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OldSpice
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2015
Posts: 178
Location: 87 syncro westfalia Subaru ez30
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 Posted: Thu May 27, 2021 10:09 am Post subject: Anyone else think their van is burning when they drive by a fire |
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| Just thought it was funny because multiple times this month somebody was burning something nearby , be it a restaurant or burn pile of trash or wood or someone cooking nearby, and my first thought was I was having a wiring fault or something and got real worried 🤣 I’m sure this never happens to people who drive new cars. |
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16508
Location: Brookeville, MD
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bobbyblack 
Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015
Posts: 4353
Location: United States, Iowa
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| Posted: Thu May 27, 2021 10:30 am Post subject: Re: Anyone else think their van is burning when they drive by a fire |
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I get flipped out when I'm behind a car/truck that is making any sort of smell... As soon as I start smelling ANYTHING, I go into hyper mode...
I do some mental self-prep when I get close to the Metro where there is a big petrochemical plant, and hundreds of semi-trucks forming lines like ants.
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch |
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joetiger
Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2005
Posts: 5078
Location: denver
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| Posted: Thu May 27, 2021 11:03 am Post subject: Re: Anyone else think their van is burning when they drive by a fire |
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I check the side mirrors for smoke from the rear vents at every red light. 
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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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Blakesinclair
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2021
Posts: 60
Location: Santa Ana, California
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| Posted: Thu May 27, 2021 11:27 am Post subject: Re: Anyone else think their van is burning when they drive by a fire |
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Last week I had that same thoughts. I start visualizing all the little melted plastic parts of my dash that hold the speedometer and wonder if I properly fixed whatever electrical issues this van came with.
Anyways glad to hear I'm not alone.
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1985 Weekender Vanagon 1.9L - Manual |
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SCM
Samba Member
Joined: January 26, 2011
Posts: 3119
Location: Bozeman MT
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| Posted: Thu May 27, 2021 1:19 pm Post subject: Re: Anyone else think their van is burning when they drive by a fire |
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My office is a couple blocks from a wholesale coffee roasting outfit. I wasn't in my van at the time but the first, second, and third time I drove by after they started in business I thought my car was having an electrical melt down.
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'91 Westfalia GL Automatic (GTA "Turbo" Rebuild w/Peloquin) and 2.3L GoWesty Engine |
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AndyBees
Samba Member
Joined: January 31, 2008
Posts: 2332
Location: Southeast Kentucky
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| Posted: Thu May 27, 2021 1:44 pm Post subject: Re: Anyone else think their van is burning when they drive by a fire |
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Oh ye with little faith ......
Things of done (and not done) and just kept on trucking
- Drove my 83 Tin-top Vanagon over 200k miles and never changed fluids (oil of course)
- Made 7 very long road trips in that Van and only replaced the front pads once in those 200k miles
- Never changed the fuel lines on the engine
- Burned an Exhaust Valve on the 5th long road trip ... pulled used stuff from a local junk yard and kept on trucking
- Drove two very long trips with a tire only in the spare slot (no rim...LOL)
............ many more stories about that ol' 83 with the Air-cool engine
- Drove the 84 with TDI on several very long road trips with no issues.
- On the first day of one of those long road trips, the pipe to the mechanical gauge for coolant system pressure split behind the gauge ...... drove for over 30 days without the system pressurized ..... no problems!
-Was only towed one time ........ near home due to an electrical issue with the TDI conversion. It was raining, late Sunday night and family with me. So, rather than solve the problem beside the road, I called for a rollback.
Yeah, I supose I've been lucky (likely blessed) ...
But, I do agree, anytime I smell smoke, there is a split second or more than I do have concerns .... 
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'84 Vanagon Tin-top, ALH TDI. 1989 Tin-top
1983 Air-cool, 225k miles, 180k miles mine. Seven trips to Alaska from 1986 thru 2003. |
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wcdennis
Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2004
Posts: 955
Location: Winston-Salem NC
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| Posted: Fri May 28, 2021 6:05 am Post subject: Re: Anyone else think their van is burning when they drive by a fire |
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| First mile on a recent trip, I started smelling smoke. I knew it was wood smoke, so I wasn’t too worried, but where was it coming from? Finally I spotted the catering truck pulling a live BBQ smoker a few cars ahead of me. I went from being worried to hungry. |
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alaskadan
Samba Member
Joined: January 09, 2013
Posts: 1858
Location: anchor pt. alaska
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| Posted: Fri May 28, 2021 6:24 am Post subject: Re: Anyone else think their van is burning when they drive by a fire |
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| Yes but only when I know its a burning automotive item. Last week we pass by a semi that must have had a dragging brake on its trailer. Sniff sniff, thats burning brakes or a clutch maybe! Checked my e brake, looked in the mirrors for smoke. Then give it a minute for the smell to go away, ok not me. Damn constant fresh air supply! |
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16508
Location: Brookeville, MD
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OldSpice
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2015
Posts: 178
Location: 87 syncro westfalia Subaru ez30
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| Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2021 9:59 pm Post subject: Re: Anyone else think their van is burning when they drive by a fire |
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| Taking great solace in knowing I’m not the only one 🤣🤣 |
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vegpedlr
Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2014
Posts: 774
Location: TBD
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| Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 11:59 am Post subject: Re: Anyone else think their van is burning when they drive by a fire |
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All the time.
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1985 Tintop 4 sp GW 2.3 “Connie”
2006 Mk V GTI 2.0 FSI “Penelope” |
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Yellow Rabbit
Samba Member
Joined: August 31, 2005
Posts: 1146
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| Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 8:24 pm Post subject: Re: Anyone else think their van is burning when they drive by a fire |
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I used to notice a burning smell every time I got to a stop light a certain distance from my house. I was trying to figure out what it was that heated up at that distance. Eventually my copilot pointed out the Burger King on the corner. Mystery solved.  |
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pbrown
Samba Member
Joined: July 15, 2008
Posts: 443
Location: Seattle, WA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:10 pm Post subject: Re: Anyone else think their van is burning when they drive by a fire |
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Yup. Me too. I have a BlazeCut in the engine and two other extinguishers. I've thought about adding heat sensors to the engine bay or even a camera.
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Patrick Brown
1986 Westy Syncro EJ25
Flickr --> https://flic.kr/s/aHsmQNUXEF |
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