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Santana
Samba Member
Joined: March 18, 2008
Posts: 146
Location: T-Town, WA
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 Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 6:12 pm Post subject: What is the reservoir on the driver side floor for? |
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I know, I know, I need a bentley.
Is this for window washing fluid? I just noticed that there is some moisture under my carpet (only on the drivers side). I can't find any other place where moisture might be coming in. Any chance it would be coming from this reservoir?
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McVanagon
Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007
Posts: 1684
Location: Northern part of the Virginia
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| Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 6:18 pm Post subject: |
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Ha, I guess you haven't run out of windshield washer fluid yet, since that's the reservoir. 
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'69 Mike
'85 GL
'87 Wolfsburg Hardtop |
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?Waldo?
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2006
Posts: 9752
Location: Where?
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| Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, that's the washer reservoir. The "moisture" on the driver's side is often brake fluid that has leaked from the clutch or brake hydraulics.
Andrew |
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Santana
Samba Member
Joined: March 18, 2008
Posts: 146
Location: T-Town, WA
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| Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Andrew A. Libby wrote: |
Yes, that's the washer reservoir. The "moisture" on the driver's side is often brake fluid that has leaked from the clutch or brake hydraulics.
Andrew |
Thanks for the quick responses!
Is there anything that I can do to remedy the moisture? I have been searching for the source but can't find anything. I don't want to start running into mold problems.
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Sheesh
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Joined: October 18, 2007
Posts: 394
Location: New Pine Creek, Orygun
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| Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 6:59 pm Post subject: |
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Andrew has the best idea of what the "moisture" may be. Is it greasy feeling? Check your hydraulic fluid and see if it is low. If it is, then check both the brake and clutch masters for leakage. Again, if it is, replace the faulty part, get the carpet out of your van andbuy yourself new carpet. Not only will the carpet hold the fluid, but you will track it all over your van. Additionally, hydraulic fluid will eat away the floorboard paint, requiring additional work.
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1982 Westy, 2.0L AC CA emissions |
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hiram6
Samba Member
Joined: September 29, 2006
Posts: 1880
Location: Beautiful South
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| Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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Unlikely it's moisture coming from your washer reservoir, doesn't seem like you've filled that anytime lately, snce you didn't know what it was.
If the moisture isn't the hydraulic fluid that would be coming from your brake or clutch reservoir, it could be water leaking around the lower corner of your windshield. Had any rain lately or washed your van? If the seal is leaking around the lower corner of the windshield, it dribbles down the inside of the front sheetmetal, kinda behind the fusebox, and soaks into the carpet.
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1985 Westy, 1.9L automatic (Daisy)
1996 Mazda Miata
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited
You can't lie around on the beach and drink rum all day.................unless you start first thing in the morning. |
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FNGRUVN
Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2007
Posts: 2237
Location: Fort Collins, CO
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| Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 8:42 pm Post subject: |
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Should we tell him about the oil filler tube while we're at it?  |
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msinabottle
Samba Member
Joined: September 20, 2005
Posts: 3492
Location: Denver Area, Colorado
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| Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 9:20 pm Post subject: That Which Leaks... |
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Larry Blazer and I share an unprintable opinion about a very bad run of very bad brake light switches on brake and clutch fluid reservoirs of Chinese manufacture. I've had two go bad on me, one with devastating results as I was getting ready to take Winston up into the mountains above Ft. Collins as part of Rocky Mountain Westy's camping trip.
Thank goodness for those big rubber mats in the cab! The hexes hold the gunk and tell me what the problem is the moment I notice it.
One of the first things you learn upon exploring your vanagon is that things are in weird places that make sense upon further reflection.
Best!
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'Winston,' '84 1.9 WBX Westy
Vanagon Poet Laureate: "I have suffered in
many ways, but never, never, never in silence." |
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McVanagon
Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007
Posts: 1684
Location: Northern part of the Virginia
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| Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 4:15 am Post subject: |
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| hiram6 wrote: |
If the moisture isn't the hydraulic fluid that would be coming from your brake or clutch reservoir, it could be water leaking around the lower corner of your windshield. Had any rain lately or washed your van? If the seal is leaking around the lower corner of the windshield, it dribbles down the inside of the front sheetmetal, kinda behind the fusebox, and soaks into the carpet. |
Could also be water leaking in through the antenna base...
| FNGRUVN wrote: |
| Should we tell him about the oil filler tube while we're at it? |
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'69 Mike
'85 GL
'87 Wolfsburg Hardtop |
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hiram6
Samba Member
Joined: September 29, 2006
Posts: 1880
Location: Beautiful South
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| Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 4:35 am Post subject: |
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Well now you're just taking the fun out of it. 
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1985 Westy, 1.9L automatic (Daisy)
1996 Mazda Miata
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited
You can't lie around on the beach and drink rum all day.................unless you start first thing in the morning. |
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RCB
Samba Member
Joined: September 05, 2005
Posts: 4143
Location: San Francisco-Bay Area
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| Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 6:18 am Post subject: |
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The moisture under the carpet turned out to be a rust spot under the windshield rubber.
From the outside I didnt see any rust but the wetness continued.
Fast foward a year...I see a small bit of rust on the edge of the window.
As luck would have it my insurance company paid for a new windshield due to a crack. When the old glass and seal were removed.....I saw a much larger area of rust.
A hole about the size of a quarter had grown UNDER and allong the seal.
Only a small 1/8 inch area was showing above the seal but quite a bit under it.
Rust is sneaky and lives in the strangest of areas. |
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carterzest
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Joined: January 22, 2008
Posts: 3842
Location: Eagle, ID/Sun Valley, ID
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| Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 8:17 am Post subject: |
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Good news? At least you found it. They can and forever will be Quirky LiL Bastards....But they just don't make cars like this anymore....
| McVanagon wrote: |
| hiram6 wrote: |
If the moisture isn't the hydraulic fluid that would be coming from your brake or clutch reservoir, it could be water leaking around the lower corner of your windshield. Had any rain lately or washed your van? If the seal is leaking around the lower corner of the windshield, it dribbles down the inside of the front sheetmetal, kinda behind the fusebox, and soaks into the carpet. |
Could also be water leaking in through the antenna base...
| FNGRUVN wrote: |
| Should we tell him about the oil filler tube while we're at it? |
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Very nicely done.
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Happiness=Portland, Oregon in the rearview mirror! |
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edgood1
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Joined: September 30, 2004
Posts: 2049
Location: Plymouth, MA
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Perales
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Joined: May 07, 2007
Posts: 2046
Location: Nova Scotia
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| Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 11:49 am Post subject: |
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| hiram6 wrote: |
Well now you're just taking the fun out of it. |
Now you are confusing me, I thought that was the 710 filler tube. 
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-- 1987 Westfalia automatic (Captain Vino) |
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joetiger 
Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2005
Posts: 5076
Location: denver
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| Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 12:17 pm Post subject: Re: What is the reservoir on the driver side floor for? |
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| edgood1 wrote: |
I thought this was where you pour the liquid schwartz
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Now that is funny. 
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Joe T.
'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32
"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron
"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond
Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present
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mightyart
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Joined: March 24, 2004
Posts: 6188
Location: Portland, Oregon
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| Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 12:23 pm Post subject: |
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You mean that's not the spittoon????
Man, no wonder my winsheild looks so bad... |
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GWTWTLW
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Joined: April 22, 2008
Posts: 2174
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 12:48 pm Post subject: |
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| mightyart wrote: |
You mean that's not the spittoon????
Man, no wonder my winsheild looks so bad... |
And smells like piss too! 
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Santana
Samba Member
Joined: March 18, 2008
Posts: 146
Location: T-Town, WA
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| Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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| FNGRUVN wrote: |
| Should we tell him about the oil filler tube while we're at it? |
Guess I am not part of the club, I don't have an oil filler tube as I have a tiico engine.
Since I don't use washer fluid, I am thinking of using it as a urinal. No more stopping on those long road trips.
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Last edited by Santana on Fri May 15, 2009 1:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Santana
Samba Member
Joined: March 18, 2008
Posts: 146
Location: T-Town, WA
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| Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 1:20 pm Post subject: |
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On a serious note, thanks to everyone who gave insight as to where the moisture on the floor might be coming from. I am guessing it probably is a bad seal. I am going to dive into it this weekend and see what I can find out.
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?Waldo?
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2006
Posts: 9752
Location: Where?
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| Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 2:05 pm Post subject: |
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| 1991VanagonCarat wrote: |
| Guess I am not part of the club, I don't have an oil filler tube as I have a tiico engine. |
I thought the Tiico used the diesel vanagon oil pan along with the filler tube or do you have to open the engine lid to add oil? If you don't have any filler tube added, then you can certainly add the diesel vanagon version which does indeed have the tube extension.
Andrew |
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