Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 22:09:07 -0500
Reply-To: Chris Stann <ChrisS@informs.com>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Chris Stann <ChrisS@informs.com>
Subject: Re: Of spare tires and broken wires...
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
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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