B Reg T25 1.9 Watercooled - water leak and cant find

[stuiesav]

Hi All,

Hope you have all had a great bank holiday weekend.

I am new to the world of VW T25 ownership (and this website) and have just purchased myself a T3 campervan and need some advice...

I have noticed some water/small amount of drops under the engine bay. My drive way is on a slope - this only happens when the rear of the car is higher than the front of the car (i.e. engine is higher than the front of the van).

As i look at the back of the van, down at the engine, on the left hand side cylinder block there is what appears to be a rubber gasket that has come away from the block (i have enclosed a photo)- and i think maybe water is leaking from here...

There is no emulsification in either the coolant water or the oil and when i run the van up to normal operating temp - there is not steam escaping. The van also does not over heat and runs totally fine. (why would i not see any steam??)

I have photos of what i believe is the problem area - if i could send them to someone to take a look please?? :-)

So a couple of questions:

(a) is this a case of the head gasket needs replacing
(b) is there any way of applying external sealant that may help address the problem? (JB Weld??)
(c) is this problem common
(d) if i were to pay someone to replace the gasket what sort of money would i be talking about?
(e) Can you replace the gasket without taking the engine out of the bay


Anyhow - thank you all in advance for taking a look at this.

Thanks and regards,

Stuart. (stuiesav@gmail.com)[/img]