.  

I had it pressure tested (is this a leakdown test)  by a local VW shop (with
a name like Harry and Gunther they have to be OK, right?) and it passed.
 They said pressure dropped only very slowly but was within specs.  I also
bought a block tester for about $35 at the FLAPS which tests for exhaust
gases in the cooling system.  I found it hard to use because the coolant kept
on getting into the testing chamber.  When I did get it to work the fluid
turned aqua green from marine blue.  A positive test is supposed to turn the
fluid yellow.

Now I'm stuck.  I passed on taking the Westy to Baja last week but sure would
have liked to have had it there.  I'm still very suspicious of a head gasket
problem even though the above tests were OK or sorta OK.  Is there anything
else to do or check prior to pulling the heads?  Have changed thermostat,
water pump and expansiontank cap too.  Any help appreciated.

Garrick Chang
Davis, CA