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Sat Mar 17, 2012 2:32 pm

Installed my new BD propane tank. The inner most nuts were a serious pain to get cranked down.
Had to use a box wrench @ a quarter turn each time. Seemed to take forever but it's on there now.

Just need to connect the stove/fridge line inside the Westy and get some gas!!

Sat Mar 17, 2012 3:23 pm

Today I intended to get to the fuel filter and the line from the tank tot he pump, but alas as I got her out of the garage, I saw an 'odd' wet spot on my garage floor, under where the rear passenger tire sits. Looked underneath the Westy, and saw brake fluid on the inner wheel and tire. Surprised because I rebuilt the rear wheels in February with new cylinders, etc... so I thought the brake line fitting had just 'loosened'. Nope - as I was tightening down the brake line onto the wheel cylinder, noticed the line itself was twisting. Aha... no good, it was shot and leaking around the fitting. So, off to FLAPS, got a length of replacement. Of course, nothing close to the correct length - so had to get one a bit long. Some serpentine bending to take up the extra length, clearing the suspension, and it's in. Voila, no leak. Did the one on the driver's side for good measure. Bled both the two rears, good to go! Next, is to replace the flex brake lines all around.
Next, I wanted to 'fix' the backlight on the heater control. I got those '$3' chinese LED's to use - they came in the mail Friday. Some nice person on Samba posted a 'how to', THANKS!! Honestly I forgot I ordered them off of ebay. When I popped of the heater control cover, I discovered one of the wires was not even connected and sitting in the dash all by its lonesome. Reconnected it and, Voila Again!! Light! I will keep the LED's for another day! We're getting somewhere with this Westy!

Sat Mar 17, 2012 4:44 pm

Replaced fuel pump vibration isolators.

A PO had replaced one of them with a single screw wrapped in fuel line. Was transferring vibration into the car something fierce. New pump mounts isolate it nicely, and now I have a very faint hum instead of a buzzing noise.

Sat Mar 17, 2012 6:47 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSpT4eMCRK4

Sat Mar 17, 2012 6:49 pm

fabricated some shelving for westy closet. Botton shelf has a hole in th middle so that you can pull it up to access the cabinet bottom. Both shelves can be easily removed and stored at the bottom of the closet in case tha full height of the closet is needed. I aslo took in consideration the fact that I will be installing a GoWet 3-point driver side rear seatbelt so the belt will run in between the shelves.

Sat Mar 17, 2012 6:58 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSpT4eMCRK4

Sun Mar 18, 2012 4:26 am

I changed out the power supply in my Westy yesterday after seeing that it only puts out ~11.5 volts. I installed a 30 amp RV automatic power supply that will auto charge the battery and auto run the frig when plugged in to AC power. The new power supply puts out 13.4 volts pure filtered DC. All I had to do on the control panel is jumper the "City Power Battery" switch. The only control on the power panel that does not function is the battery charging timer because it auto charges the battery all the time.

Prior to changing out the power supply the frig would get down to 41 degs overnight with an ambient temp of ~65 degs. I checked the frig this morning and it's down to 18 degs in the frig and 8 degs on the "ice maker". The cooling portion is all frosted up.

Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:13 pm

Discouraging day after a discouraging week. ggggrrrrr

Started in on the dash wiring. Remounted my 2 ground circles all cleaned like new. Cleaned and reattached all brown grounds and any other ground that were in metal body screws (rewired to correct end to fit on traditional grounds). What a lot of different colored wires, of course original browns, then some yellows, some reds with black lines.(all together about 12 different colors, stripe combinations etc... UGLY) Only the ones I could trace to original brown ground wiring were done, oh that includes a few blacks without any attachment on them. Lots of 3 or 4 wires twisted together, so I did a lot of connections of all types today. More to do yet tho. I found a wonderful wire stripper at Cdn Tire. Makes job much easier but doesn't work well on the BIG wires.

Tried to track down all wires and where they begin and end, just got me more and more and more confused which is very discouraging. I thought I could plug everything in to test before putting dash back but it's just too much for me.

So then I was going to do the sound deadening under the dash but as I don't remember how much clearance there is, I decided that under the dash is not all that noisy. Will use the sound deadener for the foot wells and floor in front as well as the back and the firewall under the rear sofa.

Oiled the ww motor and put 1/8" (couldn't find 1/4 and I felt 1/2 was too big) welded wire mesh over the air intake for the front heater. Was also going to put it over the outside of the radiator but Nelson said not to, he felt it could cut down on the air flow thru the rad. I travel with a screening bra anyway, so that should cut down on stone and gravel damage.

Got the fuse and relay panels all cleaned (front, back, up & down) and have it back in place but not screwed in yet. I have a 2 or 3 relay panel that is on Column A, cleaned it up too and put relays back in. I used the electrical gel on all connections and with sealing the antennae mega leak, I'm hoping stuff won't corrode as much. Will try to create a raincoat for that area none the less.

Tomorrow I will do the ww nozzles and new tubing (altho still missing a new nozzle), grease up the wiper mechanics, put the heater unit back in and then see if I can safely test all the wiring. Also need to rewire the emergency brake, I see its cut. I really need that connection to remind me. Got a 'left the lights' on buzzer from GW, need to rewire the lights properly. Right now if I leave the van in reverse, my rear lites stay on. Think I'll pay Nelson for that part of the job (some how the lights are wired to the transmission).

GOOD NEWS, I finally found :oops: the missing 4th cable to the #2 lever. :oops: It was one of the things I had to undo to take the dash out and it was 'hidden' in the mess of spaghetti :oops: :oops: Boy does that feel good! 4 Levers, now 4 cables. When the math wasn't working out, well I just felt REAL stupid. Just goes to show you how you can forget something. Of course I will use Ben's pictures in reverse to put the dash et al back on. Also have some good pics from Syracuse of where the 3 other cables connect.

Only the front passenger speaker was wired up, so will finish both fronts and lay the line for aft speakers. Guess I'll also mount the steering column tomorrow too. I'll have to look at pics to refresh where I'm at in reverse.

Not finished yet, a LOT of work but it was worth it, did indeed find many problems and mummified mouse. Still a lot of wiring repairs needed, some of the stuff is just not safe the way it's been done. As I don't have a sense of smell, I don't need any wire fires, even small ones!!!

So tomorrow is another day! ](*,) #-o

Mon Mar 19, 2012 4:56 pm

Have four light coats of quietcar on the rear hatch and slider.

Took the instrument cluster off and fixed the ODO gear... we'll see how long it lasts, last time it was 5k before it slipped off again.

Tried to install the Lights-R-On kit from GoWesty.. unfortunatly my light switch is incompatible.. I don't think they mentioned that was possible when I ordered it.. Oh well.
Re-installed cluster

Dropped the fuse panel to inspect the ground circles. Looked good, looked clean and wire spades had some grey goop on them. Left it all as-is. I'm not having any wiring issues, but I wanted to look since my windshield does leak around the base seal.

Took the cover off the steering column and just inspected things. Decided to not replace the ignition switch yet, but I do have a spare on hand.

Removed the passenger seat, loosened and lubed the swivel base.

Cleaned empty battery box, installed new battery.

Pretty good after-work accomplishments tonight. Record warm temperatures in March are giving me Westy fever.

Then had BBQ supper.. yum. :)

Mon Mar 19, 2012 5:09 pm

DAIZEE wrote: Discouraging day after a discouraging week. ggggrrrrr

Started in on the dash wiring. Remounted my 2 ground circles all cleaned like new. Cleaned and reattached all brown grounds and any other ground that were in metal body screws (rewired to correct end to fit on traditional grounds). What a lot of different colored wires, of course original browns, then some yellows, some reds with black lines.(all together about 12 different colors, stripe combinations etc... UGLY) Only the ones I could trace to original brown ground wiring were done, oh that includes a few blacks without any attachment on them. Lots of 3 or 4 wires twisted together, so I did a lot of connections of all types today. More to do yet tho. I found a wonderful wire stripper at Cdn Tire. Makes job much easier but doesn't work well on the BIG wires.

Tried to track down all wires and where they begin and end, just got me more and more and more confused which is very discouraging. I thought I could plug everything in to test before putting dash back but it's just too much for me.

So then I was going to do the sound deadening under the dash but as I don't remember how much clearance there is, I decided that under the dash is not all that noisy. Will use the sound deadener for the foot wells and floor in front as well as the back and the firewall under the rear sofa.

Oiled the ww motor and put 1/8" (couldn't find 1/4 and I felt 1/2 was too big) welded wire mesh over the air intake for the front heater. Was also going to put it over the outside of the radiator but Nelson said not to, he felt it could cut down on the air flow thru the rad. I travel with a screening bra anyway, so that should cut down on stone and gravel damage.

Got the fuse and relay panels all cleaned (front, back, up & down) and have it back in place but not screwed in yet. I have a 2 or 3 relay panel that is on Column A, cleaned it up too and put relays back in. I used the electrical gel on all connections and with sealing the antennae mega leak, I'm hoping stuff won't corrode as much. Will try to create a raincoat for that area none the less.

Tomorrow I will do the ww nozzles and new tubing (altho still missing a new nozzle), grease up the wiper mechanics, put the heater unit back in and then see if I can safely test all the wiring. Also need to rewire the emergency brake, I see its cut. I really need that connection to remind me. Got a 'left the lights' on buzzer from GW, need to rewire the lights properly. Right now if I leave the van in reverse, my rear lites stay on. Think I'll pay Nelson for that part of the job (some how the lights are wired to the transmission).

GOOD NEWS, I finally found :oops: the missing 4th cable to the #2 lever. :oops: It was one of the things I had to undo to take the dash out and it was 'hidden' in the mess of spaghetti :oops: :oops: Boy does that feel good! 4 Levers, now 4 cables. When the math wasn't working out, well I just felt REAL stupid. Just goes to show you how you can forget something. Of course I will use Ben's pictures in reverse to put the dash et al back on. Also have some good pics from Syracuse of where the 3 other cables connect.

Only the front passenger speaker was wired up, so will finish both fronts and lay the line for aft speakers. Guess I'll also mount the steering column tomorrow too. I'll have to look at pics to refresh where I'm at in reverse.

Not finished yet, a LOT of work but it was worth it, did indeed find many problems and mummified mouse. Still a lot of wiring repairs needed, some of the stuff is just not safe the way it's been done. As I don't have a sense of smell, I don't need any wire fires, even small ones!!!

So tomorrow is another day! ](*,) #-o
Not sure why you say that was a discouraging day! Sounds like you made a ton of progress. I'd chalk that day up as a win.

Mon Mar 19, 2012 5:14 pm

Installed the new Euro plate. Thanks Kammie for the link!! :wink:

Also took my Westy to the Big Box RV dealer, to get some propane in my new tank. They filled it
up, 3.5 gallons! They wanted to do a gas leak check but were unsure as how to do it on a VW.
I told them that I would do all the checks myself, nothing leaks! Fired up the stove to see if it
would lite up, works as intended! Now to get it clean after four months of not being washed.

Wed Mar 21, 2012 4:33 pm

Had the oil in my front Diif changed today the easy way . Sat in my truck while they did it . A very reputable place . They have a camera of the guy in the pit with a screen so you can watch him as he does it .
$58.00 ,not cheap ,but now it is done and one less thing to worry about .

Thu Mar 22, 2012 1:13 pm

:D I actually completed a job bottom to top on ww system. Replaced all the original plastic tubing with rubber hoses, new nozzles, new Y connector and dropped and cleaned the reservoir and cleaned it's contacts, resealed the seal. Had to drill out one hole on the passenger side's wiper blade bracket just a titch bigger to allow the new rubber hose thru. Now I know why no water was getting thru to the passenger's nozzle. 180 degree bend in the nozzle line hidden behind the said wiper braket!!!! It was a b&&*#r getting that nozzle out. Had to pretty well destroy it but the driver's just like popped out with no work at all. The inside diameter of the black rubber hose is smaller than the ID of the original plastic which was very brittle, hardened and restricted in places. Hopefully the black rubber will last another 30 years :lol: Could not test it as dash still not finished.

Put thick thick amounts of grease on all the ww moving parts and Oiled the ww motor. Touched up the black paint under the nozzles and tommorrow I'm going to seal base and actual nozzle with just a titch of silicone. No leaks where I have control :wink:

Took off the heavy plastic salt shield I had around 3 sides of van and folded it up. I'm going to cut off some as I like using it on the ground and I can slide around on it under the van. Had to anchor the reservoir on my chest as electric and hoses short.

Had my spare inspected today and its cracking all around the sides so I'm going to get a better used one. I read on another list something about wrapping the tire in tin foil. Anyone got any info or input on this?

Tommorrow back to some horrendous wiring corrections. Will I be glad with that job behind me!!!

Oh yes, I did some close looking with a flashlight under the front end with the clam shell out (just about broke my arm letting it down, think I'm going to use my hydraulic jack in future :lol: ). Everything looks good but what do I know. Get this, the passenger side has been lined for hot foot but not the driver's side where the hoses are!!!! It'll get done for sure, I'm thinking inside and underneath! Felt the big hoses and they seem quite spongy. Is that normal?

Thu Mar 22, 2012 2:27 pm

I installed a new O2 sensor. Van has not lost power again... fingers crossed!

Thu Mar 22, 2012 9:09 pm

Not today, but over the past week. I pulled the gearbox to sort some leaks, so after disassembly, checking things, cleaning, resealing...more cleaning, and paint to keep the case from further oxidization...

Before:

After:

FWIW, the old input shaft seal and shift bushing/seal were loosey-goosey, now much tighter. The oil slinger was seated good & tight so didn't need to touch that.

Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:19 am

Not as much as I'd have liked and I didn't take any pics,
but changed both upper ball joints on mom's camper last night.. pass side was dry and loose.. hoping to eliminate the shaky wheel syndrome.

non-functioning horn is next, then try to clean the winter's mice problem.

Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:03 am

last couple of days...new weather stripping on passenger window, new wing window on pass side...rebuilt analog clock, thanks to kalispell365 who posted the step by step process link, http://www.pauldottrip.com/84vanagon/analogclock/analogclock.html Also installed new, well rebuilt speedometer...odometer wasn't working on old one, opted to buy rebuilt one from GW...replaced broken lighter with auxiliary power outlet, going to install cigarette lighter under passenger seat some day, new switch installed on driver door to operate the interior light...dealing no reverse lights tomorrow, probably just a bad contact on the gear shift, it's an A/T. As you can see a bunch of little things that were fun to have fixed, some of the fun was due to all of the help and instruction I found on this website. Thanks

Fri Mar 23, 2012 11:26 am

Over the past few days. I painted the pop top and luggage rack. With new seals all the way around. Ordered some stainless steel bolts for the top to give it that extra bling.
Installed new seat belt out of a 91.
After the led lights write up. I had to do that. Put in 2 3 ft strips.
One over the bench seat and another over the sink.
Instaled a magnetic knife bar inside the lid of the sink..great idea!
Waiting on new window seal for all windows.
When I removed the luggage rack on the top drivers side was some rust. I thought it was a little surface but turned out to be a big hole. Took it to some body shop and they want 1000 to fix it..that's CRAZY.
The saga continues......pic to come

Fri Mar 23, 2012 3:21 pm

So Dan you mustn't trust my advice. Essence of peppermint oil, baby food jar with metal lid and holes punched in it and cotton/synthetic balls? pity. No mouse invasions and van smells fresh 8) but I did take your advice and added the welded mesh to the front heater air intake opening.

What I did FOR Scooby today, Went out and bought more electrical connectors and found a "stunning" tarp. It's a bright fall leaf pattern with vivid reds, oranges, etc...Talked them out of $7.00 as 6 mths to new season!!! Got some Great deals on tools (a special flash sale) at Princess Auto. Oh yeh I'm going to use the tarp (12 X 16) over top of Scooby and one sided canopy. I'm finding the collapsable canopy too heavy and awkward for me to deal with and it takes up too much space.. Also bought a 12V or 110 Air purifier/ionizer, like for $8.00! and bought a square Army First Aid box (empty) to store my spare parts on the shelf below Column D in the engine compartment (passenger side). Withstands temps of 75 to 130 C and won't rust, good seal too.

Finished www set up and cut a new carpet piece for over the engine compartment back end. I'm going to use the original brown matching carpet for bare spots in front (cut & glue them in). Did work around Auto Shop as I'm going to need a bit of help to lift the dash back in. When I get my order from BD then I can put the clamps on the flapper cables and get the front end FINISHED. 8). Then I think I'll drive it for a week before taking on the fuel tank. It's full of fuel anyway. I'm probably going to give some diesel away as its full from putting it into storage).

Fri Mar 23, 2012 5:06 pm

I got my Westy out today.

I have to comment that the peppermint oil and cotton ball method of keeping the mice away did not work for me. Mice defecated all over the cotton balls! (I would post some pix if I hadn't cleaned up already). Back to moth balls next winter! I get complaints about the mothball smell all summer from the significant other that is why I tried the peppermint oil.