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dabaron Samba Member
Joined: June 21, 2018 Posts: 2558 Location: Philly, mang
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Posted: Thu May 06, 2021 8:17 am Post subject: Re: What to do first? |
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Corwyn wrote: |
This early in your ownership, after you replace the fuel lines, just drive it until something breaks, replace it and move on. Proactive preventive maintenance will bankrupt you. |
i completely disagree with is idea. sure you can have a rolling restoration like i have, but before i drove this around, i made it SAFE. if you can't afford to do the needed work to make it safe, clean, and fun... maybe you shouldn't own it?
imagine driving down a massive hill and the brakes fail because you couldn't afford the preventative maintenance and you kill someone. imagine you lose control because the cost to replace a ball joint was too expensive and you kill someone. that is very different than "i have a leak in the coolant system, i'll deal with it later"
VOG is filled with people making very poor money decisions with respect to safety and long term reliability. brakes are more important than solar panels. failed bearings trump leather tool holders. _________________ 1991 Vanagon GL Camper
i had no idea i wanted to be a mechanic
"burnin oil and cookin coils" -- Destructo
BiWerks Design, LLC |
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korfmach Samba Member
Joined: February 28, 2014 Posts: 247 Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Posted: Thu May 06, 2021 1:15 pm Post subject: Re: What to do first? |
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I agree with the idea that safety issues take priority over those related to inconvenience. You can survive an engine failure, but you or others may not survive loss of control of the van. Having now spent almost two years going through a "good condition" van that I purchased, I'd promote this priority list:
*Replace most of the fuel lines if they haven't been already.
*Closely inspect the entire braking system. If you don't feel qualified, have a good brake shop check it out. Killing yourself or someone else because the brakes failed is an unforgivable moral failure. Really.
*Likewise front suspension/steering. You might not have to replace a thing, but ensuring the functionality of both of these systems is safety-critical to you, roadside animals and your fellow humans.
*Besides the usual electrical grounds, go through the exterior lighting and polish any electrical contacts (especially in the taillights) and make sure ALL the lights work. The stock headlights suck; upgrade the whole headlight system or do what I did, which is purchase the headlight relay kit and install 100W bulbs. I once walloped two Black Angus steers in the pitch dark of a Utah night because the headlights of my (employer-provided) truck weren't any good. It didn't do the cattle any good (both were put down) and it nearly killed me! Headlights are your friends in safety.
*Make sure the tires have good tread and a load rating appropriate to a Vanagon.
THEN move on to the inconvenience-related stuff:
*Check all the engine sensors and their electrical connections to the ECU, and have a close look at all the ignition components (Hall sensor, distributor cap/rotor, spark plugs and wires, coil, and the connections between the ECU and the Hall sender and coil.
*Have a good look at the rubber and plastic parts of the cooling system. The OEM bits are sturdier than you might expect from reading stuff on here, but they are 30+ year old bits anyway. The only piece that's failed on my van is the plastic 90-degree elbow on the rear of the 1/2 cylinder side of the engine...and that only because some doofus over-torqued it and cracked it years ago. A steel replacement is about $40 and might be worth replacing proactively...and it will offer the opportunity to flush/refill the cooling system with fresh phosphate-free coolant. And unless you know the thermostat is new, a proactive replacement of that is cheap and easy.
*Learn how the warning systems for coolant level/temperature and oil pressure work, and check/repair as needed. Functioning OP and coolant warning systems will tell you if more work is needed before hitting the road.
Naturally, you should have a long-term program for success that includes inspecting/repacking bearings, replacing failure-prone electrical pieces like the ignition switch and ECU/fuel pump relays, and installing modern suspension bushings, etc. but most of the problems related to those things can be dealt with on the road with ingenuity, some basic supplies, or failing that, a reasonably competent shop. Good luck! _________________ 1989 Westy
2016 Golf TSI
Gone, but not forgotten:
1974 Dorper Baywindow, "The Bleeding Trout"
1998 Jetta TDI, "Trixie"
1987 GTI, "Heike"
1974 Thing, "The Luftwaffel"
1974 Ghia
1966 Ghia |
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JEL91Westy Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2020 Posts: 211 Location: Central PA
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Posted: Thu May 06, 2021 6:43 pm Post subject: Re: What to do first? |
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Thank you everyone for the great suggestions.
Some clarification, I have owned a a couple of Westys since 1992, the first was an 84 and then the 90 i have had since 2005. Until recently i got away without doing much of the mechanical work myself. I did the body work myself only because I didn’t trust anyone would take the time to do it right. I much prefer sawdust to grease.
Over the years I must admit I have been fortunate on several cross country trips and all over the east coast, to rarely have a failure I could not deal with, and only a handful of tows in that entire period. As I get older, and maybe slightly wiser, I try to avoid the unexpected if I can. My longtime VW mechanic and one of the very few around that will touch a Vanagon is nearing retirement, so I have been trying to take on more of the work myself. My plan is to have him do a rebuild before he doesn’t want to do it, and as I don’t plan to get rid of the van anytime soon, I want to be proactive and and eliminate failure points as much as possible. So as much as I appreciate the suggestions on what to carry with you for emergenices, my questions was what should ones priorities be to replace to avoid breakdowns?
Thanks for all the thoughtful responses, and look forward to any other suggestions. _________________ 91 Westy
85 911 |
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Abscate Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014 Posts: 22568 Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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Posted: Fri May 07, 2021 12:45 am Post subject: Re: What to do first? |
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Kudos to you for anticipating the shift from local mechanic to Uber-local mechanic, you! The AAA card only gets you off the highway, whereas the real money is spent afterwards. _________________ .ssS! |
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