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Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching
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mikemtnbike
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 8:39 am    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

Saturn- what's up with all that foam behind your cluster? I'm putting my dash in hopefully finishing today after repairing flaps and replacing heater core and there's none of that in there on my EVC; is that a Westfalia thing or something you added? Does it cut down on rattles?
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1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled Sad https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
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Saturn
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 10:57 am    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

mikemtnbike wrote:
Saturn- what's up with all that foam behind your cluster? I'm putting my dash in hopefully finishing today after repairing flaps and replacing heater core and there's none of that in there on my EVC; is that a Westfalia thing or something you added? Does it cut down on rattles?


The yellow foam is definitely not stock to the Eurovan. My best guess is the PO installed it for noise dampening either from wind noise or as you suggest some sort of rattling. I didn't see any additional behind the radio/center part of the dash when I was working on the wiring there. When I did a heater core replacement and foam/flap reconstruction on my 1995 EVC, there was nothing like that in there as well.

1993 Weekender
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1995 EVC
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Saturn
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 26, 2022 11:42 pm    Post subject: Door Handle and Brakes Reply with quote

At the same time all of this work is being done, I dive into one of the known defects of the Weekender. The front passenger door cannot be opened from the outside. After taking off the inner door panel, realize the plastic handle assembly can accessed without having to go through the effort of removing the door panel. The handle is unbolted and the failure point is easy to spot after extracting it out. A metal post has broken not allowing the handle mechanism engage the door release. A new handle is ordered off of Amazon and arrives several days later. Take the old one apart to release the lock and swap that into the new unit. This involves removing a retention pin to detach the metal arm at the back of the lock mechanism. The new handle comes with a replacement arm, pin and spring. The lock is inserted into the new handle assembly and the arm is secured in place with the new pin. Reassembly turns out to be a little bit of a wrestling match to get the new door handle back in place, bolted into the door. Once it is secured, the door opens, shuts and locks normally. The door panel is put back on and make sure the inner door handle works properly. When reinstalling the aftermarket speaker, instead of just screwing it back into the door panel plastic like the PO did, install a set of metal u-clips to provide a more secure and durable mount.

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Dismount both front tires as it is time for a thorough inspection of the brakes, suspension, steering and axles. The first item I notice is the condition of the rubber brakes lines, small cracks permeate the area where it makes a 90 degree turn down to the caliper. Checking the brake pads, those have plenty of life left and the rotors look just fine. The ball joints have been replaced out at some point, the rubber boots while not new are in good condition. The half-shafts also look to have been replaced out at some point, the boots are also in good condition. What does need to be replaced is the boots for the steering rack. By the look of the outer tie rods and arms, will also replace out the inner and outer tie rods at the same time.

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By now the replacement brake lines have been delivered. This is a pretty straight-forward process, be prepared to deal with dripping and leaking brake fluid. I have a can of brake cleaner and large piece of cardboard on hand to deal with the any sort of drips or puddles. With all of the dirt and alkali build up, the scrub down each connection points with a brass brush to loosen and remove any build up. Use a flared 11mm wrench to loosen the top and bottom fittings about a half-turn, then rotate it back and forth to make sure it traverses smoothly. Starting from the bottom connection fully loosen that one with a regular 11mm wrench and when it comes free, stuff a paper towel in the opening the quell the drips of fluid. It can also be capped with a piece of rubber or wood as well. Connect the new hose to the bottom fitting and get that mostly tight. Proceed to the top fitting, remove that and quickly connect the new hose into place. Tighten both fittings with the flared wrench and the proceed to the passenger side hose and repeat. The hoses in the rear are pretty much the same though a 14mm wrench is needed to lock the rubber hose in place while removing the fitting. The top most fitting did take longer to remove due to somewhat limited access.

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With the all of the new brake lines installed, it was time to replace the brake fluid through the entire system with fresh DOT4. Set up a Mity-Vac at the front driver caliper bleeder nipple and working the hand pump started to get the old fluid out. My expectation it would be extracted out faster, it turned out to be a fair amount of work. Located my Motive bleeder and connect it to the top of the brake reservoir. Pressurize it up to around 7 PSI and the fluid now flows into the catch container quite easily. Through the clear hose the fluid starts to lighten up as the fresh portion filled the line and caliper. To ensure all the old fluid is out of the reservoir, fill up the Mity-Vac catch container almost three times before starting the final step. My friend Alex pushes on the brake pedal several times while opening and closing the bleeder nipple to ensure all air bubbles have been removed. This process is repeated three more times with the front passenger caliper and rear brake cylinders. Did notice the fluid extracted out of the rear brake cylinders was much darker than what emerged from the front calipers. Additionally, they produce more debris and particulate matter at the bottom of the catch container when emptying it out. Start to wonder when the fluid was last changed out for the rear lines.

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Next: Bleeding the Hydraulic Clutch
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Saturn
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 03, 2022 11:28 pm    Post subject: Coolant Sensor, Clutch Fluid & Cleaning Reply with quote

Going back to the engine compartment, take a brass brush and some brake cleaner to scrub down the ends of the spark plugs before reinstalling them into place. Connect the ignition wire leads onto each of the plugs, aided by the cylinder numbering applied to them when initially removed. Hook up the lead from the distributor cap to the coil and want to check the engine can restart normally. Insert the key, turn it to the right, the engine cranks for a second or two then fires up. After about 30 seconds, the coolant light starts to blink on and off. Let it run for several minutes then shut the engine off. Clip off about a three inch length of wire and strip the insulation on both ends. Remove the connector from the temp sender in the coolant reservoir and insert the wire to jump the two leads. Restart the engine and the coolant warning light starts blinking again. Turn off the engine and reinstall the temp sender connector back in place, will need to jump the connector on the second temp sender for the next test of the system.

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As part of the bleeding and replacing out the fluid in the brake system, do the same with the clutch hydraulics. Begin by cracking open the bleeder nipple on the slave cylinder. Attach the clear vinyl hose from the Mite-T-Vac and then open it up. A bit of fluid initially emerges and more after squeezing the handle. It is a slower than expected flow coming out of the slave cylinder. After several minutes the catch container is less than half-filled up, look inside the cabin to discover the clutch pedal has sunk all the way forward. Pulling it back up and pushing down there is not really any resistance to it. Fluid comes out when pressing on the pedal but has the feel of a sponge. Find a screwdriver and use that to prop the pedal up into its normal resting position. Suddenly fluid drains into the catch container at a much faster rate. With the reservoir almost filled the bleeder nipple is closed and the old fluid emptied out. Pull a little more fluid out of the clutch system then button it back up. Climbing into the drivers seat, press down on the clutch pedal and it goes straight to the floor with no resistance. Looks like at minimum, the slave cylinder will need to be replaced out, not totally unexpected as a replacement was ordered several weeks back.

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As work on the Weekender progresses, one of the ongoing efforts is eradicating dirt, grease, grime, oxidation, just like on my 1995 EVC. While in the wheel wells, use brass brush to address areas such as top of the upper ball joint, uncovering the camber plate markings, and descaling the brake caliper. After working on the clutch hydraulics, concreting on cleaning up the transmission. Remove lot of old grease from around the mounting bolts of the inner CV joint. Using a medium bladed screwdriver and a pick tool, clean out the small chambers around the transaxle opening and drain plug area of any grease, grit and grime. Underneath the van, a sizable amount of detritus accumulates on the ground.

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Saturn
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 17, 2022 6:38 pm    Post subject: Dealing With A Noisy Drive Belt on the 1995 EVC Reply with quote

For almost the last two months, work has been focused on the 1993 Weekender. Since I plan to utilize the 1995 EVC during Thanksgiving, it is time to give it a bit of TLC. The last sojourn of the EVC was in August camping at Laguna Seca for the Motorsports Reunion. While at the racetrack campsite and on the drive back home, it was hard not to notice or ignore a squeal emerging from the engine compartment. A fair amount of work was done prior to this excursion including replacing out the serpentine and timing belts along with the idlers and these are prime suspect behind the irritating racket. In the meantime, other car projects have been given priority and the EVC has been put on the back burner. With the acquisition of the Weekender soon after returning from that trip, parked the EVC in my friend Alex’s driveway as it is too tall to make it through the entrance of my garage space. The Weekender went into my shop space and is still a work in progress.

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After being in a slumber for many weeks, the van is started up with an immediate wail emanating from the engine bay. After rolling under the van, realize the front will need to be raised to remove the skid plate underneath the engine. Decide to put down a large plywood sheet and drive up onto a single ramp on the front right side to obtain the necessary clearance. Remove the bulky skid plate and restart the engine to discover the source of the squealing. After a short bit I am unable to figure out the exact origin of the noise though it seems to be from the bottom side rather than the top. With all of the spinning pulleys and belts, feel it is not advisable or prudent to utilize a screwdriver as a stethoscope. Shut down the engine and remove the serpentine belt. Spin each one of the idlers and pulleys to find none of them are noisy or feel rough as they rotate. On the timing belt cover, there is a fair amount of fine, dark particulate, I assume the origin of this is from the serpentine belt. Turn the key to restart the engine, it fires up and idles quietly. This means the cause is something involving the serpentine belt set up and not with the timing belt.

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Reroute the timing belt around the pulleys and install it with the assistance of a screwdriver. Restart the engine again and the noise immediately resumes. Grabbing a spray bottle of window cleaner, I go under the van to spray the liquid onto the ribbed side of the belt. Almost instantly the squeal subsides and slowly but surely returns. Continue with a couple squirts on the belt and again the noise is abated. When it returns again, I spray the liquid onto the outside of the belt and the squealing does not subside at all. Spray into the backside of the power steering pump and AC pulleys with no difference.

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After pondering this for a little while, decide to swap the spare belt (a brand spanking new one) to see if anything changes. The current belt has less than 300 miles on it since installing it in July. After removal, give it an inspection and there did not seem to be any anomalies with it. Installation of the new belt takes a little more effort to stretch it over the AC pulley to situate it into place. Turn the key to start the engine and the shrieking wail has been vanquished. Let the van idle for 10 minutes and the sound level stay quiet as the engine purrs away. Going back under the car and look at the positioning of the serpentine belt and it looks like the power steering pump pulley is stilling a little more proud that the AC compressor and harmonic balancer. Want to compare the 1995 EVC to the 1993 Weekender ’s belt alignment. With the engine accessible, I find a small drip off of the oil drain plug then while looking further back, notice grease trails coming off the inner right CV joint area. Speckles of grease have been flung from the inner joint area, the boot is intact but will need to look at adding more lubricant to the joint. Something else to add to the work list.

A video of tracking this noise down:

Link

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Saturn
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 24, 2022 2:11 am    Post subject: Tie Rods, Steering Rack Bellow and Desert Dust Reply with quote

After quieting down the 1995 EVC, attention returns back to the 1993 Weekender and replacing out its steering parts. During my “pre-purchase inspection” of the green van when considering buying it, I did notice the drivers side rubber steering boot being in two distinct pieces. After taking possession of it and getting it up on on jack stands, found the right side boot in need of replacement as well. Decided to just replace both the inner and outer tie rods and the bellows/rubber boots all at the same time. These parts have been waiting in the wings as they had been ordered at the end of September. When changing these same parts in the 1995 EVC earlier during the summer, one if the tools I did not possess was a wrench large enough to fit the flats on the inner tie rod assembly. First to arrive is a 36mm wrench and soon after a 32mm wrench after actually measuring the replacement parts and discovering it being 32mm.
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Decide to focus on the passenger side first. Raise the front end up with a hydraulic jack under the crossmember and install jack stands on either side. Zip off the lug studs with my impact gun and the tire becomes a seat while working in the wheel well. The Dewalt quickly zaps off the lower 19mm tie rod nut with ease. It requires 15 or so blows with a 3lbs hand sledge to finally unseat the outer tie rod from the knuckle. Slide under the van to cut the ziptie securing the boot onto the steering rack housing. Evicting the rubber boot from the perches and pull it towards the outer end of the steering rod. Turn the wheel all the way to the left for the inner tie rod to emerge far enough outward. Encounter a Goldilocks situation when the newly acquired 32mm wrench is too small and the 36mm one is too large. Measure the flats with a caliper to find the correct size is 34mm to my momentary aggravation. A set of large-mouth channel locks soon have the inner tie rod loosened and the entire assembly is fully removed. Take a paper towel and run it alone the exposed steering arm to clean off any residual dirt or debris.
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Remove the outer tie rod to install the new rubber boot in place, then line up the old and new ones and get an approximate measurement for the placement of the outer tie rod and locking nut. The assembly is rotated to thread the inner tie rod into the steering rack. When it is snugged, the 32mm wrench returns and this is tightened up. The rubber boot is guided into place with the help of a medium-sized regular screwdriver to get the lips seated into the inner and outer perches. The outer tie rod is inserted into the knuckle and the 19mm nut is tighter down first by a wrench then secured with the Dewalt impact gun. The one aspect I thought deficient of the Rein steering boots is they did not come with a ziptie to fully secure the inner lip onto the steering rack housing. Will dig out ones and install them, just seems those should have been included.
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Remount the passenger tire onto the hub and tighten down the lug studs. The drivers side tire is quickly removed and pressed into service as a seat. The process is pretty much the same on the drives side, though it only takes about 6 strikes with the sledge to displace the outer tie rod out of the knuckle. The operation is pretty much similar to the passenger side except for the installation of the rubber steering bellow on to the steering rack housing. Access on this side much more restrictive and it takes about 5-6X the time to get it properly seated. This is pretty much done by feel and it did get frustrating at times though I finally prevailed.
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As previously mentioned, while under the van spend the time to removing dirt, grime and on this vehicle the tenacious alkali desert dust. Using a plastic scraper on the bottom of the cross member, it is a little bit surprising to see shiny black paint reveal itself though it takes considerable effort to do so. About 40% of the crossmember’s bottom side is reclaimed. Utilize both simple green along with a spritz of brake cleaner to break up and remove the build up. The same is done in the wheel wells after finishing up with the tie rod installation. There is more than a bit of satisfaction seeing parts like the sway bar in their original black paint. Discover two spots on the crossmember where the metal has been brutally rip apart. My initial guess is someone use them as tow points at one time or another. Some before and after shots.
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hobuck
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 2022 6:55 pm    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

Nice documented, detailed, methodical work! I've been through all of this maintenance through the years and it definitely has payed off!! Our '93 Westy has NEVER failed us.
Regarding one of your more recent posts about the belt squeal, I also chased this for some time. I replaced belts and it would return in a few hundred miles.
I found that there are 2 sleeves P/N # 028-903-313 that act as bushings for the belt pulley tensioner arm. They wear and "misalign" the tensioner pulley. PITA job to perform but this Eliminated the belt chirp.
Also in an earlier post, you mentioned replacing your harmonic balancer. I had ours rebuilt by Dale manufacturing out of Salem, Oregon. Very happy with their services.
Keep on!!
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Saturn
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 10, 2022 5:58 pm    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

hobuck wrote:
Nice documented, detailed, methodical work! I've been through all of this maintenance through the years and it definitely has payed off!! Our '93 Westy has NEVER failed us.
Regarding one of your more recent posts about the belt squeal, I also chased this for some time. I replaced belts and it would return in a few hundred miles.
I found that there are 2 sleeves P/N # 028-903-313 that act as bushings for the belt pulley tensioner arm. They wear and "misalign" the tensioner pulley. PITA job to perform but this Eliminated the belt chirp.
Also in an earlier post, you mentioned replacing your harmonic balancer. I had ours rebuilt by Dale manufacturing out of Salem, Oregon. Very happy with their services.
Keep on!!


Appreciate the information on the sleeves if the squeal returns I that will be the first thing I will look into.

Did not realize the option of having the harmonic balancer rebuilt. Would have sent that off while I had the cooling system apart and replacing the timing belt at the beginning of the summer.

Thank you for your comments about the documentation of work featured over the last year. The last several post have not generated any responses, I have been wondering if what I have been posting at too deep of a level detail-wise (TL;DR). Trying to figure out should these be more a synopsis or continue as is. Realize the Eurovan Forum is not one of the high-traffic areas of theSamba, want to make sure I am reading the audience correctly.
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bcolins
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2022 12:05 pm    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

Saturn,...Wondering if it would it be possible to create an index/guide for the topics/tutorials in this thread? Maybe with a page/post # reference for each topic?

Brian


Last edited by bcolins on Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:34 pm; edited 2 times in total
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TheOneTrueQuux
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2022 3:06 pm    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

Saturn wrote:
The last several post have not generated any responses, I have been wondering if what I have been posting at too deep of a level detail-wise (TL;DR). Trying to figure out should these be more a synopsis or continue as is. Realize the Eurovan Forum is not one of the high-traffic areas of theSamba, want to make sure I am reading the audience correctly.


I quite like what you're writing, and think it's pretty useful to have it documented. Threads like this provide a good introduction for newbies as to what's really involved in owning one of these, and also provide some very good specific information about what to do in certain situations.

I say more of the same! I appreciate the info you've presented.
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Blaque Jacques
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:27 pm    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

love the write up and following alone too! thank you
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mikemtnbike
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:31 pm    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

3930 views is a lot.

I greatly enjoy your posts details and all. The samba is a technical/mechanical forum primarily thanks for bringing that to our little niche.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2022 4:23 am    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

No one is reading here, it’s too crowded.

Saturn ...tech tip on these beautifully heavily weatherstripped and quiet vehicles..

If you apply light pressure on the door you ease the strain on the cast parts in the door handle and it opens a lot easier. My driver finally broke after 21 years so I didn’t start early enough
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2022 5:08 pm    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

Abscate wrote:
No one is reading here, it’s too crowded.

Saturn ...tech tip on these beautifully heavily weatherstripped and quiet vehicles..

If you apply light pressure on the door you ease the strain on the cast parts in the door handle and it opens a lot easier. My driver finally broke after 21 years so I didn’t start early enough


Steve is speaking in Code again. What do it mean???
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 17, 2022 12:46 pm    Post subject: A visit to a Country Estate Reply with quote

Finally catching a breather after finishing up a work project which had to be landed on Thursday. Along the way had to fly to Grand Rapids, Michigan for a couple days stay at the client's office. Pleasantly surprised to discover a great Tiki bar as well as a dive bar/pinball parlor within a block of another.

Onto EV related topics: Appreciate the feedback from TheOneTrueQuux, Blaque Jacques, mikemtnbike, and Abscate. Want to make sure I am not just writing for myself.

bcolins wrote:
Saturn,...Wondering if it would it be possible to create an index/guide for the topics/tutorials in this thread? Maybe with a page/post # reference for each topic?


Actually looked at that option, the limitation is not having the ability to edit old posts after 90 days (aka 129600 minutes.) Would be interesting idea for an index on the first post, just cannot do that long-term right now.

bcolins wrote:
Abscate wrote:
No one is reading here, it’s too crowded.

Saturn ...tech tip on these beautifully heavily weatherstripped and quiet vehicles..

If you apply light pressure on the door you ease the strain on the cast parts in the door handle and it opens a lot easier. My driver finally broke after 21 years so I didn’t start early enough


Steve is speaking in Code again. What do it mean???


Referencing a previous posting about replacing the passenger side door handle. While the handle was already broken when I picked up the Weekender, it is good information to know and impliment. Reminds me when I was taught by one of my older brothers to just use two fingers to close a car door, enough force to close it but not slam it. This was after the ump-teeth time of slamming the door on his GTI.

Winding the clock back a couple weeks to Thanksgiving...

As mentioned previously, worked on the 1995 EVC in preparation of the Thanksgiving holiday. Friends extended an invitation to head north into the famed wine area of Sonoma. With several other people also invited and staying overnight, bedrooms were at a premium. Told the host I would drive up in my EVC to utilize it as my sleeping accommodations. Load up late in the morning and just after 1:30, the van crosses over the Golden Gate Bridge. Checking traffic, there is a back up near Sears Point Raceway. This is one of the entry points to Sonoma and Napa Valley, make the decision to take a slightly longer back route with less traffic.

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Arrive at the destination, it is the first time I have been to their place and so amazed by the property. A five-acre lot bordered on one side by a ranch and the other side by vineyards. This could be referred to a totally Californian homestead as there is a hot tub as well. A little more than half of the property is “developed.” The other part has been retained as woods along a small creek, allowing for a more natural habitat for quail, foxes, birds, lizards and the like. Walking around the property, encounter a herd of cows close by and off in the distance, spot a coyote slinking across the field. Around the main house are multiple, constantly busy bird feeders. My friend explains there is actually not much food opportunities for birds with all of the surrounding vineyards. Turns out there are some pretty interesting birds visiting.

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Thanksgiving dinner ends up quite delicious with a full table and full stomachs. After hours of lively conversation it was time to head to the confines of the Eurovan. While the afternoon had been sunny and in the mid 70, now the temperature was in the low 40s. Not quite cold enough to warrant activating the furnace, still a bit brisk. While settling in, I still feel the LED lights over the bed are too bright. These can be replaced out with dim-able versions, what I think I may do try stepping things down to 10V. This would be done using a voltage stabilizer normally found in instrument clusters as gas and temp gauges usually operate at 10 volts. This allows them to function properly if the battery or charging system has dipped under 12 volts. As I drift off to sleep realize how quiet it is ,though during the night hear the distant sound of a helicopter from the Sonoma airport a mile and a half away.

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The next morning brings more blue skies and a generous breakfast. Come to find I it wasn’t helicopters I had been hearing, it was large circulation fans firing up in the vineyards to keep frost off the valuable plants. After doing the dishes and a general clean up, head out to the van to strip the bed and get ready to drive back to San Francisco. After playing the stereo for a while in the evening, start the engine to make sure the battery didn’t inadvertently discharge. It fires up immediately and then shut down. Everything is stowed and the shore power cord is unplugged, wrapped up and put away. Return back inside to join the others watching the morning World Cup matches.

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As noon closes in, it is time to get on the road. Climb into the drivers seat, turn the key and to my surprise nothing happens. Repeat turning the key and keep getting taunted by the silence. Retrieve a battery jump pack, pop open the hood, hook up the leads and still come up empty. The voltmeters integrated into the USB charging ports display 12.4V indicating the battery is probably not the cause. The two main suspects become the starter and the ignition switch. Go back inside the house to share my plight, soon a multimeter and and wire with alligator clips on each end are unearthed. Pull off the connector to the starter solenoid and replace it with an alligator clip. Take the other end of the lead and brush it against the positive terminal. The result is not the starter engaging but rather a bright display of sparks as the end of the clip contacts the battery terminal. Now, the starter just went to the top of the list. Tap on the starter solenoid several times with the handle of a long socket wrench with no change. Just the crackle of sparks being generated as I attempt to energize the solenoid.

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Go back into the van and on a whim turn the key again, to my surprise the starter works and the engine comes to life. Hastily return the borrowed tools, button up the Eurovan and hit the road. It is an uneventful trip back to San Francisco heading straight for Alex’s driveway where the van is currently residing. Slip it into its parking spot and shut the engine off. Waiting a a little bit, turn the key to find the engine starts just fine. Repeat this two more times with instant restarts each time. Two days later I try up a jumper between the starter solenoid and battery on the 1993 Weekender and am able to active the solenoid/starter with no problem. The next weekend I visit the van to retrieve a couple items out of the can. It starts up no problem, thought when attempting the jumper wire again, the solenoid does not activate and all i get again are sparks. Looking like I will need to shop for a new starter.

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Next up: Clutch Slave Cylinder Replacement

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bcolins
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 17, 2022 1:26 pm    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

Saturn, regarding your thread,....I have now read most of it, and will likely be using it as a guide for cam timing on my 95 EVC when I pull the head to find out why I have no compression in cylinder #3. I have been looking for a thread that would walk me through the cylinder head R&R and have not yet found one,....but with your info on the timing belt here,....I think I can likely wing it on the rest of it. So,...yes, thankful for your write up and pictures!!

I had heard from the local VW shop in Austin that a special tool is required to remove and replace either the serpentine belt or the timing belt (seems more likely, just cant recall), but don't think I saw mention of any special tools in your timing belt section.

Brian in Austin
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bcolins
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 17, 2022 2:10 pm    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

BTW, some great bird pics at your friend's wine country ranch. Didn't even notice the quail on the ground until scrolling past that pic the 3rd or 4th time (great natural camo) and that pic of the Turkey Vulture (I think) with wings spred as if it is about to attack an unsuspecting soon to be lunch Quail is just eerie.
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Saturn
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 18, 2022 9:50 am    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

bcolins wrote:
I had heard from the local VW shop in Austin that a special tool is required to remove and replace either the serpentine belt or the timing belt (seems more likely, just cant recall), but don't think I saw mention of any special tools in your timing belt section.


They are mentioned about half-way through this post: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9897051#9897051

My nephew has the two special tools cited for the removal of the harmonic balancer, a counter hold tool (2084) and bolt removal tool (2079). He has a 1992 Audi 200 wagon with the I5 engine which the Eurovan's 2.5L powerplant is based off of. Figured my Dewalt impact gun would be able to zap the bolt off, used that instead.
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bcolins wrote:
BTW, some great bird pics at your friend's wine country ranch. Didn't even notice the quail on the ground until scrolling past that pic the 3rd or 4th time (great natural camo) and that pic of the Turkey Vulture (I think) with wings spred as if it is about to attack an unsuspecting soon to be lunch Quail is just eerie.


Yes, it is a Turkey Vulture, do not think it came in looking for a quail or other small birds more to bask in the sun. My friend did relate there sometimes are hawks hanging out looking for a lunch selection at the feeders.

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1961tbird
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 19, 2022 3:21 pm    Post subject: Re: Space Capsule 1995: Repairs, Roadtrips, Retrofits, & Wrenching Reply with quote

I love your write-ups. Keep up the good work. And good luck with the starter. I replaced mine last summer with a similar issue
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 24, 2022 3:16 am    Post subject: Removing The Slave Cylinder & Other Discoveries Reply with quote

After bleeding the hydraulic fluid and the pedal subsequently dropping to the floor it is now time to address this on the Weekender. The plan is to start with replacing the slave cylinder and then the master cylinder if required. There is access to the slave cylinder through the driver side wheel well. First step is to use the Mity-vac to draw out the brake fluid from the reservoir and lines (11mm wrench to loosen the bleeder nipple.) While the brakes and clutch hydraulics share the same fluid reservoir, they are separated into two chambers so a total fluid loss in one will not impact the other system. This is worthwhile to know when bleeding they system, you are looking at the level of the correct chamber when monitoring fluid levels. The access to the rear mounting bolt is easy enough though the opening in the wheel well. This fastener takes a T-45 Torx bit and a simple turn breaks it free. The metal feed line utilizes a 12mm fitting. Gently rock this back and forth several times to loosen it and make sure it is not binding and twisting the metal line.
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From underneath and through the wheel well, there is no direct line of sight to the front mounting bolt. From in the engine bay there is "access", though through a multi-layer maze of coolant hoses, wiring and other assorted obstacles. The other aspect increasing the complexity of accessibility is this Weekender has ABS and all of the lines cross over through what would be the obvious route. This is where the job becomes a wrestling match, getting the Torx bit into the front fastener. At first I try with a 3/8” Torx socket and because of a tube angling up from the transmission the socket is too large to fit through. The other discovery is when removing the shifter linkage to get that out of the way, the nylon bushing (p/n 701711066) is pretty much at end of serviceable life. Work is halted for the day as I do not seem to have a T-45 bit among my various tools at the garage space. With a work project with travel and an impending deadline, available time to focus on car work is narrowed down to either Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
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During the week, look through my collection of T-45 sockets and make the decision to sacrifice one of them. Put it into a vice and pound the bit out of its home with a punch and hammer. Now with a small 5/16” socket, this can clear the pipe obstruction. Because of the very limited access, much of the day’s time is wasted getting that bit into place. Mainly because of dropping, then retrieving either part of it from the hard to reach abyss below the front fastener. After finally getting it situated and locked in, I am unable to loosen the fastener mainly because viable access along with the 1/4” socket wrench does not provide enough leverage to be able turn it. At this point, cease work on the van to regroup.

Return to the Weekender determined to have the slave cylinder out. Decide to remove the shock absorber out of the way for additional access through the wheel well. After extracting the Koni, push down on it to discover there is no rebound at all and is DOA. Yet another item added on the to-fix list. While assessing things through the maze of hoses with a flashlight, I suddenly see something which makes me have a literal Click & Clack dope-slap moment. Realize while the fastener is a Torx in the middle, it actually has flats along the sides. Being focused on the Torx aspect, I failed to notice the obvious. The weekend before I have been pondering why VW would use so many different types of fastener systems under the hood: Torx, Allen (starter/coolant pipes & transmission drain plugs), triple square/XZN (axle shaft bolts) and the ubiquitous hex head. Less than 5 minutes later the front fastener is loose courtesy of a 13mm socket and soon enough the slave cylinder is laying on the ground.
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Installation is pretty much the reverse order, I did need to call in a second pair of hands to hold and press the new cylinder into place. While attempting to thread in the front bolt there is an opposing force from the plunger against the transmission multiplying the difficulty aspect. Once it is stabilized, the front fastener goes in normally although a bit slower because of the access. The rear fastener starts to thread in and then gets really tight about halfway in. Remove it and apply brake cleaner to clean the threads of debris. Shoot a couple seconds worth into the bolt hole. Thread it in again and the fastener starts to bind up again. Extract it back out for another round of cleaning to no change. End up finding a slightly shorter fastener and spacers and it is tightened into place for the time being. Bring the Mity-vac back out to bleed the hydraulic system. Turns out the bleeder nipple on this newly installed part fits a 10mm wrench instead of a 11mm size of the retired one. After getting fluid circulated through, find the clutch pedal still does not have any sort of resistance. Pumping the pedal several times does not build up any pressure. This means the next job is to replace the master cylinder. After going through this multi-day experience and I end up looking up the procedure in the Bentley book, the instructions call for dropping the transmission to access the slave cylinder.

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Next: Installing A New Master Cylinder

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