The Tour De Brews bus needs some love

richparker

Two days ago I get a text from my buddy Eugene. He he the local music promoter and the owner of Tour De Brews. Which is a local service that will take you on a brewery tour in his '79 bus. It's like $80/person he'll pick you up drive you to each brewery where you get a free sampler flight and an hour to spent at each brewery, there are 5 in our small town. Any way her asks me to call him, I do and... his bus is broken. There is a auto repair shop here that works on T4s but he isn't happy with them. They aren't specialists, they just have an old mechanic that was wrenching in he late '70s. So he knows T4s. I only know 1 guy in my area with a T4, I don't have is number and he got his engine from Adrian. I called around to my VW buddies and no one knows of a T4 guy in my area. He is headed out of town so I told him to drop it off and I'd look at it.

Knowing little about T4s I'm turning to you guys for help.

It starts but sounds horrible, maybe a huge exhaust leak. After starting (and sounding like shit) it idles really high and dies. Help please....

'79
2L w/fuel injection
Factory a/c that has been mostly removed.

Thanks
Rich P.

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richparker · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 12:41 pm Post subject:

Pics of the engine

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airschooled · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 12:53 pm Post subject:

That's a tough one. The pics look like they were taken on a smart phone; any chance you could upload a video of it happeneing?

Was this a sudden onset problem, or a gradual change?
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Brian · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 12:53 pm Post subject:

This bus needs to be back up and running, aqap. He is doing work for the greater good of mankind he is.
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Wildthings · Samba Member Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 50348

Is it a mechanical noise like the engine is beating itself to death, or is it a noise from a bad miss or something? The exhaust may certainly have worked its way loose, if so you may be able to get by with just tightening the exhaust flange nuts.

richparker · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 1:22 pm Post subject:

Don't know how to post videos, guess I'm gonna learn that too. I gotta bust out the Bentley.

There is a very loud pop (kinda like a carb pop or back fire) before it turns over, when it does it the idle is crazy high. Is does sound smooth not mechanical. It was 1.5 qts low on oil, less knocky now.
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airschooled · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 1:24 pm Post subject:

Reconnect that brake booster pipe to the wye off the intake plenum.

Rich and I don't have to deal with such silliness. Cool

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airschooled · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 1:52 pm Post subject:

On second thought, I'm not 100% sure the booster hose goes into a Y at the plenum on a '79. I know it does get full manifold vacuum, so look for an open port near or on the plenum.
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richparker · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 2:03 pm Post subject:

I found a port for it to plug into. Seems kinda loose could use some silicone to hold it in place. So it started and ran fine. The check valve started to wine a bit. I took it for a ride, the engine was knocking kinda loud (to me anyway). Drive around for a bit, cruised past my buddies house and they were buttoning up their rebuild a 1600 for his sons 67 bus. They liked the visit. As the engine heated up the knocking was not as loud. Who knows? This thing is kinda a hoopty. Gas pedal is super stiff, shifter is metal to metal, the clutch is all the way at the top, the brakes are to the floor, the shocks are shot and it has P tires on it. Smile

. I will adjust most of this while I have it at my house. I see lots of free VIP concert tickets in my future. Dancing

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busdaddy · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 2:28 pm Post subject:

Banjoben · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 2:41 pm Post subject:

$80 a person to ride around in a clapped out Bus?! I live in a very scenic region with lots of wineries and breweries... I'm starting to get ideas!!!! How good is his business?
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Tcash · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 3:45 pm Post subject:

It goes to the Plenum. Can't find a pic of a 79. These will give you the idea.

Wildthings · Samba Member Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 50348

Try and get good fits on the vacuum lines without using silicone. Use clamps at a minimum and new parts were they can be had.

The noise sounds like it is probably dirty hydraulic lifters that will not pump up easily and stay pumped up. Dump in a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil and run it with that way for at least a 100 miles, maybe more. When you do the next oil change use a wide range synthetic like 5w40 or 5w50. They will help the lifter pump up when the oil is cold and keep the engine cleaner inside.

richparker · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 6:29 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the input and the diagram. I found a empty quart of 20/50, I'm guessing he's using that weight, should he be using something less thick as wildthings stated? Can I just change he the oil to a lesser weight or does he need to run the MMO for 100 miles first. I'm guessing I need to empty a qt or oil to compensate for the MMO.

What about the check valve humming? I bet it shouldn't make that noise.

I worked on the gas pedal linkage, took it apart and greased everything. The cable is the problem not the pedal, should be replaced but I'll lube it for now. I'm gonna say the clutch is done, the adjustment feels ok, I guess, and it's at the top when it releases.

BD, my wife said the same thing. If I spend money on parts, I'll expect money. I'll trade concert tickets for my labor, unless the hours get out of hand.
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busdaddy · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 6:41 pm Post subject:

richparker · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 6:47 pm Post subject:

aerosurfer · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 6:53 pm Post subject:

richparker · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 7:09 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the tip on the brakes. My time to work on it is limited to when my son is naping, so that's like 3-4 hrs in the middle of the day. Tomorrow I will pull the throttle cable, blow out the tube with the compressor, grease and reinstall the cable. I'll adjust the rear brakes, the parking brake and the shift rod linkage.

I just checked the oil and it looks ok. But I think it's b/c I added 1.5 qts to make it full. It needs an oil change.
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busdaddy · Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 8:55 pm Post subject:

Pull the drums before adjusting, it's super easy on a small 5 bay and you can see if there's any lining left and free up the adjusters before blindly stabbing at them through those usually oblonged holes in the backing plates.
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richparker · Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2015 8:41 pm Post subject:

I spent some time under the bus today. I changed the oil, filter and air filter. I pulled the throttle cable out, cleaned the tube out with the compressor and greased the cable when I reinstalled it. I also greased the pedal linkage. The pedal feels great now. Some one had done some welding on the front of the shift Rod. Not sure why but it's done and works ok. I worked grease into the front of the shift rod, it was dry as a bone. It is shifting a lot smoother now. The coupler is in great shape, I was suprised. I lubed all the doors, hinges and greased the slider tracks. I installed some interior trim that had fallen off and aired up the tires. The rear brakes were out of adjustment. The stars were tight but I was able to get them to move. The brakes are better but the pedal is still low. Then I adjusted the ebrake, it was crazy loose.

I'm gonna pull the door panels off and fix the vinal that is falling off. It needs interior door handles, and door handle trim. I think I have the bus for another week or so. Thanks for the help guys.
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