'95 Eurovan Camper - Introduction

[white74westy]

[white74westy]

In continuing with theme of keeping the chronology in order, the work continued...

We had a camping trip planned with some family friends and there was a lot left to do before we embarked on our journey.

First things first, a good cleaning! I took the van to the local auto detailer and had them wash it and shampoo the upholstery and carpets. I have no idea when the last time she's been cleaned. I know that my friend the PO put her to good use. I figured it couldn't hurt and might make things more tolerable.

A few before shots:

The stain in the last image was caused by the skylight coming open during the wash. My fault!!! Anyhow, it was pretty funny to see the people that worked there react to seeing an EVC for the first time. Lots and lots of questions, stares, smiles and more questions. It was pretty cool to see their faces light up when you told them it had a sink, stove and fridge. "NO WAY!"

I left it with them for a few hours and they did some great work! I was well pleased with the results:

The original VW upholstery cleans up very nicely! There's something inspiring about working on a vehicle that is starting to shed its skin and molt, showing signs of new life to come. So last weekend I started to go to work on some of the interior. I started with the water system. Filled the water tank with a bleach solution per the instructions in the manual. I've let it sit for several days to make sure everything is disinfected. Much to my great surprise and pleasure, I found that not only did the sink faucet work, but so did the hose and sprayer in the back. Yahoo! So now we have a working fridge, stove and sink...pretty cool! I tried the propane heater. That's where my luck ran out. I think the ignitor may be faulty or just in need of some TLC. When I turned the thermostat on, it did everything it was supposed to, except blow hot air. Eventually I'll have a look. Not terribly critical in Florida, but I'd still like to get things working as they should.

Next item on the list was getting the marker lights, brake lights and turn signals working on the right side of the vehicle. Pulled the light housing in the rear and started poking around. There were a couple of wires that had been spliced for a trailer pigtail that were causing a problem. Got that sorted out and also found a couple of bad bulbs. Got some new bulbs, cleaned the housings, added some dielectric grease and voila, we've got lights! Another victory! While I was at it, I decided to have a look at the auxiliary battery. I dropped one in there and put a volt meter on it to get an idea of what was going on. The battery was not charging by neither the 110V plug coming into the side of the van, nor the alternator. However, I was getting action everywhere else. My first suspicion was a problem with the inverter, which I quickly laid to rest once I realized everything else seemed to be operating as it should. I went back to the manual and read again about a 30AMP fuse that was supposed to be in the battery compartment. After a fair amount of rummaging, Eureka! It didn't take long to figure out what the problem was:

This was taken after I cut the crusty, original fuse holder out. As you can see, there was a great deal of corrosion in there. I bought another from the FLAPS and installed it along with a new 30 AMP fuse and we were off to the races.

I probably should have stopped there, as it had already been an extremely long day, but I'm mildly stubborn and I had a head of steam so why not push through to one of that last items on my list - trying to figure out what I'd done wrong trying to install a remote locking key fob. I'm happy to report that after much fiddling around, I finally got that to work to and finally wrapped up around midnight. Very happy!

[white74westy]

We just got back from our maiden voyage in the EVC. It was amazing! The van did really well. I was very pleased. We camped out in Hanna Park. It's a state park located very near where we live.

In case anyone is interested in checking it out: https://www.coj.net/departments/parks,-recreation-...hanna-park

Seemed like a good place to do a shakedown run. We really enjoyed our time out there. We were able to take the kids kayaking in the lake. Lots of egrets, blue heron, cormorants, and a couple of really good sized gators sunning on the banks of an island. Later that day we went down to the beach for some sun and sand. Altogether a great way to spend time with the family.

[IdeaNerd]

Looks like a good time was had! Thanks for sharing.

I still remember the joy of the first camping trip we took in ours (Weekender though, not an EVC). We had lots of people w/questions on that short getaway, kind of like your detailing experience. Aside from "never seen one before" folks, a few fellow VW / Westy enthusiasts and foreigners.

Still makes me smile, recalling that trip five years later.

May you have many more...!

[white74westy]

[white74westy]

Been mucking about with the slider and the power door lock assembly. Have a couple of questions: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=752938&highlight=

While the door is apart, I decided to paint the trim and the door panel. Like most of these vehicles, the plastic trim has seen better days. Weird stains and weathering. Forgot to get some before pictures, but here's what they looked like while they were drying:

I am and I'm not looking forward to getting around to the rest of the interior panels. The OCD part of my brain can't wait to clean everything up and have a nice, uniform looking interior. The other part of my brain just wonders when I'm ever going to come up with the "spare" time to get around to all of this.

It will serve as additional motivation to get the propane heater working. I think I've got to pull everything apart to clean, and possibly tune-up the heater. While I have all those panels off, it only makes sense to paint. All in good time.

[white74westy]

Still chipping away...

I didn't do a very good job of documenting the process, but I cleaned the blinds in the slider. I will be sure to take more pictures on the next couple of sets. I have never had any experience with OxiClean...but that stuff is excellent for this purpose. After I left them to dry over night, I sprayed them with starch and zip tied them to keep the pleats sharp:

Had a couple of other things I wanted to take care of. Started the day by replacing the power steering fluid. I used a MightyVac fluid extractor to help get rid of the nasty old fluid. It resembled coffee...gnarly!!! I bought new power steering fluid from the dealership around the corner. I filled and emptied a total of four times, until there was no residual leftover from the old stuff. I ended up using 2 quarts. Worked great. After each fill, I would turn the wheels from lock to lock about a dozen times. The difference is subtle, but noticeable. Happy to have done it. I have no idea if this was ever performed before. My suspicions are that it had never been replaced, particularly when I moved to the next item; brake fluid flush.

The brakes have felt a bit spongy, ever since I bought the vehicle. In the past, the first thing I would have taken care of after having bought a vehicle would be the brakes. I must confess that I have yet to go through them properly. However, today I got started by changing the fluid.

I opened the reservoir to find a bunch of very fine, black particulate and filthy fluid. I had already cleaned most of the junk off the float, but you get the idea:

Yuck!!!

This was after the second cleaning:

Removed the filter and cleaned it as well:

You can see some of the debris that was floating around stuck to the sides of the filter in the image above.

All cleaned up:

Whipped out the ol' Motive Brake Bleeder, after many years in hibernation. Brake fluid is tough on most materials. Here's what I found:

Overcame the first obstacle of the day, by using some old flennor fuel line I had laying around. Got her pumped up and checked for leaks...Good to go!

Again, I bought brake fluid from the dealership:

Started the bleeding process:

I can't believe the system was even working!!! That is some ugly looking brake fluid!!! By far the worst I have personally seen. Anyhow, happy to report that I now have nice, clean, fresh brake fluid in the system. I will have to get around to checking pads, shoes and drums a little later on.

Final stop for the day was my hope to get rid of the red blinking light on the dash. I bought a new coolant reservoir bottle and began the process of switching it out. Nothing difficult about the process. Used an old turkey basting syringe to remove the majority of the coolant. Disconnect hoses and the sensor, and finally replace the bottle. Out with the old:

In with the new:

I had really hoped this would fix the issue! Moment of truth...turn the key and look down at the dash. For a whole blissful 4 seconds, all was well, then the f&$%ing red blinking light showed itself again. Disconnected the terminal and stuck a paper clip in there, but still blinking. Guess I need to dive a little deeper. Suggestions, before I take the leap? Could it be the other two coolant sensors further down the line? Any help and suggestions are welcomed!