Help! Inherited Grandma's Westy - overwhelmed by work

[jberger]

[Mara'sMagic]

[AZ Landshaper]

x5 those prices are crazy California high.

You might just want to sell that rig.

Cash in hand or a van in the drive.
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85 Weekender w/ EJ22
Previously
64, 71, 72, 73, 76, 81, 84, 85 & 87 Campmobiles and Westfalias
and a 67 bug.

[82westyrabbit]

All of this is standard for a new to you old vehicle. The fuel lines should probably be done before the van is drivin. That’s a good first project if you want to do some of the work your self if you are happy after doing that you could probably do the belts and a new alternator as well. The tires should probably get done right away as well. The lights that don’t work are also easy work but takes a certain amount of know how you may or may not have. The front end sounds like it needs to be rebuilt. That is a job for a professional or a well equipped hobbyist. I did mine about a year ago there are some good threads on people who have done that job. The cooling system is again a big job that Is not a first time project. The camper stuff can certainly wait. Good luck these van are a adventure to be enjoyed. John

[82westyrabbit]

Wow a hole page of answers came in the time I was typing. John

[Mara'sMagic]

[Wildthings]

[levi]

[Wellington]

The only difficult job on that list is the lower ball joints.
Everything else, you got the support right here to help you out.
Start searching.
Between the spark plugs and the arial, if it took you two hours to do both, you would be slow, and that is $550, back in your pocket after you purchase the parts.
Are they hoping you will say, "that's a lot of money for such an old vehicle, I can't spend that" and then they turn around and offer you $500 for it?

[82westyrabbit]

Replacing the ball joints and changing all the bushings is rebuilding the front end. Just different words to say the same thing. With that being said it doesn’t sound to me like that or the cooling system need to done before you can have some fun with the van. If you want the van it will probably require doing some small jobs your self and paying to have some larger job done. There is a lot of knowledge here to help you figure out what jobs to do your self and what jobs not to. John

[Abscate]

On a fairly tight time budget you should get Stu in asap. You don't need to do all that stuff to get a driveway runner , but you need to run the van at least monthly, keep battery on trickle charger, etc. set up some one to drive it once in a while, just up and down the street.

For a driveway runner, the fuel lines are the only thing that need doing.

Have fun and thank you in Advance for your service. You do more to prevent wars than many other arms of the Government. Senegal and Angola in the 1970s,80s. Interesting times
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[DanHoug]

that list is a very thorough tally of the vehicle. useful to you. some of the prices are crazy, some are okay. you're getting valid feedback on which is which.

to address your original questions...
"Right now my main focus: 1. Fuel Lines. 2. Diagnose oil leaks. 3. Alternator & belts. 4. Diagnose coolant leaks. 5. Diagnose why pump & hose are covered with fluid for power steering. 6. Diagnose foamy gear oil "

1. fuel lines. yes, they have to be replaced. if you simply can't do it, then pay someone, it is worth it.

2. oil leaks may or may not be serious. usually, they can be lived with given attention to fluid levels.

3. Alternator and belts is something you just have to know how to switch yourself and it is fairly easy with simple tools. Huge savings DIY here.

4. coolant leaks. could be major head issues or simply tightening a hose clamp. spend time under the van and determine where they are coming from yourself.

5. power steering pump and hoses are just about ALWAYS covered with power steering fluid. spend some time with a stiff brush, a can of Gunk engine cleaner, and a hose with hot water. easy to keep clean once they ARE clean.

6. foamy gear oil. if a manual trans, could simply be you need a gear oil change because after sitting a long time, the transmission can reflux moisture inside from the air. if an automatic, there is an oil cooler that could possibly be leaking antifreeze into the trans. need more info from you on this.
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-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com

[oceanair]

Ok, my 2 cents...

You got this van for free -- it has obviously been neglected when it comes to maintenance for a really long time. You I assume have little experience working on your van.

If you want to start off with a reliable machine that has had all of the big jobs done by professionals, so you can enjoy it and assuming it has no rust issues. Talk to Buslab, see if you can negotiate a price and go for it. Enjoy your family's van.

Then learn where you are s=comfortable with maintenance, what you have time to do. This is a site of folks who pull wrenches, and do some very big jobs and call it easy. It's never east, thing break, leak and you will bleed.

I haven't done the math, but we all paid for our vans, yours is free and an excellent shop such as Buslab will charge a premium, but you will drive away with jobs that have the correct and best quality parts and will be well done. So yes it will cost many thousands, but you will have a van!

That's what I would consider. Maybe someone in the family will give you an interest free load or a line of credit and pay it down a few hundred dollars a month.

Anyways... that van needs a lot of work.
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84 Vanagon Pop Top Conversion from Tin Top, 1970 Ghia - all sweet rides! Love em!
Previous: Green 72 Tin Top, White 72 Westy, Blue 64 Beetle, Yellow 71 Squareback, 2014 Jetta TDI Wagon - wish I could have them all back!

[shagginwagon83]

I'm telling you OP, just dive in. There are so many resources available. If you run into a problem during a repair, we are here to assist. If you learn how to post pictures/videos, then you're in better shape. This forum is super active.

Here's a great example of someone having a problem and posting a photo. 10 minutes later he had a response and a solution.

Also - it should be noted that repairs are not going to last 30+ years. The quality of aftermarket parts are not comparable to original. This is why its important to do your research. Almost all of my parts are bought from van parts dealers. There are several brand lower ball joints out there, but you want MOOG or Lemforder for the lower ball joints. For the upper, you would assume same thing right? Wrong. Lemforder upper ball joints are now made in china. You only want Moog for the uppers.

You may not do the repair 100% right the first time. But you can repeat the repair and learn from your mistakes.

If you do the repair now, you'll know how to do it later down the road in case of an emergency. I feel like if you start having the shop do 'basic' work, you're going to be constantly reliant on that shop doing repairs, and you'll be discouraged about how much money, time, and how often you're in the shop.

That being said, I'll gladly pay good money for any engine or tranny work.
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Brandon
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram @joannthevan

[dobryan]

[Wildthings]

Just for comparison, I let my daughter use my van for several years in another part of the country. Before driving it back home she took it in and had it evaluated. The "needed" work came to $8000. We decided that one item should be done before she hit the road because of the age and mileage of the part and that the other items could be wait until she got it home. On my own evaluation I did a couple more of the items and and put the others on the back burner. I doubt that with my only putting 5000 miles or so a year on the van that many of them will ever get done.

[Stuartzickefoose]

[Mara'sMagic]

You're all kinda awesome, just FYI.

Really valuable advice all around. I think the move for me right now is to take care of these safety items so that it's easy for the van to be started occasionally while I'm gone and driven a bit. I'm also definitely going to try to look this thing over with Stu!

So, i'm going to dive into the fuel lines first. Before making this post, that was my plan anyways. What I'm wondering, is if the kit I have is sufficient. I had ordered this kit: https://www.vanagain.com/shop/fuel-line-replacement-kit-for-all-non-diesel-vanagons.

I noticed that another kit someone linked for me had a couple of different size lines, but this one only has the 7mm lines. Just wondering if I should instead grab a different kit? I think I need to do all lines, including those under the van.

Next, I'll tackle the alternator and belts, seems like that should be manageable as well.

[dobryan]

Give Ken a call and explain what you want to do and he'd be glad to talk about the scope of the kit you bought. Ken is a great guy and always willing to help.
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[shagginwagon83]

That kit should work. FYI Van-Cafe is my go to vendor. They give you free cookies with almost every order! Fast and reasonable priced shipping!

While you can replace the 'hard' fuel lines, some people don't. Most of the hard lines are not in the engine bay. Should they leak, I don't think it would be a big deal. However I maybe wrong on this! I have not replaced mine yet, but it's on my to-do list and the lines are on my shelf.

https://www.vancafe.com/VC85TUNEUPKIT-p/vc85tuneupkit.htm
https://www.vancafe.com/VCEARLYFFUPKIT-p/vcearlyffupkit.htm
https://www.vancafe.com/VCfuellinereplacementkit-p/vcfuellinereplacementkit.htm

If you are replacing alternator, consider getting this. The alternator on the block was a bad design.

https://www.vancafe.com/VCALTBRACKETFIX-p/vcaltbracketfix.htm
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Brandon
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram @joannthevan