oil filler tube extension

[Wildthings]

You people are scaring me. If may be nerdish, but I always pick up the manual when I buy a car and read it. Boring as H&%%, but sometimes you learn something important. Various manuals I have read over the years have had seemingly mundane, but none the less useful info. Like where to put the oil or which is the cheapest window to break out if you lock your keys inside.

Check for manuals on eBay and when you go to a wrecking yard looking for parts, just check the glove boxes to see what is hid in there.

[Dogpilot]

Wildtings,
Reading the manual is not nerdy, got to do it all the time on aircraft. Seriously, do you read what must be, like 25 pages of legal notices. Does anybody read that? Of course now in new cars the section, or frequently a separate book, on the entertainment system is larger than the vehicle portion. The maintenance part get smaller every year.

Hiram, don't feel bad. I found mine the same way, stuck funnel. Luckily, it was on the trip home from purchase.
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Geology with a Syncro rocks!
86 Syncro Westy AKA "The Bughunter"
98 Disco I
08 Range Rover SC
08 VW Rabbit S
1951 O-1G

[hiram6]

Usually I do read the owners manuals when I get a new car. My Passat wagon's manual is kind of infamous for it's grammar mistakes.

Maybe I'll break down and buy one of the reprints for my Westy. Anyone out there got one of the originals for an 85 they want to part with?

Wildthing, not sure where you are located, but I've never been lucky enough to find a Vanagon in a boneyard anywhere near here. Here being the Atlanta area.
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1985 Westy, 1.9L automatic (Daisy)
1996 Mazda Miata
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited

You can't lie around on the beach and drink rum all day.................unless you start first thing in the morning.

[mr_vanagon]

What I never understood was why they bothered to make the fill neck extension but made it still 2" too short to pour a quart of oil into without spilling it half the time. If the tube were just a little longer, there would be no need to use a funnel.

Am I the only one who figured out that a 1/2 inch craftsman ratchet is exactly the right length and weight to hold the license plate door open (while I'm pouring in the oil) when placed on the door perpendicular to the bumper?
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'68 Autostick Bug Mom bought new
'89 Tintop Vanagon Dad bought new

[Wildthings]

[snowesty]

Yep, either cap'll do. Figured that one out all on my own I'm so proud...
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Fritz - '86 Syncro Tintop, Camper interior
Toaster - '91 Multivan Westy, 4sp.

[riceye]

[zuhandenheit]

Damn! I discovered this just now, thanks to this thread!

I was sort of skeptical . . . like "well, maybe they didn't put one of those on the diesels. I don't think mine does that."

But it does!

Hopefully I can stop carrying around my cruddy oil funnel now.

BTW, that's one year of ownership it took me to learn this. And no, I damn sure didn't get any owner's manual. The PO probably traded it for velcro strips.

[pete000]

I had no idea !

And I have owned two Vanagons...
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1990 Vanagon RS 2.1
1967 Deluxe 21 window
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Koni Shocks
H & R Red Springs
Addco Sway Bars Front-Rear
18 X 7.5 and 18 X 8 OEM Porsche Wheels
Recaro Power-Heated seats

[hiram6]

As for propping the door open, that I did have figured out. I used to use one of the caps, as some have recommended above. Here's why I no longer do that.

If you are as clumsy as me, you'll eventually drop the cap in between the license plate door and the van body. On my van, there's just enough of a gap between my bumper and the body for that cap to continue falling into the back of the bumper. It's then a pain in the butt to work it over to one of the gaps big enough to fish it out of the bottom.

So, I took a wooden paint stir-stick, cut it to the right length to go between the top lip of the license plate door, and the lip under where the rear hatch closes (with license plate door open). Had to cut about an inch off. Then I put a strip of magnetic tape on the back of it. It stores perfectly on the back of the license plate door.

I used a wood stir stick with the idea that if it ever dislodged and got into the belts, it would just get destroyed, and not shred my belts.
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1985 Westy, 1.9L automatic (Daisy)
1996 Mazda Miata
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited

You can't lie around on the beach and drink rum all day.................unless you start first thing in the morning.

[airkooledchris]

kinda like being stranded without your gas cap key for the first time and finally realizing it opens just as well with a flathead screwdriver.

[spitsnrovers]

Hey Hiram6, love your idea of using the magnetized stick.

I, too, after losing the oil filler cap into the bumper for at least the 3rd time was wondering what the H to do instead. I'll get the stick and hacksaw right now.

[Volksbulli]

geeze you folks aren't observant at all!! My 82 came with its manual in cherry condition. I think I read about it there first. Occasionally the extension gets stuck to the cap and slides out. I use the oil cap to prop the door open and never lost the cap in the bumper. It still sucks tho cause I carry the one gallon oil jug with me and it still requires use of the funnel if you don't want a mess.
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It's a Volkswagen Thing, Even I Don't Understand!(o\|/o)
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82' A/C Westfalia
67' Typ 1
96' Golf GL

[parishollow]

Guess I wasn't the only to learn of this today!
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Andrew
84 Vanagon Westy 1.9, now a 2.1

[PDXWesty]

I had absolutely no idea. I think that's now my new favorite feature on my van.

[hiram6]

See, see, I knew I wasn't alone on this!!!!!


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1985 Westy, 1.9L automatic (Daisy)
1996 Mazda Miata
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited

You can't lie around on the beach and drink rum all day.................unless you start first thing in the morning.

[87Enterprise]

You guys, When i first got my 81 Vanagon the kid at the gas station tried to fill the gas tank, thru the oil filler, because that how to fill the tank on a GM, Ford,????

[ddonnell]

Sadly,

I learned of this last night after, oh say, half a dozen oil changes........

[foodeater]

I've had the gas station attendants lookin around back there for somewhere to put the gas in a couple of times too. I usually jump out if they linger back there for too long.
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89 Bluestar-2.5 Subaru Powered-RIP
'84 Westy Tiico-daily driver-sold
'82 Caddy diesel-sold
'87 Vanagon Syncro-RIP
'81 diesel rabbit-sold
'82 Vanagon auto-RIP

[FNGRUVN]

This might be a good time to point out the rear seat prop rod or has that been discovered already.