Vanagon maintenance (1983-2011)

[vanagonjr]

I just did. 2nd time. I have this thread printed out.
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John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed
LiMBO (late model bus club) www.limbobus.org
LiMBO is on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/
FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798

[epowell]

I found this thread and have begun to study it­­. . . it has shaken up many of my preconcieved notions about what T3 maintenance is all about. I will just list some of my observations and questions in random order:

1. I have always thought that the ultimate prudent maintenance duty would be to rebuild the engine, and while Ben strongly suggests just to simply REPLACE THE ENTIRE HEAD, he says just to leave the PISTONS alone (as long as the van is not losing a lot of oil). Interesting because from what I understand, other than the HEAD, an engine rebuild is essentially about replacing the pistons, machining the block, and perhaps doing something about the crank. I have heard it said that one of the most common causes for engine failure is cracked off pieces from the HEAD (pre-chambers?) falling into the cylinders --- so for this reason it seems wise to change an old head. For what other reasons would replacing the head have so much more priority over replacing the pistons?

2. Nice to hear that Ben considers the general suspension to be somewhat indestructable (he didn't say that it would guarantee a SMOOTH RIDE but seemed to hint that the suspension should last for ages..... it is true that in all my long ago years of T2 experience driving all over Hell's half-acre (and not knowing the first thing about maintenance) I never ever had a single issue with suspension or steering. For that matter I never had any issue with transmissions, which brings me to my next point.

3. Nobody so far on this thread has said anything whatsoever about trannies..... can it also be assumed that T3 GEARBOXES are built to last, or at least that they give AMPLE WARNING before quitting?

4. Seems that COOLANT ISSUES are perhaps the NUMBER ONE and most common bummer with T3s, correct?

5. This thread seems exclusively concerned with gas engines - would anyone modify of add to the list for diesels?

6. Ben suggests replacing the entire fuel tank (even it not leaking I presume) if it is original. Because it is the "cause of so many problems" ---- what problems are those, and why is the fuel tank so important? Dirty fuel? Is there not a way to clean the inside?







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www.edwardpowell.com

[ledogboy]

[epowell]

[epowell]

[Ahwahnee]

[epowell]

[JustsomeKentuck]

Thanks for the thread. Bookmarked!

But I have a question that I've been searching theSamba.com for and haven't found, or possibly missed...

What coolant should I be using in my 83.5 VanagonL. And what oil, while I'm asking.

My Van arrives next week (first one!) and I need to give her a good once over (as good as I can as a Master Plumber and not a Mechanic) before I put too many miles on her. I'm scared to drive her much at all before I replace the fuel lines, and even though working on your vehicle is not allowed in the parking lot of my apartment complex, I'm figuring I'll do the fuel lines myself. The sooner the better.
But I want to be judicious about my coolant and oil levels until I get to know her engine and I don't have the liquids on hand yet.

Can someone tell me what I need, and also point me in the right direction in regards to threads for a beginner.

Thanks all.

Roman

[seabright_sc]

Coolant- Anything Phosphate free. Many vanagon owners use Sierra.
Oil. Some go synthetic. I, and many others, been running Castrol 20/50.
Enjoy the ride.

[JustsomeKentuck]

[dhaavers]

[Merian]

[JustsomeKentuck]

[JustsomeKentuck]

[JustsomeKentuck]

[JustsomeKentuck]

Looks like the GoWesty fuel line replacement kit only comes with two removable hose clamps...