More DIY advice(:

[heavymetaqueen]

This forum is like the Car Dad I never had so I'm gonna squeeze all the advice out that I can! New inspection on the van from someone who works on Vanagons and I got a really thorough breakdown of what it needs. Shoutout to Adam at Hollywood Motors in Brookfield IL! I decided not to attempt to DIY any front end work because I don't have the space, tools, or time being a FT student and working PT, but considering all the great advice I got from y'all under my last post I'm back for more on what I should or shouldn't bother doing myself.


• Coolant Flush $115
• Spark Plugs $125
• Brake fluid flush/change $170
• Oil change $35
• Transmission Flush $121.99



The biggest thing that needs done is the steering rack for $1100 and the shop will definitely do that. Thankfully the van is in overall really good condition! Everything I listed was listed as non-urgent, so their service is dependent on the last time they were serviced.

[campism]

Spark plugs and oil change you can and should do yourself. Ya gotta start someplace. Good luck!
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic

[Californio]

Getting all those fluids changed is a real money saver. If you don't have leaking brake cylinders, consider yourself lucky, and get the brake fluid changed! Spark plugs and oil are easy-peasy and the amount quoted for doing the plugs sounds a bit high to me unless it includes wires, cap, rotor etc. You can do all that yourself. Ask here if you need to know what tools (not many.)

Welcome to Vanagon world! You kind of can't help getting mechanical skills along the way, so if you don't have them already, it's a life-changer.

[heavymetaqueen]

[Mikesarge]

Yep- you can handle the spark plugs and oil change.

Brake fluid isn’t hard to do, but that’s cheap enough I’d consider letting them do it.

Same for the rest. Coolant flush only sucks because disposing of coolant is a PITA, but otherwise it’s as simple as removing a coolant hose, refilling, and bleeding. Lots of hemming and hawing over bleeding coolant systems on this forum, but I have never had trouble with it. YMMV I guess. Search for it and see if you’ve got a stomach for it.

Transmission fluid is a bit of a pain if you don’t have a decent pump, it just takes forever and is awkward, but not difficult or technical. Open the “fill” plug *first* though.

Good luck! Enjoy your van!
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1986 Syncro westfauxlia EJ22
1980 911 SC 3.1

[jimf909]

OP, it looks like you're making good progress. I'll suggest adding your van ifo to your signature. That helps folks see details of the van.

year
model
engine
trans (this is what made me wonder, is it an auto trans flush or a manual?)
etc.

Enjoy the fun!
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- Jim

[DanHoug]

you're on the right track! for $125 clams, absolutely do plugs yourself! you may or may not need this but here's some tips:

- go to a FLAPS (Friendly Local Auto Parts Store) and buy four NGK BP6ET plugs. if they charge you more than $10 each, order them direct from NGK here. it'll take a week to get them but plugs won't be urgent and they'll be about $6 each with shipping. these are a tri-electrode plug and really is the best plug to run.
https://www.ngk.com/ngk-1263-bp6et-multi-ground-spark-plug

- while at the FLAPS, pick up a bottle of anti-seize paste ($8 ) and make sure you have a spark plug socket, 13/16", a short extension, and a ratchet.

- mark your plug wires with masking tape. 1 is passenger side front, 2 is passenger rear, 3 is drivers front, 4 is drivers rear

- i like to remove the plugs with the engine warm, but not hot. softens some of the schmoo around the plug and they can come out easier. if they seem stiff to come out, STOP! change the ratchet to tighten and tighten them slightly and then loosen slightly. you want to keep working back and forth to loosen the threads otherwise you can strip the threads out of the head. take your time. back and forth if they are tight. a spray of penetrating oil can help.

- once the old plugs are out, with the new plugs in hand they won't need to be gapped (if the tri-electrode) but DO put a thin schmear of antiseize on the the plug threads. DO NOT get any beyond the threads or on the electrodes. it is conductive and will short your spark out.

- insert the plugs only by hand and make sure you start them straight and you should get several turns before they start getting stiff to go in.

- finish the plugs with a wrench once your fingers stop being able to turn them. run them down until you feel it contact the head and then go ONLY 1/2 turn more!

- put the plug wires on and congratulate yourself for saving $$! post a picture of the old plugs so we can ooh and aah.

if you still don't know where your oil leaks are coming from, you can buy a vial of the ultraviolet dye for the oil just like the garage would use for about $9 and you need a UV flashlight that you can get on Amazon ($9) or at FLAPS. it works. and you'll have great fun with the UV flashlight finds all sorts of things that glo in the dark.

smart call skipping the front end work yourself.
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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

[Steve M.]

Spark plugs.
A better spark plug then what VW specs for the motor is the NGK BP6ET. The local FLAPS (foreign local auto parts store) near me last week all wanted about $15.00 per plug. Total greed factor- screw them.
You can order them direct from NGK USA for $4.60 each.
https://www.ngk.com/ngk-1263-bp6et-multi-ground-spark-plug

Now therr are two things you need to remember about spark plugs. If you drop one consider it bad. The reason is the white part of the plug is ceramic and there's a good chance if it falls hard it will crack and then the 20,000 volt spark will short out the side and not reach the piston.
This doesn't happen that often anymore. I actually can't remember the last time I heard it happen. If your engine just doesn't run good after you changed the plugs and you dropped one think about this as the problem.

Note: the 20,000 volts will not kill you. It is very, very low Amperage. You will know it if you touch it, but why are you touching it?

The second thing and more common is tightening the spark plug too much and stripping the threads on the cylinder head. The spark plug is steel and the cylinder head is aluminum - steel wins every time!
You need to use a Torque Wrench every time you install spark plugs. 18-21 ft. lbs of torque.
Stripping out the threads in the spark plug hole is a major problem you do not want to experience.
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This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them.

[4Gears4Tires]

I'd do the spark plugs yourself. It's 4 plugs, it's not hard to do, just do them 1 at a time so you don't mix up the wires. It takes less than 10 minutes and $125 is kind of steep for that.

I wouldn't do an oil change myself for $35 if I was already bringing a vehicle in. Bringing the vehicle in is the hassle. $35 for an oil change is a bargain.

Coolant flush, I wouldn't mess with having to bleed the system and $115 isn't bad. Just make sure they are using blue coolant.

Brake fluid, eh, that could certainly go either way. $170 is kind of steep, but it's also your brakes. But... the Vanagon gravity bleeds very easily. I have a power bleeder (vs the foot pump method) and I didn't even use it after reading about gravity bleeds here on the samba. Just open the bleed valve on the caliper, attach a hose, and let it bleed into any catch can like an empty water bottle. Just keep the reservoir topped up and let it drain until it comes out clean. Do it in this order: passenger rear, driver rear, passenger front, driver front. Longest distance of brake line to shortest. If it doesn't gravity bleed, then you most likely have rust in your brake lines and they will need to be replaced. Regular flushing keeps your brake lines rust free because brake fluid is hygroscopic, it will absorb water. The water in the lines reduces brake effectiveness and rusts the lines.

Transmission flush, yeah, hmm. There's a lot of debate about doing a flush vs a standard drain and fill on old transmissions. I think if the oil is still red or reddish, flushes are the way to go. If it's black or close to black, drain and refill and save for a new trans/rebuild.
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'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition

[danfromsyr]

$115 won't be using blue coolant.
and it's really not an issue any longer. all coolant is phosphate free and all type compatible
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[Steve M.]

One thing about changing transmission oil is to make sure you can get the Fill plug out before you drain the oil.
It's awkard when you drain the oil, but cannot get the fill plug out to put oul back in!. It can be a real PITA!

The Fill plug and drain plug needs a 17mm Allen socket to fit them on the manual transmission. (Don't know what the Automatic uses.)
Or you can get creative with a short bolt that takes a 17mm nut.
_________________
This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them.

[Wildthings]

If your coolant is an obvious green color (assuming it was green to start with), you probably do not need to do anything more than drain the system and refill it with fresh 50/50 coolant water mix. Actually if is a nice clear green with zero signs of brown, your could get by with just buying a cooling conditioner like Napacool (from your local NAPA of course) and adding the prescribed dose to the over flow tank. Couldn't hardly be easier.

https://media.napaonline.com/is/image/GenuinePartsCompany/NWMDC?$Product=GenuinePartsCompany/507884

You could instead use Subaru Coolant Conditioner, following the directions on the bottle, this would give your waterboxer gaskets added protection as well as preventing corrosion.

https://www.amazon.com/SUBARU-SOA635071-Coolant-System-Conditioner/dp/B00IGZP2UE

A DIY spark plug change is about $20 plus you need a ratchet, spark plug socket, and extension, and a tube of never-seize.

A brake fluid flush is easy if the bleeders aren't frozen in place but can be a PITA if they are. DIY cost is about $30 including buying the tools to do it.

Don't know what transmission your have so can't recommend much as far as a transmission flush. Need to know if you have an automatic or a manual. They are very different creatures to maintain.

[Steve M.]

Here's something you can try right away
With your doors locked take any key other then your key and ser if you can unlock it.

The Vanagon is 30 yrs. old and the Drivers door lock is probably worn so badly by now that any key that will slide into the lock will open it!

Do not jam a key into the lock, it has to be a key that will easily fit.
Unless the P.O. has replaced the locks with new ones this is almost a given.

This guy here can restore your door locks to new condition:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1267302

It is best to buy an entire lock set in the classified ads and send that to him so he can re-key every lock to the same key. This way you will still have locks on your Vananagon while he re-keys the locks. When you get the new locks replace them and put your old one up for sale in the classifieds.
This is what it cost me a few weeks ago:

Cost is...
$100 match front two front doors, sliding door, hatch, and gas cap
$30 match ignition
$17 first key by code
$21 three Duplicate keys
$15 shipping

$183.00 total

It is super easy to remove and replace the locks. The ignition key is easier then it looks.
_________________
This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them.

[djkeev]

X 2 on the Automatic Transmission oil Flush.

Google it, horror stories of older vehicles needing transmission rebuilds shortly after a flush service will spring from the page.

Open your engine hatch, you will see the transmission dipstick in the left forward corner, have a clean white lint free towel ready, pull the stick out.

It is long and as it exits the fill pipe slip a rag under it to catch drips.

Look at it, don't worry about oil fill level, are the drips on the white rag a deep clear red or an almost cloudy black/ dark maroon?

Smell it, silly I know, but is the smell neutral, lubricant like, pleasant smelling? if oils can smell pleasant.

Or does it smell old, caustic, burnt?

What the oil looks like and smells like is clue #1 to the health of your transmission.
Obviously the blackish foul smelling oil isn't good.

I'm a firm believer in oil changes, the more the better.
You can change your transmission oil though with each change you are only changing a portion of the oil, maybe a third? A lot if oil is trapped in the transmission and torque convertor.
You can loosen the big nut at the bottom of the dipstick tube and drain the oil.
Carefully tighten it back up and refill. I say carefully for it is easy to criss thread that big nut.
For an effective "change" you need to do this three or four times, drive a few days between the changes. By the fourth time you've statistically changed almost all of the oil, a dilution process.

It is best to drop the oil pan on the first change, there is a filter in there plus if you're smart you can "read" the debris on the bottom of the oil pan.
There will always be debris, most is normal, a fine residue, black and gold.
But
Any big chunks of metal or plastic spell big money expense in your future.

Its messy to drop the pan and the new gasket install may cause cussing and swearing. It might leak too..... more cussing and swearing will ensue.

Anyway, Do NOT allow anyone to flush but an oil change, no matter the oil condition, never hurts.

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[djkeev]

Spark plugs are Easy.

Do just one at a time and be careful of wires and boots in the area of each plug.

You need to pull the wire off the end of the plug.
These sometimes hang on tenaciously!
Don't pull the wire itself, grasp the rubber boot that covers the plug diwn near the head.
Grasp firmly and twist left and right as you pull up. It will come, heat seals the boot to the plug. You can buy special pliers to help with this.

Using a spark plug wrench remove the plug, it may be tight to beak loose (lefty Loosey)
It will unscrew, the threads are quite long.

Look at the old and new plugs. The new plug has a nice smooth aluminum top while the old plug just has crusty threads.
Fix this difference by unscrewing the aluminum top. You will pribably need pliers to do this.
Now simply screw in the new plug, BY HAND! Sure, use the plug socket but screw it in quite a ways by your fingers, no wrench. This assures you won't accidentally cross thread it and bugger the threads in the head.

Use the wrench after a bit, once you begin to seat easy rotation with stop. At that point go just a bit more making it snug, not super tight. Tight enough to not fall out but too tight will damage the threads. Maybe 1/4 turn tighter after free spinning stops.

Put the boot back on.
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[Abscate]

Kudos to owning your maintenance !

You don’t need a torque wrench to get started, just some situational awareness about how to tighten fasteners. Beginners tend to overtighten things , worried that they will fall off. Old grouches like Dave know how to get things snug so that the stay without the hassle of breaking things.

You will find those spark plugs will start with fingers only, then need wrist torque until they seat. You just need a nip after that to get them safely secured.

You can also estimate torque with a one foot extension bar more accurately than a short ratchet.
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.ssS!

[djkeev]

[djkeev]

Looking at your list......... Why a new steering rack?

What is the symptom?

If leaking, a rack rebuild kit ism$40 from BusDepot.

Removing the rack isn't hard.
Rebuilding it is just follow directions of which there is a really great "how to" in this forum.
Might take a few days but $1100 ? Really?

Dave
_________________
Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[MarkWard]

On vanagons, I am preforming a compression test for the owner and installing new sparkplugs for the cost of the parts. I have been testing compression on VW's as part of a tune up since 75. All to often, you wouldn't have a smooth idle after a tune up and without knowing the compression is equal, you are just chasing your tail.
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☮️

[mikemtnbike]