6 dead cores, 3 more to go. Question on Jacks Heads

VanagonMark · Post by **VanagonMark** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:29 pm

My poor Kraut mechanic is all in a tizzy. I'm going to be having to order a kegger of good German Brewski at the rate things are going.

6 1.6 heads taken to him to have him "try" and fix me up with one good one, all turned out to be trash...

3 more were dug out from the garage tonight. One being a 1.5.

Question: Assuming these heads are beyond repair, I am thinking of ordering one from Jack here at VWDIESELPARTS. His $400 price for a rebuilt one seems fair. Considering I am probably $150 into the old Field Marshal
Otto at this point... Three more heads being checked, and pressure tested might have been more cost effective just to have ordered me up one from Jack.

I did see he sells a bushing whereas, I can use a 1.5 head on my 1.6.
I do have a hydro head off of a non turbo 1990 with the two
oil drains. One would have to be welded shut if I was forced into using it.

Does Jack build some decent heads? Anyone had any experience with his work? Seems fair enough to me.

I do have a 1.6 AMC head that appeared to have lost a belt somewhere along the line. I am sure my old Kraut Otto could fix this up....

Bushing aside, Jack builds decent heads?

libbybapa · Post by **libbybapa** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 1:59 pm

What does your mechanic say is wrong with each of them? I hope you aren't leaving them behind for him to "throw away"...

Andrew

libbybapa · Post by **libbybapa** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:08 pm

I have pulled quite a few heads and not yet had one that was not rebuildable. Sure, they exist, but your "luck" (or your mechanic's opinions) seems very, very improbable.

dieselsnowmobile · Post by **dieselsnowmobile** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:12 pm

Especially if he says they are bad just because of the small crack between the values.

kayakwesty · Post by **kayakwesty** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:12 pm

I have been told, but haven't checked it out that the early 1.9 TDI head will bolt up to a 1.6 and you can find them new, if Jack doesn't have any, I would check with him first.

dieselsnowmobile · Post by **dieselsnowmobile** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:50 pm

That would be awesome. But there would be many variables to have the engine run. You would probably have to change out the pistons too, because a TDI piston has a crater in it instead of the pre-chamber in the head the 1.6L has. The DI (Direct Injection) in TDI means not having that pre-chamber. Plus, you would have to match up the pump and glow plugs. I am not contradicting that it can be done, but these are things that come to mind that could keep it from happening and I (and maybe others) would be interested to know how this would be resolved.

I have heard that someone has put a mechanical pump on a TDI block with some modification. I do not know the details of doing that though.

VanagonMark · Post by **VanagonMark** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:27 pm

The "Problem Caddy" was solved by my luck at a Central California German auto parts place I know

They had a NEW...read NEW VW head. Paid $430 with tax. Now all I need to buy is valves and seals, which will arrive tomorrow. The luck of finding a new unused VW 1600 12mm head was probably 1000 to 1. I just so happened to have called this auto parts place to order new valves and guides for a used head that my Kraut burger guy was rebuilding.

In the course of the conversation, the owner Tony, overhead that I was looking for a head. He heard his counter guy I work with say that my Internet prices and sources was as cheap or cheaper than he could match....

Tony picked up the phone and asked me what I was working on. Explaining that I am trying to get my baby Caddy back up and running, and already have invested in a new pump, new injectors, new cam along with a new exhaust system, I hated to have to rely upon a 300K rebuilt VW or that AMC company. He told me he had a new VW head sitting in his office collecting dust. List was $900 bucks, his cost was $500, we settled upon $400 cash. So to be sweet to the guy, I ordered the new valves and guides thru them

So I won't have to deal with AMC company.

As for my cores: Two pressured tested bad. Internal water leaks. Two were without cam caps, at $160- each to line bore. Two were AMC with smashes lifters from a broken belts.

My Luffwafer Kraut will salvage what he can off the cores--pre-chambers, and send me home to sell the rest at a scrap yard.

Jack at VWDIESELPARTS is out of 1600 heads momentarily .

I am stil sitting on a complete turbo head with all the accessories from an 86 A-2, and a hydro head and block from a 90-91 A-2 which has the TWO oil drain holes...not sure what I will use those for....