Preparing my bus after 5 years+ sitting

[77 Deluxe]

Hi All

I have been an aircooled man until now but this 85 bus came my way recently. It's on its way to me from where it sat for 5-10 years and my brain is ticking as to the next steps.
As you can see, the first thing is a good clean and probably a few bug bombs to kill off any spiders lurking inside. The thing is full of Antechinus (an Australian mouse like marsupial) crap but I'm sure the critters themselves will have hopped off on the way here. I've bought a cheap wet and dry vac and will have first go with that before taking the seats and carpets out for a thorough clean. Paint should largely buff up ok, there's a bit of rust to work on but it's fairly solid. I can cope with the bodywork but my experience with the water-cooled VW engine is almost nonexistent. That's where I'm asking for help and guidance. When the bus was driven to the property where it sat all these years it was in roadworthy condition so I'm hopeful that there maybe some life in the engine and gearbox but I realise it's not as simple as just turning the key and going for gold. There are videos on YouTube of people cold starting their Vanagons after the same sort of period doing next to nothing in the way of prep but I'm a bit more prudent than that so my question is what should I do as a minimum? I will be getting a mechanic in to check everything before I try to start it but want to do as much of the prep myself beforehand to save some money. I'm thinking definitely the following;
Drain and replace vital fluids (fuel [add injector cleaner & fuel dryer), coolant, oil, brake)
Replace plugs and leads
Replace fuel lines
Replace fuel filter
Replace battery
Check injectors and fuel pump to make sure not glued up (clean as needed)
Clean air box and replace filter
Replace oil filter
Check cooling system for obvious leaks

Possibly do the following:
Drop, check and clean fuel tank
Replace radiator and all cooling system hoses (or at least have them on hand??)

Once we get it running and assess the engine condition I'll then make a decision on what I'm going to do with it and if signs are good I'll move forward and do the brakes, tires, gearbox oil, clutch if needed and work through the suspension replacing parts as required.

I should add that it's a 1.9 FI bus with stick shift

Appreciate any advice and things I've missed. I'll keep the pictures coming as I work on getting it back on the road

[stormforge]

That sounds like a good list to get you started. I'd go slowly and carefully step by step. It couldn't hurt to put a little bit of light oil in the cylinders when you do the plugs. Add some gas dryer and fuel-injector cleaner when you put in the fresh gas.

Turn the main pulley by hand a few times to see how it feels and then start it. Then it's just checking everything over frequently for the next few weeks. You'll find lots of little things that need attention, but if you're lucky it might just run fine.

Good luck!
-Bill
'89 Syncro

[77 Deluxe]

Thanks Bill, appreciate the response and reassurances

[djkeev]

In dash A/C !!

Post some details of that when you can....... please?

Dave
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[Howesight]

1.When replacing all fluids, add brake fluid to your list.

2. Those tires will likely need replacing. Generally speaking, tires should never be used for more than 8 years and I am guessing yours are at least that old. This is more important on a disused vehicle because the chemicals that tire companies include in their rubber formulations to preserve the rubber and protect against UV sun damage require the tire to be used in order to move the chemicals through the rubber carcass. Just avoid high-speed running on those old tires for now.
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'86 Syncro Westy SVX

[77 Deluxe]

Thanks all

I don't know anything about the A/C set up - I assume it's aftermarket. Will post more pics and details as I find them. I had the Texan DPD overhead system in my last bay and it was a bit of a job to get that running.
One cool feature I loved about the bus is the auto-side step that pops out when you open the door, never seen anything like that before.

Brake fluid added to the list of essential fluids and for sure I'll be replacing the tires if we get the bus running. Trying to work out whether to change the tires or look for a set of wider rims...I am hoping something comes up for sale locally. I'll be sure to make my way through the wheel sticky before buying anything

[77 Deluxe]

Got it home and have ordered the parts I need from Bus Depot. While I'm waiting for them to arrive I gave her a cut and polish...came up real nice.

Stripped the inside so I could give it a real good clean and get rid of the musty smell
Floors are very solid considering it's been sat

There is some sign of poor repair in one of the rear quarter panels so I'll probably get that fixed up properly...I am pretty sure my paint codes are J2 (Marine Blue) and J6 (Capri Blue)

Only rust to speak of is in that lower front quarter near the turn signal

[Bman]

Once you do the above and get it rolling on the road, I would do a full bearing and brake assessment, followed by dropping the CV axles (clean and repack).

Good Luck.

Bryan
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1990 Burgandy Tintop (Wife's Daily Driver)
1989 Tiico Westfalia "Taj"




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[77 Deluxe]

I got the bus started yesterday...a good feeling. New battery, belt, plugs, leads, rotor and cap. Fresh oil, fuel, filters. Was expecting some drama's getting it going but it went first time. I topped up the coolant as what was in the expansion tank looked ok even though it's green and clearly not what should be in there. No sign of leaks in the cooling system after running for 45 mins. I'll be flushing the system and putting the right stuff in before long.

The vanagon.org fuel line and injector seal kit arrived today... probably should have done this before starting her up but got a bit gung ho and impatient - anyway, that's a job for the weekend.

So it's running but all is not rosy...

I have noisy lifters, high idle and several blows in the exhaust as well as near stall on idle when up to temperature.
Vacuum leaks I'll work out if I can find the correct routing of all lines as some are missing. I was told there'd be a diagram in the engine bay but no. Will have a search on here. Am thinking the near stall could be a sticky injector but just guessing.
Looks like a new exhaust, bit worried about getting the bolts off the heads as they're pretty rusted on. I have been offered a solid exhaust system off a 2.1 but my initial research on here says they don't match up.
Now, the lifter noise, I'm hoping they're just varnished but maybe that's wishful thinking. How long would you give the noise to settle down and accept there's a deeper issue? I dropped and replaced the oil again this time with the Brad Penn and will run again tomorrow.

Here is a video of it running after about 20 mins...it quietened down a bit after that but lifters still making a fair bit of noise. You can also see/hear the near stall

https://youtu.be/4uIyBhX25vY

Any thoughts greatly appreciated

[elizer]

I used some MMO in the oil/fuel. It quieted down after about 30 minutes. Took a couple short drives around the block to get rid of completely.

[77 Deluxe]

[elizer]

I can't say for sure if the MMO did anything or if it was just letting it pump back up did. Also mine didn't sit as long as yours, but it did sound as bad.

[77 Deluxe]

Gotta be worth a go...

[77 Deluxe]

I started doing the fuel lines with the vanagon.org kit. I'm working from the back to the front i.e. starting with the injectors but am starting to think about the tank end of the lines. Although I drained the fuel tank as best I could and put in a lot of fresh fuel I cannot be sure what crap is sitting in the bottom of the tank after all this time. At some point I will replace it but for now it's staying as is. Seeing as I'm doing the lines I was wondering whether it might be good to temporarily put an inline filter between the tank and the fuel pump i.e. in the non-pressurised section. Does anyone see any issues with this in terms of fuel pressure to the pump? The idea is to save my fuel pump a bit from the unknown gunk in the tank


NOTE, INLINE FUEL FILTER TOPIC IN A NEW THREAD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=702915

[77 Deluxe]

So I'm slowly working through the (long) list.

1/ The fuel lines are all done along with fuel filters (x2 for now as per other thread)
2/ I ended up getting the injectors ultrasonically cleaned, repainted the rails and put on new small and large seals - man did it make a big difference to the running of the engine. The guy who cleaned them put them through the machine 4 times to clean them up as they were so bad. I no longer have the idle issues I had before. It's running a bit rich but will tinker with that when I get the car out of the garage
3/ Replaced the 2 x seals on the brake fluid reservoir as the old ones were perished and leaking. I have bled the clutch so now have clutch pressure. Tested the clutch and got the van moving (not too far as I haven't been through the brakes yet)

Clutch felt like it was initially having problems engaging and possibly slipping slightly (I didn't spend too long on it) but seemed to improve as I got used to the gearbox and as things loosened up. I would imagine the clutch plate has a fair amount of surface rust after all these years - but the bus was driven to where it sat all those years ago and the PO doesn't recall any issues with the clutch....am I being hopeful in thinking the clutch might not need replacing?

Plan to change the gearbox oil and do the brakes next then hopefully I can take it for a bit of drive to get a better picture of how things are

[16CVs]

Man I'd hate to be the passenger on a hot day. No leg room and cold knees.
Cleaned up nice , what are your plans for it? Full syncro conversion and Westy roof?

Stacy
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[77 Deluxe]

[77 Deluxe]

Hi all.

Borrowed some equipment and finally got around to doing a compression test. Numbers are as follows:

1/ 140
2/ 170
3/ 170
4/ 160

Those numbers didn't seem too bad to me although the variation on number 1 cylinder is of slight concern. Is there potential that this might level out when I get this on the road and drive under load for a while?

Many thanks

[Vanagon Nut]

maybe cylinder 1 lifters have yet to pump up all the way?

Regarding dirt et al in fuel tank, are you planning to re-seal the tank and possibly the seals at the fuel expansion tanks?

Neil.
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1981 Westy DIY 15º ABA

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[77 Deluxe]