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kuleinc Samba Member
Joined: August 10, 2007 Posts: 1604 Location: East Bay Area, California
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 10:21 am Post subject: The Saga of our Westy .... SOLD 2021 |
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Hi all, just bought my new vanagon westy. Gray inside and out. Missing upper bunk (do you have one for sale?)
Gas tank vents leak somewhere, and front torque arms need new bushings. I just put new bilstein shocks all around, and am still cleaning the inside out.
Does anyone know where to get bushings for the front end? Does any one recommend the poly stuff?
Anyone good at running a new propane line to the stove? Anything I should know before going to my local hardware store and buying some tubing and connectors? Are the lines metric?
Van has 162K and original engine and transmission, heads seem to be redone or newer. Rear heater may be leaking, need to check under the box...
I will post pics later tonight when I get home. _________________ Check out our Our youtube channel: Https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-EbskIxNm6SYzsq4ugG81A
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=496946 1987 VW Vanagon Westfalia with 1.8T
Last edited by kuleinc on Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:03 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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GBA 88West LA Samba Member
Joined: September 04, 2008 Posts: 1279 Location: New Hampshire
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 10:28 am Post subject: |
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congrats on new ride check chris out @t3...he lists the bushings in the classifieds here...the vents are pretty easy and i believe theres a ton o how to write ups archived here.
pixs? _________________ 88 Westy GL Vanaru 07 2.5 EJ25/AA Trans/oiling plates, 1.14 3rd-.77-4th..solar powered cabin |
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Summers420us Samba Member
Joined: June 14, 2010 Posts: 759 Location: Amissville, Virginia
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 11:22 am Post subject: |
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Put "replace fuel lines" at the top of your to-do list. |
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Vango Conversions Samba Member
Joined: October 04, 2010 Posts: 1054 Location: Seattle, WA
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 11:30 am Post subject: |
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I'm not sure what you mean by "torque arm" but if you meant control arm, there are poly bushings available for the upper and lower control arms. They are available for other things too but they are expensive and the control arm bushings will have your van riding and handling very nicely and give you the best bang for your buck. They take care of the annoying squeaking as well. |
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kuleinc Samba Member
Joined: August 10, 2007 Posts: 1604 Location: East Bay Area, California
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dhaavers Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2010 Posts: 7733 Location: NE MN (tinyurl.com/dhaaverslocation)
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 11:40 am Post subject: |
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Welcome! Good stuff here: http://www.t3technique.com/powerflex-bushings/
Chris is the man for the good stuff. _________________ 86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS> |
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kuleinc Samba Member
Joined: August 10, 2007 Posts: 1604 Location: East Bay Area, California
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randywebb Samba Member
Joined: February 15, 2005 Posts: 3815 Location: Greater Metropolitan Nimrod, Orygun
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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I bet you could easily make an upper bunk.
You could make one out of hexcell and save some wt. up high... _________________ 1986 2.1L Westy 2wd Auto Trans. |
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molybdanum Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2010 Posts: 57 Location: Berkeley, CA
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:42 pm Post subject: |
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I believe the bushings you are looking for are radius rod bushings. I think t3 techniques doesn't have a poly version of this, but they are still available from the dealer. If doing this job, I'd also get new sleeves that go inside the bushings from van cafe. You will definately need an alignment after getting this done.
-Dan _________________ 85 Vanagon Westfalia EJ22
00 Passat GLS Wagon |
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Saguache Samba Member
Joined: December 28, 2009 Posts: 360 Location: Gunnison, CO
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 8:37 pm Post subject: Re: My "new" Westy |
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kuleinc wrote: |
Does anyone know where to get bushings for the front end? Does any one recommend the poly stuff?
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Kuleinc,
Gratz on the new ride, may I suggest that you take a look at PowerFlex bushings for your front end. You can find several vendors on this site who carry them (Chris at T3 comes to mind), but these are my favorite! _________________ Matt Thyer
http://zenoswagen.wordpress.com/ |
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kuleinc Samba Member
Joined: August 10, 2007 Posts: 1604 Location: East Bay Area, California
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kuleinc Samba Member
Joined: August 10, 2007 Posts: 1604 Location: East Bay Area, California
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dhaavers Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2010 Posts: 7733 Location: NE MN (tinyurl.com/dhaaverslocation)
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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OK...NOW you're in the club!
Seriously though, what trouble? Hope you're rolling again soon. _________________ 86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS> |
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purplepeopleeater Samba Member
Joined: July 23, 2005 Posts: 3117 Location: E. Washington
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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I pushed my van 8 times totalling about 20-30 blocks in the first week I owned it, and it was a cream puff.
I found out about vanagon syndrome and what a bad TPS where that week. |
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IdahoDoug Samba Member
Joined: June 12, 2010 Posts: 10239 Location: N. Idaho
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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OK, just got a great idea for a new thread..... _________________ 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 |
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kuleinc Samba Member
Joined: August 10, 2007 Posts: 1604 Location: East Bay Area, California
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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So we drove the van home over 300 miles, no issues except thermostat wasn't letting van get any warmer than large white stripe at bottom of gauge.
I purchase new German thermostat, now engine gets to normal around red LED, and I continue driving it to and from work (30 miles ish each way), no problems until tonight on the way home.
I'm cruising down 24 in traffic so no faster than 45ish, and all of a sudden it feels like the engine died for a second, but then the power came back on and all was fine for a little while. Then a few more miles and it happens again, and this time I'm looking at gauges. When the van loses power for a second the tach goes to zero, then when the power comes back on the tach goes back up to engine speed. It starts happening more and more frequently, I get worried and pull off at an exit and stop in a safe place, engine dies.
I have trouble getting it to start at all, sometimes I can floor it and keep it running some, no idle. I putz around in engine bay inspecting connections and things (thanks Paul). I finally figure out a way to check spark by myself, and lay the back seat down to bed mode, and unplug the coil wire from the distributor cap and lay it on top of the A/C compressor bracket. I go up to drivers area and crank engine over, there is more spark than I was expecting. I re-attach coil wire to cap. I then loosen a fuel hose clamp and discover there is gas and some pressure. I don't have a pressure gauge with me so I don't know how much, but there was some.
I try to start van some more, without the slightest of success. I then go back to engine and ponder it a while, and in frustration take the air hose that goes into the body work off of the air box and try to start van. It struggles a bit, starts, stumbles a bit, but holds an idles, and then starts idleing smoothly. I go back to engine put air hose from body back on air box, and then test the van out, slowly up and down the street. All seems to be well, so I go and get on the freeway and drive home 15 or so miles without any further issues.
I THINK that something is getting hot and not doing its job, and when it cools it works again? I should mention both the fuel pump and distributor and distributor hall sensor thingies look like 1987 vintage, much like the shocks I just replaced with bilsteins....
Paul awesomely offered to lend me a box of spares so that we can go on our trip this weekend. I carry a near full tool box with me in the van, just in case, and found it does no good without spare parts. Although, I was not able to figure out what had failed.
Does anyone know if a fuel gauge can be attached to a fuel rail or something similar so I can monitor fuel pressure if this happens again? I did listen for the pump doing its prime thing when the key is switched on and confirmed that it was at least making noise... _________________ Check out our Our youtube channel: Https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-EbskIxNm6SYzsq4ugG81A
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=496946 1987 VW Vanagon Westfalia with 1.8T |
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purplepeopleeater Samba Member
Joined: July 23, 2005 Posts: 3117 Location: E. Washington
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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thats exactly what mine did, it never left me standed though. |
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tomkat73 Samba Member
Joined: June 12, 2011 Posts: 124 Location: White Salmon, WA
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:13 pm Post subject: |
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Will let others reply - but the instantaneous off/on thingy sounds like a bad ignition switch. Very difficult to duplicate and troubleshoot...most of us carry spare(s) as these are a constant FAIL item. $8 item from the usual suspects.
Mine first failed on the way home to Seattle from Yosemite a few years back. We bucked into Reno with my wife shifting gears while I turned and held the key 'just so'.
J's VW fixed me up in a day...now I carry a spare and Samba printout to fix it. _________________ Tom
90 Bordeaux (Wine Wagon) Syncro Westy
87 Flash Silver (Silver Slug) Syncro Westy (1996-2011)
86 Bronze Beige Metallic Westy (Tourist Delivery - 1996) |
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kuleinc Samba Member
Joined: August 10, 2007 Posts: 1604 Location: East Bay Area, California
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ShootingFish Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2010 Posts: 330 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 11:45 pm Post subject: |
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Harbor Freight has a cheap (all their stuff is crap, but sometimes beats real $$ spent) fuel pressure gauge. I would start there... I have had the same problem, chased it down to a pinched fuel line between the filter and the fuel rail. Came out of nowhere also.
Just what happened to me... could be lots of things with yours though. _________________ SF
Props aren't just for boats....
'88 2WD ALH-TDI Westy
'90 Syncro 16 Doka |
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