Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 23:23:22 -0700
Reply-To: Tom and Dana Cates <dcates1@home.com>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tom and Dana Cates <dcates1@home.com>
Subject: Re: Of spare tires and broken wires...
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Hmmm. Why wouldn't you grease your lug nuts?
----- Original Message -----
From: Chris Stann <ChrisS@informs.com>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, June 25, 2000 8:09 PM
Subject: Re: Of spare tires and broken wires...
> I'll just stick to lug nut part. I've used grease on the lugs in all of
my
> cars, except the Westy's owner manual warns against this otherwise
sensible
> practice.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Alan Bosch <arbosch@ra.rockwell.com>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Sunday, June 25, 2000 8:54 PM
> Subject: Of spare tires and broken wires...
>
>
> > For those who have not do so yet, or in a while, you may want to
consider
> > dropping the spare tire on your van every once in a while. It seems the
> > bolt that secures the spare tire pan can get cruddy and rusty and may
not
> > break loose when you need it most. While trying to get to the bottom of
a
> > tight accelerator cable over the weekend, I needed to drop the spare to
> get
> > to the linkage that connects to the gas peddle. Drove the van up the
> ramp,
> > walked underneath with my trusty 19mm socket, the lug wrench, and, just
in
> > case, a smallish breaker bar. Following the Bulley rusted bolt removal
> > process - generous amounts of spray lubricant and copious amounts of
> > tapping - it would not budge. Rusted solid. Turing neither here nor
> > there. This way or that. Sooooo, this morning I brought ole Phred to a
> > local service station that does more than sell pop and allow you to pump
> > your own gas (darn few true service stations around these days, btw).
The
> > mechanic on duty pulls his trusty impact wrench, fits a 19mm socket on
the
> > end, and blasts the bolt loose and sends me on my way. (I really tried
to
> > give this guy a fiver for his time and good humor, but he'd have nothing
> of
> > it.) When I returned home, I undid the bolt and dropped the pan. After
> > tinkering for an hour or two, I slathered the bolt with some grease on
> both
> > the threads and the washer and reinstalled. I do this for the lug bolts
> > too, each time I rotate the tires, or whenever I have the tires off.
> Seems
> > to prevent them from seizing. Have never had a problem with a stuck lug
> > bolt.
> >
> > So there I am, standing under my , staring at a little black box, with
> what
> > can only be described as a deer-in-the-headlights look. This little box
> > appears to be where the cable from the transmission junctions to the
> > speedometer - I think. But there's a fitting with three wires on it
that
> > also seems to go up the past the radiator fan and into the dashboard.
The
> > connector on the fitting has three wires - red, blue, and green. The
> green
> > wire is cut - and appears to have been do so intentionally. That is to
> > say, it's not frayed of chaffed, merely cut thru. My question is: What
> is
> > that connector for? And is it a big deal that the green wire's cut in
> two?
> > It bugging me...
> >
> > Alan Bosch
> > & Phred ('88 Wolfsburg)
> > Rochester, NY
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