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Wed Aug 20, 2008 9:50 pm

Hello to all Bay Owners,
I have had my Bay for a about 6 Months already and I finally got her moving. What can you guys recomend I do to keep her in top notch.
What can I do to help the Engine its a 1600cc Dual Carb.
How often should I change the Oil on it or the seals. Ill Take any Information I can get.

Basically what can I do to keep her moving and from breaking down.

And if im traveling long distances how often should i pull over to let her rest. Or should I??????[/img]

Wed Aug 20, 2008 9:59 pm

welcome!!! :lol: for future reference, always let us know what year and model you have :wink:

get the idiots guide, the haynes manual and look through the archives on here. thats my 2 cents. and now everyone else can repeat what i said!! :wink:

Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:17 pm

Yup, all of this is covered in the Muir idiot book and the Bentley Manual, buy them both and get reading.

Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:32 pm

Who is the authur to the bentley manual or the ISBN#
And sorry My bay is a 1970 1600cc dual carb.

Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:38 pm

http://www.bentleypublishers.com/product.htm?code=V279

here ya go dude

Thu Aug 21, 2008 1:07 am

Greetings!

Having a Bentley manual is an absolute must if you want to get any service life at all out of your bus without continually causing it more problems.
First off, it will tell you what type, when, and how to change your oil. You will get good info here on the Samba, but you will also get about an equal amount of bad info. The manual is about your only key to determining the good from the bad.
Bentley's maintenance section has the full listing of required scheduled maintenance. Start at the begining and do everything VW says to do. Almost without doubt it has been neglected and had poor service for maybe as long as 38 years.
A bus requires different treatment than any other vehicle you're probably familiar with. It's designed different, made different, and is in a whole different catagory. You don't give them gas and oil and drive them until they won't work anymore and then junk them and get another vehicle.
To be truthful, you might be quite a bit premature in thinking about driving it long distances. You need to get familiar with it and used to it first. On a long trip is not really the time to be doing that. Once you get to know it real well then answers to questions about letting it rest, and the like, just come naturally. Do I let mine rest during long trips? No. When I stop to get gas, food, etc. I check it over and get on the road again. Which brings up a point which might be helpful for you. Since it is so different, really avoid comparing it to other vehicles. Don't expect any similarities. Don't drive it like other vehicles are driven. It just won't work. Instead drive it and care for it like IT wants to be treated. Not the way you want or expect. And then you will probably really start enjoying it big time. Don't think that because it looks like a van it must be real similar. It's a bus instead. A one of a kind vehicle.
Also get an original owners manual. Usually you can find them at VW shows. It tells how to drive it and work everything. I think in the meantime you can also read an owners manual here on the Samba.

Enjoy :D

Thu Aug 21, 2008 7:29 am

enjoispammy8 wrote: welcome!!! :lol: for future reference, always let us know what year and model you have :wink:

get the idiots guide, the haynes manual and look through the archives on here. thats my 2 cents. and now everyone else can repeat what i said!! :wink:

It might also be useful to say whether in North America or elsewhere!

In Great Britain, Europe and elsewhere, the "bay-widow" VW 1600 Type 2, persisted until 1979 and beyond, the specifications of which varied according to model year and market.

vwjoe84 wrote: Basic maintenance, oil, etc. Drive it till something breaks then replace it.

Don't wait until things break before replacing them, otherwise you could find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere or worse, seriously injured or dead, owing to catastrophic failure of safety critical components.

Anticipate excessive wear or failure, by regular scheduled maintenance inspections, servicing and overhaul. Many do not do this, which is why it is so necessary, to have obligatory, regular roadworthiness inspections, like the British MOT test, German TUV inspection, etc.

Thu Aug 21, 2008 9:42 am

Basic maintenance, oil, etc. Drive it till something breaks then replace it.