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Tue Aug 29, 2017 4:00 am

szegedin7 wrote: "Blackout" curtains from Wal-Mart...
Pics? Link? ...plz? :cry:

- Dave

Tue Aug 29, 2017 9:50 am

dhaavers wrote: szegedin7 wrote: "Blackout" curtains from Wal-Mart...
Pics? Link? ...plz? :cry:

- Dave

Didn't take a pic, my curtain rod wires are still in the experimental phase :wink:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eclipse-Phoenix-Blackout-Window-Curtain-with-Bonus-Panel/55327077
For $12 I got two 84" by 37" panels, which folded in half completely cover the side windows double. I can attest the "blocks 98% of light" is pretty sweet. I remember times trying to sleep with too much light coming through. Also kind of makes the van look more neat and presentable from the front and back because you can't see all my junk in there with no light coming in. Gonna cop me a couple more for the rear window and to separate the cabin from the back. 8)

Tue Aug 29, 2017 11:23 am

Installed new, water free, front blinkers and LED driving lights.

Tue Aug 29, 2017 3:25 pm

Washed 1900 miles of grunge off with the soapy wash brush at the coin op. Then drove on to help get F-in-L settled into hotel tonight for more scans, blood work, EKG, tomorrow, prior to surgery on Thursday at Mayo.

Packed road tools and spare parts back into their normal places, after an unsuccessful attempt to rescue a '71 Bay and '73 Ghia from a maniac over the weekend. He didn't say how much he wanted for them, but promised they will be crushed if they are not gone by Thursday afternoon... Said he's gonna take his shotgun out on Thursday and shoot all his old cars up, so nobody will get them for parts... I counted 8 Jag's 6 Merc's a handful of Saab's and a bunch of domestics other than the 2 VW's I was checking out... Truly strange. "Just offer me what they are worth!" I said they are only worth saving from the crusher, and handed him two gold dollars as a down-payment. He just laughed, and bid me farewell.

Tue Aug 29, 2017 7:00 pm

I hope all goes well for you on Thursday, and the world is truly filled with some interesting folks.

bobbyblack wrote: Washed 1900 miles of grunge off with the soapy wash brush at the coin op. Then drove on to help get F-in-L settled into hotel tonight for more scans, blood work, EKG, tomorrow, prior to surgery on Thursday at Mayo.

Packed road tools and spare parts back into their normal places, after an unsuccessful attempt to rescue a '71 Bay and '73 Ghia from a maniac over the weekend. He didn't say how much he wanted for them, but promised they will be crushed if they are not gone by Thursday afternoon... Said he's gonna take his shotgun out on Thursday and shoot all his old cars up, so nobody will get them for parts... I counted 8 Jag's 6 Merc's a handful of Saab's and a bunch of domestics other than the 2 VW's I was checking out... Truly strange. "Just offer me what they are worth!" I said they are only worth saving from the crusher, and handed him two gold dollars as a down-payment. He just laughed, and bid me farewell.

Tue Aug 29, 2017 7:01 pm

Replaced the springs and shocks, front & rear, after work.

Tue Aug 29, 2017 8:39 pm

Spent another session trying to shake out a starter issue, to no avail... :roll:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8541482&highlight=#8541482

While I was there, also snugged my new CV bolts (after 2k miles...super snug!) added clamps
to my new Rockford boots, snugged down the center exhaust bracket that had lost every bolt
& finally snaked my AC drain hoses to help eliminate dripping from the evaporator cabinet...

The adventure continues! :wink:

- Dave

Tue Aug 29, 2017 11:26 pm

When I recently pulled my '87 Vanagon Westfalia out of storage it immediately started leaking fuel from the right side of the engine, basically below the right fuel rail. I shut her down and called AAA for a tow ride to my home garage. After starting it up again at home with Halon fire extinguisher in hand to try find the location of the leak, surprise, no leak. WTF? We replaced all of those hoses about 6 years ago.

I ordered up a rubber FI fuel hose kit with "crimp" style clamps, a new pair of aluminum GoWesty fuel rail set, a new crimping tool, new fuel filter, new belts and a few other goodies.

I removed each hose, cleaned up it's abrasion sheath, cut the new hose to length, reinstalled the OG sheath, and used my new crimp tool to crimp the clamps. I cleaned the exterior of the injectors, installed new large and small injector seals and added new hose and crimp clamps to attach to the new fuel rails, eliminated the original plastic bulkhead fitting and changed rubber hoses all the way up to the fuel tank.

Everything went back together nicely and no leaks so far. I also changed the oil and oil filter this evening, and then tomorrow I'll change out the alternator and power steering belts. Got to drive it and camp in it this coming weekend at our BNNTA VW camping event...

Bill Bowman

Wed Aug 30, 2017 7:59 am

BulliBill wrote: After starting it up again at home with Halon fire extinguisher in hand to try find the location of the leak, surprise, no leak. WTF? We replaced all of those hoses about 6 years ago.

Bill, may be time for a BlazeCut for piece of mind...

Wed Aug 30, 2017 11:48 am

Bill,

Regarding that leak, and all the replacements you made: good! All things that are nice to have done (again).

The things I have to wonder at are how in the heck a leak like that happens after clamping with the 'proper' clamps, replacing all bits, etc.

My situation is nearly the same, however, I have worm type(the non-sawing type), not ear pinch. However, I have painted a line on each one, and they are not loosening, but do start leaking, and also, stop leaking too. Frustration!!!!!

My solution, finally, was to add another clamp at each location, hence TWO clamps per attachment. Then, each thousand or so miles, go and tighten them all a bit.

This is all with big-vendor provided fuel line replacement kits, so I can't imagine they sent the wrong line, or clamps, etc.

Hope you placed the pinch locations in a way so you can try to tighten the pinch if it happens again.

Hope you don't have to.

NOTE: On initial wake-up of a stored rig, be sure to turn key to run/off/run/off/run/off and take a look all around after the pressure has built up in the lines, BEFORE clicking over to START.

Wed Aug 30, 2017 12:02 pm

bobbyblack wrote: My solution, finally, was to add another clamp at each location, hence TWO clamps per attachment. Then, each thousand or so miles, go and tighten them all a bit.
This is what I did on the tricky transition from the plastic line running from the fuel pump where it connects to the fuel line into the engine compartment. I had done away with the firewall fitting and had a straight run of hose but I kept having to retighten the clamp at the plastic line junction. Two clamps took care of that problem.

Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:28 pm

After trying the "bent feeler gauge" method on my odometer, utilized a 3D printer to hopefully fix it for good.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2104416

Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:47 am

dougass wrote: BulliBill wrote: After starting it up again at home with Halon fire extinguisher in hand to try find the location of the leak, surprise, no leak. WTF? We replaced all of those hoses about 6 years ago.

Bill, may be time for a BlazeCut for piece of mind...

Funny you mention that, I already bought late last year an 9' Blazecut for this Camper, but haven't installed it yet. Gotta look up threads on how others have done this in the least invasive method. I do carry one on-board Halon extinguisher and one dry chemical fire extinguisher in the Vanagon.

My wife will be driving the Vanagon Camper GL this weekend two hours one-way with me leading driving a '59 Double-Cab up to our BNNTA campout ( www.bnnta.com ), and you better believe that she'll be briefed and I'll be watching her in the rear view window. That initial leak coming out of storage a few weeks ago was startling! Hence my decision to order/install all new lines and fuel rails.

Bill

Tue Sep 05, 2017 8:07 pm

randolph57 wrote:

'stretch all the rubber cabinet mouldings to negate the large gap that has appeared over the last27 years. a little heat manipulation from my paint strip gun and bingo! Did all the other non cabinet rubbers too :D

WOW! That looks SHARP!!! Think a hairdryer would work? I don't have a paint stripping gun...but maybe I need one?

Tue Sep 05, 2017 8:13 pm

11BC2 wrote: Replaced the springs and shocks, front & rear, after work.

Did you get the Extra Heavy Duty Bilstein from GoWesty http://www.gowesty.com/product-details.php?v=&id=24368 or went with the Bilstein Heavy Duty (not GoWesty... and LOT cheaper)?

How much did the ride improve?

Thanks! This is next on my ToDo list...

Fri Sep 08, 2017 12:15 pm

Flossie the mobile tool chest (left) helped out on the mission to eval and RnR Cosmo's flickering charge light condition. Turned out the DoubleCheese (our derelict '86 parts van) had the Alt needed to get Cosmo (right) all ready for the weekend camp out! After Alt was replaced, light was off on dash, and volts out of Alt to ground showed 14.4. I'd call it a lunchhour success!! My daughter Mags was instrumental in the swap, and we really made a great team! Hope the rest of the trip is uneventful :-)

Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:52 pm

Installed the 3D Odometer fix.

Sun Sep 10, 2017 6:55 pm

Have my dash out on an 84 Doka, today's job was to get all of those connections clean:

Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:58 am

Finished installing an in-floor storage container I built, very tight fit between the frame rails. Max storage space achieved.

Re-mounted the fuel pump and plumbing for an espar D2 cabin heater. I was using a 1 gallon lawnmower tank mounted where the floor storage box now is. This was a temporary solution. Now it will be pulling from a 5 gallon wavian style jerry can mounted on the rear storage box. This will be much easier to fill and run it for a longer period. Hopefully the fuel pump clicking will not be overly annoying. We'll see

Mon Sep 11, 2017 6:48 pm

Played a little game of "how many fingers is Flossie holding behind her back?" as I had been observing a drip on the passenger side push rod tube cover.

I had guessed one, maybe two... wrong! THREE!!!

Contemplating options.