What did YOU do to your van today?

[djkeev]

Good job!

Without the distributed installed, count yourself lucky that the distributor drive gear didn’t rise and get chewed up!

Hate to tell you this but you’ve only just begun on the Westy owners journey…….
These were just beginners hours.

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[Robsmaze]

Dave,
I know I got lucky with that distributor!! And thanks for the kind words - as you said the journey has just begun!! Got it driving and the old rusty power steering lines blew out all over the driveway (at least thats an easy fix!!) I'm also pretty confident I have a leaking rear main seal. I was hoping to not have to drop the engine, but I think more and more that might be the winter project. I just worry that once I get deep into the engine I am going to run into a road block in my levels of competence!!!

Nothing to do but order more parts and wade in I guess. luckily, if it goes to far south there is a guy a couple towns over who regularly works on vanagons, so I can always throw money at my incompetence!!!

[campism]

[jlrftype7]

Changed Oil and Filter- Washed and Waxed in prep for coming Winter Months-Installed a newer Automatic Shifter Handle to replace the fairly worn one my Vanagon had. It's black and not brown, but it works well and looks brand new really...
Need to test the Battery this afternoon to get a baseline reading of its health since it's from Late 2018 on the install date. No issues with cranking, but it's time to see where it's at with a Load Test.
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'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto

[Vanlife Geek]

Trapped the third mouse living in my van. Got two yesterday and the third overnight. I hope that's the last of them! I picked up these stowaways while dispersed camping over the last three weeks and have listened to them scurry about and chewing on stuff. Hopefully no real damage has been done. I didn't have any way to catch them while camping, but got some traps as soon as I could when I got back to a town.

They were ninja-like for the first two days, eating the bait without triggering the trap, but I found if I loaded the traps up with peanut butter, they would squirm around trying to get it all and they finally started tripping the traps. I have no idea how they got in the van, but I'll always carry the traps for future intrusions. Little bastards!

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Vanlife Geek
Current:
1986 Syncro Westy
Previous:
1983 Westy
1981 Westy
1972 Bug (Last year you could buy a new one for under $2,000)
1965/66 Bug (2 bugs from a junk yard combined to make 1 functional bug)
1959 Bug (Pre Gas Gauge Era)

[brickster]

We had evidence of (but no sign of) mice in our new to us van. No sign of anyone hanging around, but I will still occasionally find signs that I hadn't seen before: a wire chewed on, seeds, poop, etc.

Here's a thread that specifically looks at how they enter and some ideas on preventing that:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=432326&postorder=asc

[jcannon]

A day ago my wife and I returned from our first week long trip of 2627 miles. We did not break down but a few irritating things reared their head and said fix me. Today I got the worst three. I made sure to do attend to them right away so they I don't find them again on the next trip.

First: I fixed a leaking tranny side seal. It left it's first stain a week before we left. Our route took us by Mr. Gas so I picked up the requisite seals, o-rings, caps, and speedy-sleeves. Having the parts is half the battle. We did not lose enough fluid to require fixing on the road. Mr. Gas is now in Canon City CO. I had not seen the new place, and I really like it.

Second: The front blower switch failed. One had to press on the knob to get the blower to blow. As soon as the finger pressure is removed, no blower. This was not an issue until we hit a surprise snowstorm on Wolf Creek pass. It required both hands on the wheel as the pass had not been plowed yet. The van is a syncro. The old 2wd Westy would never have made it. I'm about the only one who did and it looked like they closed the pass until it was plowed and the spinouts were cleared. We were totally encrusted with ice and had to keep stopping to clear the windshield. I wanted to keep the original switch and found the blower switch comes apart. A contact wiper was sticking due to wear on a little plastic shaft. A bit of patience with a file and it works! Not quite like new, but the switch works!

Third: The van has a "hard start" relay. I thought it was fixed..... The relay disagreed. Every third time we stopped, no starter. Unload the back, wiggle the wires, start the car, then reload it without shutting it off. I got to do that twice in the unexpected snowstorm. The darn thing had a fuse I hadn't noticed. The PO left it unprotected from weather.

Fourth: Since some had leaked out, I changed the tranny oil.

I add that I "Think" they are fixed. A bit of time will tell. Despite the issues, my wife wants to take a 5000 mile trip this summer.

I live in Colorado where passes and snow are part of life. I never want to go over a pass in those conditions again, syncro or not.

[jlrftype7]

[Vanlife Geek]

[happy2CU]

You guys need more cats in your life

[Vanlife Geek]

[bobbyblack]

Had a chance to assess the '86 tintop front brake line leak.. If it had been JUST the short hard-line from caliper to flexible I would have dug in. But alas, noticed the bleeder on the G60 is broken off, obvious its going to be a bigger struggle than I'd hoped.
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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

[djkeev]

[happy2CU]

made some progress on my solar install

[Robsmaze]

Well, I finally have my little blue beast running (thanks in large part to all the posters here!) and was running it around town to see what needed to be fixed next. I had just finished replacing power steering hoses and while at it used the fuel tank reseal kit from VC. But every time I stopped somewhere I kept smelling a little bit of gas.

I figured I must not have gotten one of the crossover vent plugs all the way in or had a small leak on one of the hose clamps I used during the fuel tank reseal. That wouldn’t be too big of a deal - the fuel tank was far from the engine, I could make it home no problem….

When I got home the girlfriend hopped out and said - “Woah - that’s a big leak!” Ran around to the engine and fuel was pouring out! The hose crimp (from the factory on the injector side) on my brand new Bosch fuel injectors was totally loose and gas was pouring out of it.

Luckily, that was not the end of the van - although I imagine I was one little bit of hot exhaust away from a really bad engine fire. All the fuel injectors now have the nice FI clamps on BOTH ends, not just the fuel rail side. And hopefully I wont be running around stinking like gasoline going forward…
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‘87 2WD 2.1L Westy
‘87 2WD 1.7L Diesel Doka (euro spec)

[Mckinleyvillian]

I've been on vanagon hiatus since the start of grad school and this new job, which coincided with a bad case of the Delta, which followed a hairline crack in the head due to PO drilling in a stupidly large exhaust stud that ended up also snapping when I was replacing the stupid no-cat EMPI dual exhaust. When the head cracked, before starting to replace it, I was directed to run a compression test and found pretty low compression in driver side front. Figured it was a wrap and we'd be swapping the engine. Wasn't too bummed because I've got a spare 1.9 with only 30k on the bottom end. Then, like I said, school/new job started, oh yeah, the clutch on my Subaru sh*t the bed, I got a bad case of covid, etc, so doing anything other than sitting in my parked van has been a no go since the end of August. Figured the engine swap could happen in December at the earliest.

Well, I had a free day and went over my buddy's house to check up on his synchro electric conversion. It's coming along nicely, I might add. This dude is siiiiiick. Talking about my van's low compression, he offered to come over and teach me a valve adjustment. Whattya know, we got damn good compression in all cylinders now. For the time, all we've gotta do is swap that head Might be able to get it done this coming Friday/Saturday and I can take my gal camping next weekend.
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so many roads i know
all i want is one to take me home

85 Vanagon GL 1.9 stick

[Robsmaze]

Nice work! Now tell more about the electric syncro conversion!!!!

[Mckinleyvillian]

[bobbyblack]

Developed a hunting idle, figured I have a vacuum leak. Got out my smoke machine, I seem to have a little leak through my cruise control vacuum canister relief valve. I have not used my CC much.. maybe that is why it just "lets loose" when going along .. never has worked other than at about 58-59 mph.

Anyway, I need to find a decent "plug" for the AFM hole. Anyone know of a good match for a plug the size of the AFM when its taken out of the engine area?
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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

[Bleyseng]

Drained the front diff finally after driving for 30 minutes on the freeway. Put 1.5L of Swepco 201 in just like the transmission has in it. Installed a new headlight switch as the on/off dash lights was not fun.
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70 Ghia Black convert-9/69 build date-stock w/133k 1600 SP-barn find now with a rebuilt tranny and engine
77 Westy 2.0L w/Ljet, Camper Special engine-95hp and with LSD!(sold)
76 Porsche 914 2.1L L20c, 120hp Djet (sold)
87 Syncro Westy Titan Red 2.1L 2 knob 100k miles