2003 EVC New To Me

[Broseph Stalin]

I'll start a 2003 EVC new to me thread to go through the history and maintenance.

Bought for $28k July, 2018. 126k miles, 5th owner. The '95 EVC just didn't have enough passing power and braking power, and 1WD. Pretty nice the 2.5l had a timing belt instead of the possibly problematical timing chain.

Belt vs chain is an ongoing argument across vehicle brands. Belt is external, cheap-n-easy to replace, replace the belt every 10yrs or 100k miles. Chains are theoretically more durable, but across vehicle brands what you see is the tensioners fail. Then you have a $3k bill to make it right.

Anyway, at 126k it drove and shifted fine, no timing chain sound that I could hear, no rust, no leaks visible underneath. Poptop canvas and screens didn't look good, was put away wet often. Everything power worked, AC worked, furnace and camping features worked. No leaks, no worries.
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'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

The maintenance history that I've pieced together from carfax and receipts:
New 9/15/02 Boulder, CO
2/17/03 5k mi service
5/18/03 10k mi service
11/26/03 oil/filter
10/08/04 40k mi service
9/22/05 50k mi service
3/29/11 oil/filter 78k mi
4/19/12 oil/filter 85k mi
5/1/12 vehicle serviced
10/16/12 oil/filter, serpentine belt 91k mi
6/5/13 vehicle serviced 93k mi
8/29/13 oil/filter 95k mi
1/14/14 oil/filter, air filter 100k mi
7/16/14 Fiamma F45S awning installed
8/18/14 oil/filter 104k mi
3/20/15 oil/filter 111k mi
6/29/15 Propane regulater/hose replaced
8/4/15 114k mi, P0139/P0455/P1103/P1165 codes. Replace both O2 sensors,
charcoal canister, temp sender, brake flush, brake light sw, coolant flush,
oil/filter, rear brake pads, turn rear rotors.
11/30/15 116k mi, P0441/P1151 codes. Replace evap purge valve,
cracked vacuum hoses, front O2 sensor again.
10/10/16 oil/filter 119k mi
10/16/17 oil/filter, air filter, serpentine belt, tie rods, 124k mi
7/20/18 126k mi, brake flush, coolant flush, oil/filter, trans flush/filter,
fuel filter, final drive drain/fill. Amsoil fluids.
9/28/19 131k mi oil/filter, Amsoil 5w-40 Signature Series, STP Extended Life filter
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'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

- Lifted it with Cavevan 1" rear pucks
- Lifted the front torsion bars
- 225/70/16 Hankook Dynapro's. They sure are noisy. Probably would have been fine with Yokohama Geolanders but I wanted an aggressive tread being used to 4WD and worried about going into mud with only 2WD and such a heavy vehicle. Damn they're annoyingly noisy on road.
- Got 12" ground clearance with the lift and the tires, very nice to have.
- 10" ground clearance at the propane tank, that's the low point.
- Bilstein HD4600 shocks all around.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

The '03 EVC is a nice machine compared to the '95 EVC. Has passing power and much better braking compared to the '95. And real 2WD.

Maybe with an EV Weekender the passing power and braking wouldn't matter as much, but the LWB EVC is about 700lbs heavier right off the bat.

Some maintenance I've done:

- Center muffler replaced. I noticed the LWB van has a long run between the cat and the rear muffler but no support to prevent it from flexing, and sure enough the muffler joint failed from flexing. We wrapped muffler tape around the center muffler and wired it to the heat shield, I'll see if that prevents excessive flexing, so far so good.
- Vacuum hose to brake booster cracked, caused a CEL
- MAF sensor was dirty, cleaned it, had to buy a security type torx fitting to get to it.
- Spark plugs. Got some CEL's, changed plugs and cleared them, probably were the original plugs at 127k miles. The spark coils are fragile, be careful.
- Noticed there is a spring that keeps the parking brake adjuster taut on the underside middle of the chassis, mine is hanging loose. Looks like the plastic failed and broke. Parking brake adjuster was backing out. Maybe some blue Loctite if I can't find that spring replacement part.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

Next, there is some rust where amateurs used the rocker panels instead of the jack points on the frame. Rocker panel welds and integrity got cracked a bit. Being used to Toyota rust problems I believe with a good flushing and heavy spray of rust eater it won't get worse.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

And no way I would have bought a Vanagon Westfalia compared to an EVC as a camping and traveling vehicle. LWB is a must for the cargo room and interior room. Lifted, the LWB EVC has great ground clearance for offroading.

EVC has a strong furnace stock, a must have. There was nothing appealing about a Vanagon Westfalia to me compared to an EVC.

I skipped a generation of VW Transporters, owned a T1 and T2, skipped T3, went to T4's.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

OK, the rust on the rocker panels where it was jacked up improperly. It hasn't got really bad, so some prevention now.

Step 1: Flush the frame rails, rocker panels, and front wheel wells.
Step 2: Spray Eastwood rust encapsulator into the various openings. https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-internal-frame-coating-14oz-aerosol.html

Step 1: The object is to flush out dirt/debris so the rust encapsulator is effective. The frame rails are open, there are openings to get a spray nozzle in. The rocker panels and front wheelwells have several 36mm plugs that can be removed. VW PN N10226501. Reusable, but easily acquired since they are common on VW's.

I removed the plugs, did a flush with a garden hose spray nozzle, went to the car wash and did it again with their wand what I could get to with hot water and soap. Their wand was unwieldy, no flex to it, so not thorough on the frame rails or rocker panels, but I didn't see a lot of dirt coming out with the garden hose at the house. The front wheelwells, the carwash helped. There was a LOT of debris built up inside.

I flushed a few more spots. There are two rectangular plugs on the front subframes, pulled those and got some dirt out. Rear control arms I flushed them. Opening the front doors and the hood theres some openings to get a spray nozzle into. The side door bottom channel can be flushed, dirt/debris builds up. The jacking points are open, flushed a lot of dirt out of them.

I'll do another flush to be sure, then on to Step 2 . . . . . . .
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

BTW, the Eastwood rust remover and rust encapsulator products have great reviews. The ultimate source is Tacomaworld.com if you want to read up on solving rust troubles. Toyota trucks have had godawful frame rust problems and Eastwood seems to be popular.

For surface rust, you want something quick and easy to spray on that keeps it from getting worse, Rustoleum Rust Eater rattle can is effective.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

I ordered the body plugs from the VW dealer. I'll update tomorrow when I get them to confirm they fit.

When I was at the dealer I asked a service writer why they won't allow EVC's into their shop. Answer was "The propane tank. If you have a propane tank we won't allow it in the service bay."
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

Got started spraying the Eastwood Internal Frame Coating (see above posts). Messy. Wear a long sleeve shirt, hand, eye and face protection. Mineral Spirits removes it. It's thin like spray paint so runs out through any openings not masked off.

The 2' spray tube with radial spray head is effective, but comes coiled up in the box, so stretch it straight for a day to make it easier to get it into the frame openings. You'll need at least three 14oz cans for a single coat to do the frame rails, rocker panels, rear control arms, front wheel wells and the two subframes on the front bumper. Eastwood recommends two coats, and probably a good idea.

The PN's for the various body plugs are:

- N 102 265 01 for the larger 30mm ones on the rocker panels and front wheel wells. $2.68/ea from the VW dealer. Found 16 of them.
- 893 803 593 A for 20mm plugs. $6.60/ea from the VW dealer (found only two of those on the rocker panels).
- 211 809 507 for the four rectangular rubber bungs on the front bumper subframes. Hard to find, ECSTuning has them for $11.93/ea, Ebay has them from Europe. Pricey, and thankfully all four I found were in excellent condition after pulling them, so an Aerospace 303 soak and they're good to go back in.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

Got the Eastwood Internal frame coating done. Used four 14oz rattle cans for one coat applied to the frame rails, rocker panels, front wheel wells, rear control arms, jack points, and the two front bumper bars.

Messy job. I won't do a second coat. This is a Western US vehicle since new so not a lot of rust to begin with. What got me started on rust-proofing was poor jacking procedures that bent the rocker panel spot welds by the jack points (common thing, yeah?).

Still have to wirewheel the rocker panel bends, then spray a product I like, Rustoleum Rust Reformer. The nice thick undercoat VW put on the rocker panels is cracked so that has to be ground off, then Rust Reformer, then undercoat again.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

The rubber body plugs I got from the VW dealer are fine. Kinda weird there are 20mm, 30mm, and 36mm. All of them sourced from newer VW's, NLA for a Eurovan. A 30mm plug would work everywhere, but VW.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

Since I was underneath I gave the LP hoses a wash the best I could, prepping them for an Aerospace 303 soaking. Same with the rear heater hoses. Rubber loves 303. Noticed some rub points in the tangle of LP hoses and electrical connections, some wire loom will do that some good.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

The Winnebago grey tank has a strap holding it to the body, that was showing rust. Thick steel, that's good. There's a rubber isolator between the tank and the strap, that came loose.

I cleaned the underside between the strap and the plastic tank, slapped some 3M marine grade caulking in, crammed the rubber isolator back in, should be good. Good design, but the steel strap will be Rustoleum'd.
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'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[IdeaNerd]

Just a quick note to again say that I appreciate your maintaining this "monologue" thread. I keep learning things, watching and reading it.


Thanks!

[Broseph Stalin]

[Abscate]

Subscribed and popcorn....
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.ssS!

[Broseph Stalin]

Well, as usual with rust, the rocker panel rust was a bit more extensive than the rosiest expectation. I don't have pics, but it's rust like any other vehicle.

Started digging into the metal sandwich along the rocker panel, bent by improper jacking. Some bending back straight, some prying with a flathead, some grinding, found the sandwich had rust between the layers. The factory undercoat hid a lot of it.

I'm still thinking rosy though, not gonna cut any metal out. After prying the sandwich apart at the two bad spots and cleaning best I could I sprayed some more Eastwood Internal Frame coat inside until it ran out of the broached seams. Then sprayed Rustoleum Rust Eater on the outside.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[Broseph Stalin]

For EVC OEM jack and jack points, doesn't seem like a good method. My '95 had an OEM jack, I looked at it, thought "How the hell is that thing supposed to be workable out in the boonies?"

An aftermarket hydraulic or crank bottle jack is fine with me. Store it somewhere with 4" sections of 2x4 or 2x6.
_________________
'68 Bus in West Germany, 1977-1979
'67 Riviera poptop conversion in the US, 1984-1990
'95 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold
'03 EVC Winnie, 2018, Sold

[elise111]

"Noticed there is a spring that keeps the parking brake adjuster taut on the underside middle of the chassis, mine is hanging loose. Looks like the plastic failed and broke. Parking brake adjuster was backing out. Maybe some blue Loctite if I can't find that spring replacement part."

In the event you are still looking for that part, it should be 701711367, and is still available at the dealer.