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Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:02 am

Everytime I go on a long distance trip it seams my bus dies and I come home with AAA. However I have been driving the bus around town with NO problems at all except for a cold stall issue (which I have solved by letting the bus warm up for a few mins)

is there a list of things I should test before going on another road trip?

I mostly go to galveston, tx which is under 100 miles from my house however I am out of tows til Sept unless I get a membership as well.

I would be most thankful for any words of wisdom!

Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:12 am

Must be frustrating.

I, for one, couldn't even begin to advise until I knew what types of breakdowns you are having. That info would give the forum contributors an idea of where maintenance of your Vanagon may have been let go.

I drive my 89 Westy on 320+ round trippers with no worry whatsoever. Its never left me by the side of the road. And I'm often hauling 1 and 5 yr old kids. "Precious cargo" if you will.
I am one who can honestly say I trust my Vanagon to get me "there" and back home again.

Regardless all that.
I would say that the number one issue is fuel lines.
Thoroughly inspect your fuel lines before you drive another mile
..from tank to iinjectors and then do the Van Cafe upgrade as soon as you have the time. In fact don't wait unitl you have the time.. Make the time.

Search the forum for the fuel line topic. This is not to prevent breakdowns, per se.. but to prevent a vehicle fire.

Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:45 am

it might help us if you could list the reasons of the previous break downs and Tows.

and if you fixed, repaired, or just kludged the repair.

best tool in your tool box is preventative maintenance.
next is listening to what you VW is telling you. it's amazing that I can ride in anothers VW and say hey, your XYZ is loose/out of line/broke/making noise
and they look at me like..
HUH!! What? it's always done that or it's supposed to do that is a common reply..
which is incorrect in longetivity, reliability & safety.

or it's just an old VW... well it WAS a NEW one once. and with some elbow grease.. that stuff you get on your elbows from self maintenance it can work&play like a New VW again.

these are very stout and fairly easy VWs to work with.

Best, Dan

Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:05 am

you must give abit more detail on the problem ,like driving down the road and it dies.. for example.

if you ae driveing and it dies,on smoth ground ,most likely is the ign coil.
the coil will get so hot that it will work not correctly.

if you are driving and hit a bump and it dies it's a loose connection some where.

the best thing to do for the l-jet system is the test everything.the type 2 .com site has the test proceidures and a troble shooting guide.

good luck,and happy hunting.

Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:21 am

Hey Stigandhi:

Man, so I sympathize with you..... I just recently had to limp home 300mis with a bad coil and catalytic converter. I had to stop every 30min of so with the heat on full blast and help it stay cool.

In any event, a discription of the problem as others have suggested would be a good place to start. I have the same issue.... Around town, my baby is a dream to drive and then when I get on the highway for an hour or so, when it's fully warmed up...... the bugs start crawling out of the woodwork...

If you're having highway sluggishness or misfiring I would check your fuel pump, fuel filter, ignition coil and also your catalytic converter. Man, when I changed out my cat my van felt like it just shed 100,000miles. What a difference when you're not restricted.

I would also invest in AAA plus (you may have it already) They tow 100mis for free.

I looked at your blog and the van looks like it's body is in fabulous condition... with that said I would think about dropping some serious G's on a new motor or even a rebuild with new exhaust, plugs, rotor, fuel lines etc...

I almost gave up hope and sold my westy a couple months ago because I was sick and tired of hearing my wife bitch every time I had an issue, but I'm still paying less than I would fr a newer "soulless" car.

Seems like you've reached that moment where you decide to either drop out of the race or invest and win!

Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:26 am

Who is your mechanic in Houston? As I remember it, there were no decent VW / Vanagon mechanics in Houston.

Anyway, if it "just dies" that's usually a pretty solvable problem. I've had a wanky igintion switch cause such a problem. A bad fuel or ignition relay can do this or a loose coil or fuel pump wire can play this kind of hell.

Like the others here, I'd like to know what, exactly, you are experiencing.

Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:30 am

it mostly has been things coming to age

orginal starting coil
distributor
a few more things I cant think of right now

Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:07 pm

The number one way to keep your van from breaking down on the road is: not to bring your wife, mother in law, brother in law or anybody that loves to find fault with anything you do.

The best way to gain confidence is to start to replace, before they die, all the reliability items. Do as many as you can afford them.
Coil
Wires, plugs, cap, rotor
Radiator, cooling hoses, water pump
Temp II Sender
Fuel Pressure Regulator
Clean the Injectors
Fuel Lines
Fuel Pump
Starter
Ignition Switch
Bleed the brakes and put new shoes on the rear along with new drums and pistons.
Bleed the clutch
New Stereo

Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:43 pm

it is running like a top now (after the coil was replaced) I know what the issue is with the cold start thing (going to work that out this weekend)

I guess it is a trust thing :) thanx for the advise if anyone else has anymore advise please keep it coming.

Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:05 pm

Dogpilot wrote:
The best way to gain confidence is to start to replace, before they die, all the reliability items. Do as many as you can afford them
...............
New Stereo

So at least if you do break down you can have some sweet tunes right???

Thankfully my vanagon has never left me stranded. Crap...I shouldnt have said that. Now i better go and get AAA.

I've had to park it when it wasnt running good. Just keep your eyes and ears open and pay attention to your van.
Was it mr. muir that said "Know your ass. Because your ass bares you"
Alot of problems with these vans show themselves well before they leave you on the side of the road.

Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:28 pm

here is really what you need to do ...the 5-50-500

First work out ALL the bugs by driving it only 5 miles, once all that is done, and you will not do this on the first try, then go to the 50

then work out ALL the bugs on a 50 mile drive, until ALL your bugs are worked out,then try again on your 50 mile trip until all the bugs are worked out.Once again you won't get this done on the first try.

Then go out 500 miles and work out all the bugs out.

and do this without a trip planned or the family unit coming with you.

Once you do this , your van will run like a clock

You keep expecting your van to work, when you haven't trouble-shooted it properly, and you are probably loading the family up for a trip in 20 plus year old van that hasn't been looked at properly.

Mon Aug 11, 2008 5:32 pm

I drove my van to work for a month after the conversion. 75 miles each way. We then took our summer vacation. 3000 miles round trip to the Smokey mountains. The first day, I held my breath the whole day. After a week, we were on a 40 mile one way logging road, when I had the thought what if the van brakes down. Well my point was by the time we decided to take the road I had completely forgotten about worrying about the van. It had earned my trust in only 2000 miles. Before we left. All new tires, new brakes including calipers, master cylinder, and hoses, and so on. Replace all you can afford. If you are anal, keep the parts you removed as spares. It is cheaper to buy parts when you are home. Once on the road, you will be paying for freight etc. As mentioned you are driving an antique, but with care and some money can be made as reliable as new.

Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:06 pm

I fell your pain. I have thought of selling the van. It sat for 5 years. Now I am going through it. I have a 3 year old now and a new baby on the way so I want it to be safe and fun.

Dogpilot, I take your list seriously. Please elaborate if you can.

I have done or am in the process of doing:

New propane tank
flushed and bleed brakes ( need to figure out bleeding clutch)
oil change with valve cover gaskets change
new tires
new fuel lines front to back
fuel injectors (cleaned and tested from G.westy)
new radiator with sensor
aluminum bleeder and new h-pipe connector
coolant tank, cap, coolant level sensor
thermostat
plugs
2 batteries with isolater
go through for rust
Bilstein shock (go westy springs this winter)
Go S. African headlights for safety (hit a deer this year in an ASStrovan)

LOTS and LOTS of misc. stuff like wipers, electrical additions, skylight, poptop seals, wax :) etc...

I guess I need to get a fuel pump and regulator. I have an 85 so I cannot replace all coolant lines unless I go with a complete swap to 86+ which is $1500 +. I do have a newer water pump now.

Anyway any ideas will help.

Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:57 pm

There's a basic problem with any older vehicle, especially if you're rehabbing it. See, there's two types of parts/problems:

1) It's already hosed, so you know you need to fix it;
2) It's not already hosed, so you're hoping it's OK.

Problem is, you fix most/all of the #1 problems, but tend to leave the #2s hanging around, 'cause hey, they work, right?

But when you start driving a lot, those old parts that still "work" die off, because the only reason they were still working, was because the #1 problems kept them from using that last 5% of their life.

There are a number of ways to approach this, but here are two obvious ones:

Triage all parts based on necessity: Are your fuel pump and CV boots the same age? If so, which one is more likely to leave you dead in the water...?

Pick a system and go through it front to back. Again, Triage for importance. Fuel system, oil filter/screen/seals, vacuum lines, brake lines, etc.

In no time at all you will:

A) Know your vehicle and be able to fix most anything as needed; see problems emerging before the leave you stranded.
B) Have a roadworthy vehicle you can trust in good weather and bad.

Best,

Lanval

Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:24 pm

Stephen,

It looks like you have made the start Lanval is correct about the triage. THe best route is to do a bit of history on this board. The same items crop up over and over. There is a trend there, if you see what fails a lot, then if you have not replaced yours, your on borrowed time. Lots f the items, like fresh O2 sensors can actually pay for themselves in increased fuel economy. While replacing a Temp II won't pay for itself, a bad one will cost you economy. Dragging rear brakes cost milage. Really the only sure fix on the rear drums is to replace the shoes drums and the pistons. You will brakes better and most likely not drag, as they should be clean and return to neutral. Lots of little things make the van better, like new vacuum lines. Simple things like cleaning grounds can forestall downstream issues.

Stígandi,
Relevance of my list is low, as yours is an aircooled, my bad for not checking your model. Similar problem children items exist on your engine, and a search of aircooled problems would reveal the top 10 gremlins.

Tue Aug 12, 2008 8:31 am

Along the lines of what DP said, I believe that is the reason why the stickies are there. Check the stickies as those threads cover some of the more common problems...and solutions.

Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:46 am

Hi, I've been lurking here for some time, I actually bought my van here last summer. So, I, we have a 1982 air-cooled, CA van with similar problem recently. It dies. Mostly at stop lights in traffic while idling inducing major agro behavior from fellow motorists. Will usually start up after a few minutes. Runs well at speed.

Prior to purchase (from Mike at Allen's Automotive in Boise, really nice guy, ran like a top all last summer and this spring):
Top end rebuild of engine
spark plugs, wires
distributor cap,rotor

We have replaced:
all fuel tank lines and seals
all fuel lines
Alternator
Coil
Battery

going to replace (to see if this will solve problem):
temp II sensor
O2 sensor
ignition and fuel relays
ignition switch

but, as I was looking for above parts today, I realized that I have the blue Bosch coil (043-905-115C), not the coil that GoWesty specifies for the CA air-cooled (0-221-122-023) DUH! (major Homer moment). I ordered the blue coil from another parts store and I thought I had the correct one (as it looked like the one in van). Could this be the root of our problem? My husband and I are on our own here, no one here will touch an air-cooled. Thanks in advance! JoAnn

Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:04 pm

JoAnn, Is an 82 california Air Cooled electronic ignition or points? The bosch blue should work with a points ignition system. Otherwise a coil suited for electronic ignition should be used. The easy way to tell is if the distributor has a small can screwed to the side with a wire running to the coil. That would be the condensor. The US model 82 still had points.

Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:36 pm

rsxr,

No, CA Vanagons were always pointless. Only the fed models still used points. In fact, I kind of think the late bay windows with the 2.0l in CA were pointless too, but I won't swear to it...

Best,

Lanval

Mon Aug 25, 2008 9:12 pm

So our 82 aircooled van is a federal model not a CA model, so blue coil was o.k. After sitting for 2 weeks, it would start but not idle. Extensive searching here and on the itinerant air cooled forum... Air hoses/vacuum lines were a major theme. So tonight, we discovered a disconnected hose. Reconnect, problem solved. Also replace the air filter and dumped some fuel injector cleaner into the tank. Three trips around town tonight, so far so good!

Good source for the rubber and plastic air hoses for this model? Thanks