it was looking glum in van land. once again (time #3) i took off the rocker arm cover to address the gasket problem. i was trying to come up with a way not to get completely filthy while i was looking at the muck in the top of the head. here is my solution- it involves one infant medication dispenser syringe (from when my son was a tot), a 3hp shop vac with micro nozzles, a cheap artist’s brush and a pair of pantyhose. first i sucked out all the wet oil with the syringe. then i ran the wooden pointy handle of the paint brush around the valves and drains to chisel the gunk loose. when i had that pretty well worked over, i put some pantyhose over the end of my shopvac hose and shoved on the small tips on to suck the crud out. i had to empty the tip and move the pantyhose about every two seconds, but after a bit of effort, the drain ports were revealed. i ran the tips down the drains to clean them out as best i could. the test was pouring oil into the head- it actually drained! i got so excited that i accidentally put about half a quart of automatic transmission fluid in the head before i caught my mistake.
i decided to try one of those 5 minute engine flush mechanic in a can deals, so i drained the oil out, putting back the flush plus 4 quarts or so. running the van after that was interesting, the metal between the exhaust manifold and tailpipe glowed red hot while it idled. sounded like crap, too. after changing the oil and filter i went for a drive.
results? shifting better, no smoke, idles better. i have to admit i was feeling pretty good about my efforts for the day. unfortunately, it was hard to find anyone that interested in my brilliance. oh well, i finally won a round!