variant13 Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 So, went to drive the 84 GL to work today, and it really doesn't like starting cold ever, but it hasn't been below freezing here since I got the car home over the weekend. Made the trip from Denver to central Wyoming without a hitch. And today when I started it, white smoke, in quantity, with the smell of antifreeze. Car's not even a week old. Now you all will get to sample my unbelievably bad luck first hand. So, do I buy the gasket set and hope for no cracks, or do I man up and buy heads? Is this enough like a Beetle, that since I have the heads off, I may as well toss new pistons in? Guess I need to call Shawn and find out about that 5-speed and the cross-members and stuff earlier than I had intended. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 Intake manifold gaskets or carb base gaskets. EA81 head gasket failure is rare. In any case you will not need new heads and no - you don't want to be replacing pistons. This is almost nothing like an air-cooled VW. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
variant13 Posted May 20, 2010 Author Share Posted May 20, 2010 What does the stock carb look like to rebuild (1984 GL wagon)? I figure since I'm going to be ripping it off no matter what, and the choke doesn't appear to work, I may as well tear it down and service it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted May 20, 2010 Share Posted May 20, 2010 They can be a pain in the neck if you aren't used to them. I've had problems with the quality of the rebuild parts that are availible. If I were you I would be putting on a Weber. The stock carbs are gutless and I can't even bear to drive around with one personally. Plus the Weber really cleans up the engine bay - starts to look a lot like an old Chevy truck under the hood. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
variant13 Posted May 20, 2010 Author Share Posted May 20, 2010 And thanks for the pointers, GD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
variant13 Posted May 20, 2010 Author Share Posted May 20, 2010 GD - would you recommend the Weber over an EA82 SPFI? That, with the 5-speed, was going to be a long-term goal for this rig. If you think the Weber is better though, I'll start looking for one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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