Roadside repair!

busboy · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 2:57 pm Post subject: Roadside repair!

So i took the ol camper van from upstate NY down to Englishtown NJ for the waterfest vw show. Had a great time there. On my way home, roughly 100 miles away from my destination, the van broke down. I got very lucky as I had been passing through the middle of nowhere, and ended up breaking down near a town. I get out of the van to investigate why it just suddenly shut off and wouldn't re start. When I got to the rear of the van I noticed my timing belt was dangling from the backside. Lucky me I have an early SOHC ej22 subaru motor, so I didn't have to worry about major damage done to motor. While my co pilot/navigator/wife was on the phone finding out how far a tow we could get through insurance, one of my buddies who was riding along searched and called an advanced auto parts that was roughly two miles away. They just happened to be open (late on a sunday) and even better, they had the timing belt in stock! So he and I took off down the road walking to the store and back to get the belt. When we returned I prepped the van for installation of the new belt, and then..... I realized I didn't have all the tools needed!!! Shocked

I had no idea how I was going to compress the tensioner, or where I was going to get a pin to hold it in the compressed position. After a few minutes of pondering I came up with this

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

using my jack as a vice, I placed the tensioner in it, and started cranking, compressing the tensioner fully. My next issue was... how am I going to pin it shut?! it just so happened my wife bought one of these the day before , and I gave her a bunch of crap for doing so.

turns out its a good thing she bought it. took my snippers and cut me off a pin from the wire handle that worked great.
got the new belt all aligned and buttoned everything up. Continued my journey home cruising comfortable at 70mph.
I just had to share as I had a blast with what would stress, or piss off many others. If you ever have this issue, and don't have the proper tools, you now know how you can get that tensioner compressed at least!! Laughing

here are my buddies, two of them were with me, one was on his way home from the show and saw us, annnd the wife snapped the shot. The two that rode with me don't have any mechanical knowledge, so they had fun as I taught them how to swap a timing belt.

DontPanic · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:05 pm Post subject:

Splat!
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84 wbx 2.1 conversion

Zeitgeist 13 · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:12 pm Post subject:

It's the worst job ever when I break a timing belt on my WBX...the worst
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

djkeev · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:29 pm Post subject:

joseph928 · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:50 pm Post subject: belt rep.

Looks like one of your friends is a plumber! Very Happy

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1987 syncro westy tin top sun roof , GW2.3, rear locker, decoupler, Gary Lee tire rack & winch mount, lift, south african grill, big brakes , rhein alloy ,15 BFG AT, Fiamma 10 foot awning ,140 watt rear 85 watt front solar , mppt, truckfridge, automatic fire extinguishing system, tencent oil cooler, And a RMW SS exhaust! - 1971 bug convertible 1776 engine- 2010 Subaru turbo - 1993 Toyota 4x4 truck - 1999 Harley 95 CI, big bore, Andrews cams . Also 80-84- vans. Stock 65 sunroof bug.

sanchius · Samba Member Joined: May 03, 2007 Posts: 1452 Location: IN

Congrats on the successful repair!

But that's a VERY scary picture. Seriously...

Next time, please please please tow it up to that side road just ahead so you're not so exposed on the side of a 4-lane highway.

It makes me think of this tragedy, which happened out here in 2007...

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/teens-changing-tire-get-pinned-lose-legs

They did take gold at Sochi...
http://www.9news.com/picture-gallery/sports/olympi...n/7209703/
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stevey88 · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 4:11 pm Post subject:

Zeitgeist 13 · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 4:18 pm Post subject:

Ya don't say...I've been hoodwinked by roadside bandits!

_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

stevey88 · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 4:31 pm Post subject:

What the hack is that?
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Steve

87 Westfalia full camper 4 speed

desertrefugee · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 6:05 pm Post subject: Re: Roadside repair!

How many engineers does it take to change a lightbulb...

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- a bunch of vintage motorcycles
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"For I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night." - Sarah Williams

Steve M. · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 7:13 pm Post subject:

levi · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 7:19 pm Post subject:

It just ruins a joke when you have to explain it.

Very cool on using the jack, I've used a big C clamp for this, wouldn't have thought to use the jack. have to screw it down slowly to keep from damaging the internals on that tensioner of course.
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One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
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1vw4x4 · Banned Joined: June 22, 2005 Posts: 472 Location: Pgh. PA

This is a really good reason to NOt have a engine swap!

Flame suit on....

IdahoDoug · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 9:31 pm Post subject:

Stellar road side repair!! Where's the hand clapping emoticon? Well done.
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

shadetreetim · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 9:35 pm Post subject:

Congratulations on your ingenuity and success. You'll remember this trip forever. Laughing

Funny photo. The kid lying on the ground cracks me up.
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Tim Potts

Doing my best every time I drive it to dispel the myth these Vanagons have to be slow!

'89 Vanagon Bluestar/Country Homes 1.8T & .77 4th
'74 Jeep CJ5

WLD*WSTY · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 10:06 pm Post subject:

K58 · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2014 10:23 pm Post subject:

There's more than one thing wrong with that picture Rolling Eyes

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Westy HID Projector Retrofit

danfromsyr · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 10:22 am Post subject:

the WBX would likely still be in Scranton. keeping it 'light' to not over rev the stretch rod bolts or loose a plastic H-pipe or coolant tower plug.

we should all put aircooled 2.0ls in our vans they never loose their coolant anyways.. Rolling Eyes

Syncro Jael · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2014 10:27 am Post subject:

NICE REPAIR Applause

The jack is a great idea to compress our old style tensioners. Without a vise it would be almost impossible Shocked

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1987 Syncro Westfalia Hightop - NAHT
Subaru EJ25 Forged Frankenmotor, Triple Knob.
Jael = (Mountain Goat)


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