Trip Report - I'm goin' to Jackson (WY)

[erste]

Just got back Sunday from a two week trip to Wyoming where I hung out with my mom and brother for a few days.

Backstory:
In mid May my gf rented a cabin near Stinson Beach. Stopped at the locked gate, put in the code, opened the gate, and went to back up. There was nothing. No reverse.

Luckily I could make it through the gate without needing to back up. It was on an incline and I don't think we would have been able to push the van back if we needed to.

I got anxious coasting down this winding one lane road to the cabins because I had no idea if we'd be able to turn around at the bottom.

Everything worked out and we were able to turn around, speed up the hill, and then coast backward into a parking spot and enjoy the weekend.

Cabin was in a great spot.

Next morning I went to see if it was a linkage issue. Put it in what should have been reverse at the transmission and there was nothing, so I was 95% sure it was internal to the trans.

The transmission was rebuilt just about a year ago. My last experience with the shop was a sour one, but it would be under warranty so I made an appointment and had it towed over.

They dragged their feet on it and went back and forth "it's the linkage" ... "it's the trans" ... "it's the linkage" ... After 3-4 weeks they FINALLY pulled it and got it to the rebuilder. I worked with him to tap a port for a transmission cooler setup and to tap the case for a sender. It turns out the circlip holding the reverse gear in place was missing and reverse just fell off...

Good progress, but now it's almost July and I'm wondering if I need to book a plane ticket to go visit my mom and brother in Wyoming, or if I'll still be able to drive. Rebuilder gets it apart and it turns out reverse lost its circlip and fell off.

Pre-Trip Prep:
It's finally ready to pick up on Friday, just two days before I'd planned to drive to Wyoming. Over the weekend I scrambled to get the trans temp gauge hooked up and put all the camping and cooking stuff back in because it all got pulled out so we could camp on the 4th in my gf's jeep because the van wasn't ready.

I wanted to get cruise control working before the trip, so I hooked up vagcom and tried to troubleshoot. It was working for a few months, sometimes intermittently. This time though I couldn't get the brake pedal sensor to register the correct values. Not a big deal, but there's some foreshadowing here.

The plan was that my brother would drive back with me and fly out of SFO, so I packed the ARB room. Here's proof that it fits under the rear seat of a tintop, but barely:

Day 1:
There's really no good time to leave the bay area, except maybe the middle of the night. On Monday I finished packing and waited for traffic to clear. Had some work stuff to deal with and finally rolled out around 2PM. There was the usual traffic up to Vallejo, and then through Davis, but passing through Sacramento before 5 wasn't too bad.

It was probably two hours in when my heart skipped a beat. The engine lost power for a second. Zero boost. This sinking feeling is not a good one to have so early into a LONG drive.

After Sac you start to climb. Over the Sierras and then down into Reno. Transmission temp didn't get over 160°. I pulled into the REI in Reno around 7:15 and bought another camp chair since my last one broke. Spotted a vanagon on their exit door signage. Wouldn't see another one until I got to Jackson.

At this point it seems that the engine has zero boost after an upshift. It takes a second or two and then it starts making boost again. Seems manageable, except that it's happening more and more often.

state of the interior:

What you don't see is that I bought a bunch of felt storage bins from IKEA and the cabinet is more organized than ever. Also, hanging fruit/veg storage is new.

I spent a lot of time in Reno, driving between the auto parts store and the safeway and whole foods and back.

On the last trip to Joshua Tree, the N75 valve failed and we limped home with no boost. That threw a code. No codes this time, so I didn't think it was the same issue, but still - I hopped on ebay and ordered two N75 valves, overnight to Wyoming, just in case, while eating slices of whole foods pizza for dinner. The valves were half the price of what the auto parts stores sell them for, and they can't even get them in a week...

Looked for campsites but there weren't many nearby, so I kept driving. Ended up at Rye Patch Reservoir around midnight. I've stayed here a few times and it's just about the perfect one-day-drive distance from san francisco if you're heading east across Nevada. Plenty of sites, right on the reservoir, and just far enough away from the freeway that you don't hear the trucks drive by.

The moon was nearly full and the sky was clear so I took a few photos.

Kept the itinerary pretty loose on this trip, but I wanted to be in Jackson by the 18th because that's my brother's birthday. This gave me three days, which makes for an easy drive as long as everything goes smoothly.

In the morning I planned to head north into Idaho, but wasn't sure where.

[joetiger]

Great trip so far! Those pictures are beautiful. My wife is hinting that she wants a new camera for her birthday next month; do you mind if I ask what kind you use?
_________________
Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

[thatbaldwinlife]

Great start! Looking forward to reading the rest.
nate
_________________
1987 Westy
Insta: @Thatbaldwinlife
Vanagon Adventure and DIY videos:
That Baldwin Life YouTube Channel

[termuehlen]

Ooooo...heading to Craters of the Moon....I love that place, and then back through Modoc County, yes!
_________________
1988 Westfalia automatic Subaru OBD1
1986 syncro tintop wbx

[vegpedlr]

Jealous. I had hoped to do a couple MTB races in MT and WY linked by Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs. Not this year. Sigh.
_________________
1985 Tintop 4 sp GW 2.3 “Connie”
2006 Mk V GTI 2.0 FSI “Penelope”

[erste]

[B.O.B.Wanders]

Great pictures! I used to know how to take pictures when I was using my old 35mm Olympus OM-1, but now in the age of DSLR's and not-so-bad cell phone cameras, I have completely lost the touch. Point. Click. Repeat.
_________________
83.5 WBX 2WD Assuan Brown Westy, B.O.B.

"It feels good to be lost in the right direction” - unknown

[?Waldo?]

I think it's a Mk3 TDI.

[erste]

Day 2:
I woke up around 8 or 9 and got back on the road. It's always nice when you arrive at a dark, unfamiliar campsite only to wake up to it in the daylight and see how beautiful it is. I'd camped at Rye Patch Res. before, but still had that feeling in the morning.

Somewhere around Lovelock I guess I filled up. 304 miles on the tank, averaged 28.1 mpg.

I think I topped off again in Elko before heading north. 185 miles on the tank - 22.6 mpg average.

I wasn't really looking forward to the drive across Nevada, because I remembered it being kind of desolate and maybe a little boring. I've taken Rte 50 across and that must be why. Either way I headed north at Elko. I remember looking at the map and thinking I needed to pass through Boise, but that was totally wrong.

Route 225 was a long, but very scenic and easy drive. At first I got 'stuck' behind a 5th wheel RV that was struggling up the hills, but then I either passed them or just slowed down to 50-55 and let them get way ahead. Very little traffic on this road, but I was cautious because there wasn't a shoulder for a lot of the way and it didn't seem like the safest place to break down.

I pulled over for lunch at Wild Horse State Rec. Area. Didn't want to pay the day use fee so I just parked and made a sandwich at the entrance. Nice spot.

I take back anything I ever said about driving across Nevada being boring. Northern Nevada is beautiful, and so is Southern Idaho. Wow. This photo right here pretty much sums up my Idaho driving experience, even though it was taken in Nevada:

A windy road that follows a winding river for miles and miles and miles. (Rte 12 I'm looking at you)

I was getting irrationally nervous having only 1/2 a fire extinguisher (and it's a diesel), so I bought another one at the truck stop when I filled up with fuel for a little more piece of mind.

Somewhere just past the NV/ID border there was a fire. I'd seen helicopters a few miles before carrying big water bags. You can just barely see a chopper ready to drop water on the fire in this pic:

Before I bought my vanagon I really wanted a baja bug. Some day I'll be halfway across the country and hopefully find one like this that'll I'll tow home.

I think it was around 4 in the afternoon when I pulled into Mountain Home. It was at that point that I realized Boise was way the hell out of the way and that I'd taken the 'wrong' road north. I don't really believe everything happens for a reason, but I do appreciate those coincidences.

Driving into Mountain Home I saw this big guy hopping into his old Dodge longbed. Looked like he was getting off of work, and I assumed he was a mechanic based on his work shirt and because he was leaving a shop.

Sure enough, he pulls up next to me at the stop light.
"Hey, dude! Your backup lights are on."
"Oh realllyy?? Thanks, man!"

He was right. Backup lights are on when the key is turned, no matter if it's in reverse or not. I swapped wires on the switch, no change. Thought they might have been switched when the trans was installed, but now I realize their position doesn't matter.

Not much else to do except pull the bulbs, top off the oil, and keep driving. Very much appreciate the kindness of strangers and I try to do the same when someone's tires are low or their lights are out even if it falls on deaf ears or gets eye rolls.
This may or may not have been the first time I've seen large, rectangular bails of hay. Before the end of this trip I'd see the truck/machine that bails them like this and that was pretty cool.

Now I'm well into Idaho, and it's nothing short of epic. Tons of campsites, boating, rivers, and just beautiful country. Then I almost hit a deer. Walked right in the damn road and then couldn't decide which way to go. Textbook deer in headlights. Thankfully I stomped the brakes and it made the decision to get out of the road. I was going the speed limit, but slowed down a little bit more after that.

On this trip I really wanted to avoid the super slabs as my brother calls em. I decided in Mountain Home to try to camp at Craters of the Moon NP. There wasn't much else up that way, versus tons of spots along Hwy 84, but it was about to be rush hour and I didn't want to sit in traffic. Not at all.

Filled up with fuel in Fairfield, I think? 256 miles on the tank. Averaged 28.1 mpg again.

Craters of the Moon is wild. It's just lava rock as far as you can see. I pulled into the campground just before sunset and found a nice spot. It was surprisingly full for a Tuesday.

The view from site 33 wasn't bad. Of course if you looked the other way you'd see about 6 vans / RVs. At 9 or 10PM, whenever quiet hours started, the most extraordinary thing happened. Everything got quiet. Not one asshole with a generator still running. It was brilliant. Not many tent campers, mostly people traveling in RVs or pulling small trailers, and all very respectful and presumably well traveled.

When the stars came out I took a few photos.

Sometime in the afternoon I realized that I'd probably make it to Wyoming without a major breakdown, so I was able to relax and let the miles just slide on by. The van was still losing boost for a few seconds, and it was happening quite often, but it was predictable enough that I got comfortable with it.

I expected to climb over a few mountain ranges on this trip, but wasn't sure what to expect on the road into Jackson. Teton pass did not disappoint.

[macjack]

Epic road trip, erste.
Sorry your boost was fluxuating. I'm intrigued as to what it was?
What a beautiful bunch of pictures.
Several years ago I drove through Idaho to Victor from the north on a warped head that kept putting bubbles in the coolant and the coolant temp would creep up. After a nice few days in Jackson, I ended up stopping outside of Rawlins when it got too bad to limp and it became a story my kids told that begins with "remember when we got to ride in the tow truck. . ."
The compromised trips are a bummer, but sounds like you found some peace with it.
Can't wait to see the rest of the posts.
Your interior is looking great, btw.
_________________
87 TDI Syncro Westy
81 Westy (sold)
80 Rabbit Wolfsburg (rolled)
Bike as primary transportation

[erste]

Day 3:
Made coffee and loaded up. Should have at least gone to the visitor center or driven the loop to see more of the park but I just hit the road.

Finally saw a bus! A nice couple from Oregon who rolled down the window and waved.

Beautiful country, and getting much greener as I headed east.

I liked this spot a lot:

I must have filled up somewhere near Victor. 207 miles, 24.4 mpg.

And then, just when I'm thinking everything is going to be okay, there's an 8000' mountain pass to cross. It didn't start off so bad, I just took it slow and kept to the right to let normal cars pass. But then it really starts to climb, and now the boost is cutting out so there are these surges of lost power, or whatever is the opposite of a surge. Over and over and over again. Not cool. This boost issue is the worst it's ever been and I'm mildly stressed out.

It's okay though. Make it to the summit. Pull over to snap a few pictures and then keep going. Except now it's all downhill, and the tight turns mean you can't coast through them. Very, very hard on the brakes. I'm in 2nd and engine braking. Pedal is low and soft at this point. Definitely smelling the brakes. Not totally panicked, but not at all comfortable.

And then, it gets flat again, and I'm in Wilson. Time to buy some beer and let the brakes cool.

Finally saw my first vanagon of the trip:

And then another one at the grocery store in the flex tesla parking.

Sun started to go down and I took some pics.

If you look at the ridge line on the right, there's a streak of light above the trees - that's Teton Pass.

Made it. And slept like a log.

[thatbaldwinlife]

We took the pass from Victor to Jackson last year and oh boy is it steep in both directions! Second gear climb up for sure. Was glad to have the SmallCar big brakes on that descent
nate
_________________
1987 Westy
Insta: @Thatbaldwinlife
Vanagon Adventure and DIY videos:
That Baldwin Life YouTube Channel

[erste]

Day 4:
I had some work stuff to do in the morning but figured I could take a conference call wherever we went to eat. There's a mexican place, think it starts with a P. It wasn't very good - my fish tacos were way overcooked.

I struggled finding wifi that was fast enough for me to upload a 40mb file. All the networks just throttled it down to nothing after the upload started. Same with my hot spot. Very frustrating. Finally we went to the library. The Jackson library is really nice.

My mom drove us into the park. I was working on my laptop trying to finish up one last thing before my hot spot wouldn't work anymore so I didn't even look out the window until we got to a visitor center a ways into the park.

And there was Mamute. @eravirtualexpedition on instagram

On the trip we'd see at least 4 other big 4x4 campers like this, but I think this was the only VW. The rest were MANs.

Quigley got to take a quick dip in the river.

Bunch of idiots standing way too close to a big elk. I think the same day that girl in Yellowstone was thrown by the bison. WTF are people thinking?

Beautiful views from the top of Signal Mountain.

And another nice sunset.

I swapped the N75 valve but it didn't fix the boost issue. Dang.

[erste]

Day 5:
Went to the city center in the morning and my brother did some light shopping.

Then we drove out to a lake. I don't remember where, but it was a little ways out and nice and quiet there. About the only animal that I really wanted to see was a bighorn sheep up on those cliffs, but no luck.

Somewhere along the way we stopped at this cabin that was built for an old western film.

And my mom really wanted to see these old barns. She was looking for some spot that we visited when we were growing up, but this wasn't it.

We took it pretty easy and headed back early. That little BMW my mom has is nice, but it doesn't have a ton of legroom and those long drives were getting a little uncomfortable for me, so it was time to fix the van.

AHU TDI
It used to do this thing where the accelerator pedal would go dead. It would only happen the first time it was pressed, after it was started. Never again until the next off/on cycle of the key/engine.

When I hooked up the cruise control, it fixed that issue. I believe the ECU is looking for an input from the clutch or brake pedal switches. Something like that. So I figured this new issue was probably wiring related. The glow plug light will flash when cruise isn't working correctly. It's been flashing for months.

I was glad to bring the Mk3 bentley on the trip, and my notes from when I installed cruise control. I started by checking for continuity between the wires at T68 ECU and at the pedal switches. All good.

Up front I found that Fuse 8 was blown, maybe it was Fuse 6. I'll have to check my notes. Thought that might be why the reverse lights weren't working correctly, but no dice.

Then I started unwrapping harnesses near the ECU and found a crimp that was probably okay, but didn't look right so I replaced it. This was for the aftermarket VSS that counts CV bolts.

I found a thread on TDI club where a guy (The Alchemist) hooked up cruise without using the switches. I kept the clutch switch since it was working fine and setting the right values in vagcom, but took two wires from the NC / NO brake pedal switch straight to ground. This means the brake pedal switch no longer disables cruise.

There was a bunch of trial and error and test drives. Somewhere along the the way I fixed the boost issue, but then the speedo didn't work... Popped a fuse trying to figure out the wiring and only had one to spare. Luckily got it right the next time, fired it up and went for another drive.

And what do you know? No more boost issue, and the f'ing cruise control works! I fixed it. Drove around for 20 minutes and it was still fixed so I called it good.

My guess is that the brake pedal switch (from a Hyundai) isn't working correctly, because in vagcom it won't register the correct values anymore. I don't know how that would cause the boost issue, but the original dead pedal issue makes me think it's definitely related to the cruise inputs / outputs through the ECU somehow.

This cool old jeep drove by.
Then it started to get dark and we took some photos. There was only about an hour, maybe less, before the nearly full moon would come up over the hills and wash out the stars. Quick and dirty milky way edits. Still don't quite know what I'm doing but it's fun.

I enjoyed spending time with my mom and brother taking photos of the sky. I don't get to see them that often and it was a pretty special part of the trip for me.

[Eric_Taylor]

This is awesome. Really enjoying the trip report, keep it coming!

I went through Mountain Home, up 20 through craters of the moon and over to Jackson on our honeymoon in the 91 Westy. I agree on Craters. That's a nice campground and people are respectful!

Also, Teton Pass in a vanagon is NO JOKE. The downhill basically smoked my brakes too. I had it geared town to 2nd and still basically cooked um. Jesus. Worth it to get to jackson and to have that fun drive.

[danfromsyr]

all the reason vw isvery nearly negligent to not have put ventilated rotors on the vanagons,
we did that pass in 2017, not really noteworthy braking with our upgraded vented front rotors.
I do have to say you should flush/change your brake fluid every 2 years..
risk reduced boiling point temps and a soft pedal if you don't

[Zeitgeist 13]

MAN is a subsidiary of VW
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[erste]

[?Waldo?]

[jackbombay]