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Wed Feb 05, 2020 10:16 am

Inspection. Passed with flying colors and the dealership charges $0 (state fee normally $20) after you've paid for inspection there on your first visit. We've been coasting on their generosity for nearly a decade now.

Tried to buy an oil filter to give back a little bit but they do not stock Vanagon filters. I had the VW number and everything, the recommended Mann/Mahle filter with the internal valve. I'd expect them to have to order other parts, but a filter?!?

Wed Feb 05, 2020 2:12 pm

campism wrote: Inspection. Passed with flying colors and the dealership charges $0 (state fee normally $20) after you've paid for inspection there on your first visit. We've been coasting on their generosity for nearly a decade now.

Tried to buy an oil filter to give back a little bit but they do not stock Vanagon filters. I had the VW number and everything, the recommended Mann/Mahle filter with the internal valve. I'd expect them to have to order other parts, but a filter?!? Ah yes, what you and your technicians would LIKE to have stocked at the Parts Dept. often gets overruled on how long that part sat on the shelf, and how limited in total dollar amount the Dealer Principal is willing to let the parts guys build up inventory before they blow a gasket on cost.
Many dealer principals/owners are basically okay with having everyone wait for a fairly common part get shipped to the dealer versus having it on the shelf since they're not the ones waiting on the part.
Weird, but true.... They have become in love with Overnight shipments versus carrying over a large dollar amount of inventory month to month...

Wed Feb 05, 2020 2:28 pm

That is so true! Not the dealership, but after work last PM I went to Napa to get a packet of CV grease. One of mine is in need of swapping. The one on there right now isn't making any noise, but I can feel it move when I wiggle it, so it WILL be making noise SOON.

Anyway, I asked the guy that I've seen at the counter for ~8 years for it, and he looked in the back, nothing to be seen.. Then he asked his boss about it, and the boss went and got a box off the shelf, opened it and indeed, there was one packet in there!! They both couldn't remember when the last one sold, so they looked it up: June of 2018. I doubt they will have another one in inventory, ever.

Maybe tonight will be my night to get another (newer, less worn) CV put on!!

(I do carry a spare end-to-end complete axle - not the stub axle tho, in my closet, I just didn't want to use that on this project. yet.)

Wed Feb 05, 2020 4:21 pm

jlrftype7 wrote: campism wrote: Inspection. Passed with flying colors and the dealership charges $0 (state fee normally $20) after you've paid for inspection there on your first visit. We've been coasting on their generosity for nearly a decade now.

Tried to buy an oil filter to give back a little bit but they do not stock Vanagon filters. I had the VW number and everything, the recommended Mann/Mahle filter with the internal valve. I'd expect them to have to order other parts, but a filter?!? Ah yes, what you and your technicians would LIKE to have stocked at the Parts Dept. often gets overruled on how long that part sat on the shelf, and how limited in total dollar amount the Dealer Principal is willing to let the parts guys build up inventory before they blow a gasket on cost.

I understand the realities of inventory, but I know the parts manager and the guy owns a damn Vanagon, or did.

In all fairness, last time I needed to replace a corroded bulb socket for a front turn signal he gave me one out of his own stash.

Thu Feb 06, 2020 7:50 am

Camper wouldn't start yesterday..smelled gas but no fire. Same thing happened several weeks ago and it was wet & rainy both days. Decided to install new ignition wire set recently ordered and during the process found that the end of the coil wire was burned off at the coil. Removed the coil, got the old end out & cleaned out the cavity and polished all the contacts. With the coil out of the way it was easy to get to a small bundle of grounds mounted nearby so removed and cleaned those up. With everything back together it fired right up & during the test drive noted that an intermittent miss it'd had for sometime was gone. Headin to the N.C. coast tomorrow so hopefully it'll be smooth sailing all the way.
One more thing..when the van went for it's annual inspection recently, the inspector said the state did not require it to be inspected anymore...it's officially an antique in N. Carolina. Sure enough, I was able to renew the registration online with no inspection.

Tom Smith

Thu Feb 06, 2020 10:46 am

VWagabond wrote: Removed the coil, got the old end out & cleaned out the cavity and polished all the contacts.
Such a simple line to describe that task. I found it extremely difficult to get to the fasteners. Not enough room for the two required hands.

VWagabond wrote: One more thing..when the van went for it's annual inspection recently, the inspector said the state did not require it to be inspected anymore...it's officially an antique in N. Carolina. Sure enough, I was able to renew the registration online with no inspection.
Interesting variation by state. In Virginia your old vehicle can be exempt from inspection only if you have Antique Vehicle tags on it. There are more restrictions than there are benefits if you actually follow the rules for AV tags but most people seem not to do that.

Thu Feb 06, 2020 12:41 pm

campism wrote: VWagabond wrote: Removed the coil, got the old end out & cleaned out the cavity and polished all the contacts.
Such a simple line to describe that task. I found it extremely difficult to get to the fasteners. Not enough room for the two required hands.

True....so so true!! It was a pain in the ass and it's made even more so with the AC compressor in the way but I didn't think anyone really wanted to hear me bitchin' bout it. Fortunately I have several 'wobble' extensions for my 1/4 drive tools and was able to snake them in to remove the fasteners. Of course the real fun was trying to reassemble everything...to get the 1st bolt thru the brackets for the coil and the ignition module...hold them together while fishing for the hole all the while the tip of the screw holding the ignition module to it's bracket is digging into the back of the hand. Jezz what fun! Ending up removing the screw and module before any real damage to the hand. Finally when you get the screw lined with the hole, using the tips of 2 fingers to turn the screw to get it started. The 2nd hole is easier but found I needed to use a lineup tool to align the brackets with the hole and snug the upper bolt to keep the lower aligned. Then the 2 finger start the bolt trick again and tighten everything using the wobble extension again. I think the lesson here for me is to replace the ignition wires more often than every 10 years. Oh well...mama never said I was the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Tom
Charlotte, N.C.

Sat Feb 08, 2020 11:20 am

After finding mouse nests during my interior work a couple weeks ago I decided to do some mouseproofing. Got two bars of the Irish Spring soap recommended in several threads and cut each into long strips, then put each strip into a ziploc bag and pierced each bag several times so the fumes...er, aroma could escape to permeate the interior, and I scattered these around the interior; glovebox, under rear seat, each cubby, sink cabinet, etc. Not a fan of the smell but neither are mouses, if the testimonials are to be believed.

Sat Feb 08, 2020 6:27 pm

Installed a WheelSkin Str Wheel Cover. Nice to have a soft grip on my manual wheel.

Installed CC’s/Intrepid Overland Basic Oil Cooler Kit. Nice fit and well thought out. Ran and ran my Vanagon afterwards in celebration and test driving.

My Vanagon put up some resistance though. The A/C hoses were right in the way of the support bracket for the Cooler Hoses.
So, my inop system got taken apart to make room for the cooler hose routing.
I need new barrier hoses and a receiver-drier , plus a parallel flow condenser, so that can wait for now.... :P :P
Then, the 2 Allen screws on the blanking plate that Chris wants you to remove to install his cooler support bracket refused to be moved at all.
So with that rusted roadblock, I tapped a hole in the top of the cylinder head that was already there near the blanking plate to mount the cooler hose bracket.
Problem solved...... :roll:
Other than that, everything else was easy.

Sat Feb 08, 2020 7:59 pm

Installed the gowesty foil replacement kit, coolant audible alarm, and the clock fix kit. Haven't put it in yet. A new master cylinder is going in tomorrow.

Sun Feb 09, 2020 4:39 pm

Finally took less than an hour to do the table modification so I can raise it and made the upper bed extension so the pillow doesn’t fall off :D And.... posted here for the first time!

Sun Feb 09, 2020 10:01 pm

Congrats and welcome.

Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:09 pm

campism wrote: After finding mouse nests during my interior work a couple weeks ago I decided to do some mouseproofing. Got two bars of the Irish Spring soap recommended in several threads and cut each into long strips, then put each strip into a ziploc bag and pierced each bag several times so the fumes...er, aroma could escape to permeate the interior, and I scattered these around the interior; glovebox, under rear seat, each cubby, sink cabinet, etc. Not a fan of the smell but neither are mouses, if the testimonials are to be believed.
Of course, not long after my little project I was reading up elsewhere on mouseproofing and saw this.

Mon Feb 10, 2020 1:48 pm

campism wrote:
Of course, not long after my little project I was reading up elsewhere on mouseproofing and saw this.

at least the poop will be squeaky clean!

Mon Feb 10, 2020 2:23 pm

Not effective on Irish mice. .. Made for a Woman, but Mice like it too ;-)

Mon Feb 10, 2020 6:38 pm

bobbyblack wrote: Not effective on Irish mice. .. Made for a Woman, but Mice like it too ;-) . :D :D :D

Tue Feb 11, 2020 1:42 pm

Installed my Kernow Headlight Guards. Now if I could just find a South African-style lower grille ...

Dan

Tue Feb 11, 2020 3:49 pm

shadetreemech wrote:
Installed my Kernow Headlight Guards. Now if I could just find a South African-style lower grille ...

Dan

I'd vote some entrepreneurial type to start producing the SA lower grille. I'd like to convince them though, to have 1 or 2 fewer spars.

Tue Feb 11, 2020 4:06 pm

Apparently, a company on Alibaba will produce them in lots. The parts houses that have carried them in the past need a reason to reorder. I guess.

Dan

Wed Feb 12, 2020 12:20 am

Several days ago had an issue driving around town where the engine would just stall out entirely, tach going to zero. Was able to get it started but would happen several times on the way home.. next day after research took it to Napa to test the battery and whatnot. Battery tested out as good, but the Alt might be starting to go, so ordered one and put it in next day. Everything seemed to run ok, took in on a drive across town and back, no issues, yayy! Or so I thought... Drove to work that night, and two blocks from home, tach goes to zero with random engine shutdown. This time not able to start it other than one little rev and immediate stall. Walk to work the rest of the 10 blocks... Ordered a new fuel pump, fuel pump relay, and fuel pressure regulator, and the ol' VW sat in front of a neighbor's house for a few days..

Today: replace the fuel pump, fuel pump relay, and fuel pressure regulator. Starts great, seems to run great (other than a little high idle). Go for a drive around town and back home with no problems. Yayy! Or so I thought. Drove to meet a buddy for Taco Tuesday later on, and make it about 6 blocks this time (after I'd adjusted the idle down to a better area [was about 2k idle, and adjusted it down to 1k]), then it does the same thing as before, tach to zero, engine shut off while driving... shit. Make it with roll to a side street. Able to get it to fire up after a little bit of cranking, then dies. Get it going, pop the back, crank the idle back up, and it seems to do ok, and drive her home... So she's parked in front of my place again, and now I'm diving back into research.

Could be as simple as a big air bubble from the fuel pump replacement... or at least I'm hoping! Could be that my idle adjustment was too far off? Gonna be going over grounds with sandpaper tomorrow. Wiggling wires with the engine running... see what's going on. Diagnosis via parts replacement is getting expensive! Guess I won't have to worry about the Alternator, Fuel Pump, the relay, or fuel pressure regulator for awhile now... :oops: