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Blakesinclair Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2021 Posts: 60 Location: Santa Ana, California
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:24 pm Post subject: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Trip report and sort of an intro for me and the van. Mostly lurking and learning, but here it goes...
Late last year an old family friend was selling a Eurovan. I was kinda looking for a van to add to the family, and it was in good shape for a good price. Called some VW friends and literally every single one of them said "do NOT buy a Eurovan." I'm pretty sure "heart breaker" and "money pit" were tossed around too. Which led me to switch gears to looking into Vanagons.
So back in February I impulsively bought a 1985 Weekender. No real maintenance history, no paperwork, no inspection, just showed up at night off a one way train from 3 hours away. It started and idled fine, shifted smooth with very minimal bucking or lugging, didn't show any major signs of leakage or weird noises. For the most part, it was in decent shape. This is my second van, first being a 1978 transporter that I had in high school (over 20 years ago), so my expectations were pretty low.
Since then, I've done a bunch of catch-up work. Oil change/tuneup, got the speedo/odo/tach working, flushed/replace gear oil, replaced vac lines and cleaned up the AFM and throttle body. And yes, replaced all the fuel lines. Also had the CV joints replaced. Still has an ever growing list of things it needs, but these seemed like the major issues for safety.
Everything I've done along the way gives it just a little extra spring in it's step. But considering it has well over 200k miles on the engine (odometer was broken and is still pretty sketchy), I've been hesitant to really put it through the paces. The main goal for this van is local surf trips up and down the coast with the family.
About a week ago, got a call from some friends to join them for a quick night away in the mountains. I've been occasionally driving the van to work (about 20+ freeway miles), and I haven't had any issues. So figured this is a good time to see how it handles up in the mountains. After my sons (seemingly never ending) little league game on Saturday, we hit the road.
The spot was about 75 miles away, maybe 20 of which are really steep curvy mountain climbs. Van was great on the freeway, Cruising along at like 60-65. Once we hit the grade, I ended up in 2nd gear for most of it. Luckily the speed limits for the turns are like 30-35 anyways, so I didn't feel that bad holding up traffic, but I utilized pretty much every turnout to let traffic pass.
The age and limited power of the 1.9L taught me how important it is to take deep breaths.
My friends are big 4x4 nerds. The leader promised I'd be fine up the dirt road, even in the van. Worst case, he'd bust out the tow rope for some of the sections. Turned out, there was only one section that I needed a little help. Mostly because the little tires kept slipping in the muddy gutter. But honestly, the van did pretty damn well.
Here's the section I got stuck heading up. Coming down I at least had gravity on my side, but was still a little hair raising. Especially for my 7 year old son sitting shotgun.
Eventually we made it to camp. About 7600' elevation overlooking Big Bear on one side and San Bernardino on the other. The kid and I ended up sleeping on the bottom bunk with the top collapsed to contain some heat, and we were surprisingly pretty warm. It was really windy that night, and maybe 32* so I was happy not to be in a tent.
Some things I learned:
My oil buzzer/light does work! I had never heard it go off before, and the original wire going to the sensor was hanging disconnected when I bought the van. So I figured it was broken. I replaced the sensor, fixed the wire and I still hadn't heard or seen a peep from it. Until like 45 minutes of climbing 4000rpms in 2nd gear, I heard this buzzing and a little flicker of the red light. It happened when I got to town, and I was through with abusing the engine, so it shut off and hasn't turned on since.
I really need to dig into the vents and weather stripping around the dash because the whistling above 50mph is annoying as all hell.
Anyways, the kid and I made it home safely and I'm stoked to take the van out for more this summer. _________________ ———————
1985 Weekender Vanagon 1.9L - Manual |
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dobryan Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006 Posts: 16504 Location: Brookeville, MD
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4Gears4Tires Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018 Posts: 3047 Location: MD
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:22 pm Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Blakesinclair wrote: |
I'm pretty sure "heart breaker" and "money pit" were tossed around too. Which led me to switch gears to looking into Vanagons. |
So I take what you mean is that a Eurovan wasn't enough of a heart breaker and a money pit for you that you decided to step up your ruination with a Vanagon?
Great trip though! Glad you made it back. The pics look awesome. _________________ '87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition |
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Blakesinclair Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2021 Posts: 60 Location: Santa Ana, California
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:30 pm Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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RE: Eurovan. Basically yes. I prefer the money pit and heart breaker experience to last longer, and be a little more DIY friendly. _________________ ———————
1985 Weekender Vanagon 1.9L - Manual |
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thatbaldwinlife Samba Member
Joined: August 01, 2011 Posts: 777 Location: Out exploring
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 1:55 pm Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Thanks for posting that up. Looks like a fun trip
nate _________________ 1987 Westy
Insta: @Thatbaldwinlife
Vanagon Adventure and DIY videos:
That Baldwin Life YouTube Channel |
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SSWesty Samba Member
Joined: August 20, 2008 Posts: 732 Location: Bellevue
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 2:50 pm Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Nice report, looks like you're on the path to making many more great memories. |
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Slimvest Samba Member
Joined: March 20, 2014 Posts: 431 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:12 pm Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Nice report. I like seeing a stock van going up roads like that.
Van from Canada? Saw the speedo is in km. _________________ '87 GL w/ Reimo top |
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Blakesinclair Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2021 Posts: 60 Location: Santa Ana, California
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 8:27 pm Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Thanks! I’ll cut a video edit of the journey. Includes the towing help from a friend. They seem pretty confident I would have been fine with better tires. Of course, I wouldn’t mind bigger wheels and a peloquin. But the fact is, the majority of the vans life will be on long concrete roads.
It was registered in Idaho when I got it, but the carfax history says it came from Washington then to Idaho. Now it’s in California. I’ll probably replace the metric odometer, mostly because it’s really wonky. Sometimes
It’ll work for a few hundred km, then it’ll stop for maybe 40, and then work again for like 50. No rhyme or reason so I’m guessing there are some busted teeth in there. _________________ ———————
1985 Weekender Vanagon 1.9L - Manual
Last edited by Blakesinclair on Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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erste Samba Member
Joined: March 29, 2013 Posts: 1110 Location: San Francisco
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:04 pm Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Nice little adventure!
Blakesinclair wrote: |
I really need to dig into the vents and weather stripping around the dash because the whistling above 50mph is annoying as all hell. |
A new windshield/seal quieted a lot of the wind noise on mine. The vent window seals helped too, but a lot of that wind noise was coming from the windsheid. |
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4Gears4Tires Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018 Posts: 3047 Location: MD
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:12 pm Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Removing the dash and putting sound deadening and sound insulation on the nose helped a lot too and everywhereinthefreakincab. It's still not quiet but the noise from the back of the van is louder now. I hadn't considered how a new seal would help, I will look into that. _________________ '87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition |
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shadetreemech Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2005 Posts: 777 Location: Claremont, CA
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:40 pm Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Nice pics, very good narrative.
I'm about 40 minutes away from Running Springs. Nice change in elevation.
Nice job.
Dan _________________ '84 GL 1.9
'01 Volvo V70 T5
'88 Westy - "MZDRTHY" |
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campism Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007 Posts: 4492 Location: Richmond VA
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2021 5:35 am Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Blakesinclair wrote: |
It was registered in Idaho when I got it, but the carfax history says it came from Washington then to Idaho. Now it’s in California. I’ll probably replace the metric odometer, mostly because it’s really wonky. Sometimes
It’ll work for a few hundred km, then it’ll stop for maybe 40, and then work again for like 50. No rhyme or reason so I’m guessing there are some busted teeth in there. |
Odometer repair is not difficult. Plenty of Samba threads on the topic. My own van's odo was broken when I got it. First repair attempt made it intermittent instead of merely broken, and subsequent attempts fixed it. Reliably recording for years now. Give it a try. _________________ '87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic |
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Blakesinclair Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2021 Posts: 60 Location: Santa Ana, California
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2021 6:21 am Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Cool I'll keep digging. It was broken at first (speedo cable), then the little numbers rod kept slipping out. I found that nifty 3d printed bracket to keep it in place, which definitely helped. But now it's doing the intermitent thing. So good to know hope is not lost!
And thanks for all the info about the dash noise. The weather stripping in the van is pretty rough, so it's all due for a refresh anyways. Gonna bump all that a little farther up the list. _________________ ———————
1985 Weekender Vanagon 1.9L - Manual |
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sanchius Samba Member
Joined: May 03, 2007 Posts: 1452 Location: IN
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Blakesinclair Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2021 Posts: 60 Location: Santa Ana, California
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Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2021 9:46 pm Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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I time lapsed the journey up, but the roads were so winding that most of it was kinda nauseating to watch. Also, who needs to see footage of the right lane and a bunch of turnouts.
Anyways, here's a quick clip I made for the 'gram with the little section that made me think "hey maybe I need a Syncro". Sound on for commentary.
Link
_________________ ———————
1985 Weekender Vanagon 1.9L - Manual |
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joetiger Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2005 Posts: 5078 Location: denver
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:18 am Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Great video and what a beautiful road! That kind of loud moral support is crucial for success on any extraction/tow. _________________ 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
www.josephtrussell.com |
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frankflynn Samba Member
Joined: February 02, 2021 Posts: 9 Location: Palo Alto, CA.
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 2:49 pm Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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erste wrote: |
Nice little adventure!
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Yes - thanks for posting
Blakesinclair wrote: |
I really need to dig into the vents and weather stripping around the dash because the whistling above 50mph is annoying as all hell. |
erste wrote: |
A new windshield/seal quieted a lot of the wind noise on mine. The vent window seals helped too, but a lot of that wind noise was coming from the windsheid. |
We had a simular "shake out" run last weekend and like yourself the noise at speed (~55+) was very annoying.
It was quite handy that my wife was there and she was able to try stuffing some rags in various places while we drove to see which made a difference. In our case the weather stripping at the top of the door and around the fly window were the main culprits. We stopped at a Wallmart along the way and got some simple thin weather stripping and ran it along the top of the door frame -- It made a world of difference!
It's not a permanent solution, but clearly shows where the problem was and that I need new proper door weather seals for the Van. Probably ought to replace the window rubber all round the Van, most of it looks old. I never thought about around the Windshield would make noise.
Frank |
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dabaron Samba Member
Joined: June 21, 2018 Posts: 2561 Location: Philly, mang
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Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 10:05 am Post subject: Re: Trip Report - Running Springs |
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Blakesinclair wrote: |
I wouldn’t mind bigger wheels and a peloquin. |
my new favorite thing to do in my Westy since getting the peloquin... laying down parallel tracks on gravel roads. if you get one, you will want to go play on the fun roads and leave the concrete to the modern boring boxes.
welcome to the fun house. _________________ 1991 Vanagon GL Camper
i had no idea i wanted to be a mechanic
"burnin oil and cookin coils" -- Destructo
BiWerks Design, LLC |
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