Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 22:55:25 -0500
Reply-To: Carl Hansen <carl_hansen@IEEE.ORG>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Carl Hansen <carl_hansen@IEEE.ORG>
Subject: well, that was special. MN to NJ long version.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Sorry to not get back to everyone about the trip to New Jersey. Yeah, I
know, you all told me to not come. Sometimes I think we shouldn't have,
but that's another story about long distance service, 3 weeks to set up
COMCAST @home Internet service, 7000 lbs. overweight and a small snow storm
that shut down delivery of the meager 5% of our stuff that was supposed to
come to temporary living apartment.
The bank took 4 trips and a total of 6 hours to set up two simple accounts.
In fact, they still don't have the check blanks and the check cards correct.
BUT back to SyncroBeast. Yes, she wouldn't start. But in the end, I think
I did it to myself, it's just that no one figured out what the real problem
was. Not the list, not myself, not Bill at Dune Buggy until he'd struggled
with it for a couple of days.
When we got SyncroBeast back together, I either checked the compression or
looked at the plugs to see what they looked like. That meant pulling the
plug wires.
Yep, I got #1 and #2 plugs reversed, hence the poor running and backfiring.
With the two plugs reversed and no alternator to run the water pump, she
overheated a bit with a simple 1/4 mile run around the block!
We figured that running hot, with unburned gas from the #1 and #2 reversed
plugs burnt the CAT
Bill at Dune Buggy Supply assumed that since I had put the new exhaust pipe
on (collector to cat) that I had looked in the CAT. But then, that was
before all the problems, so I might not have seen anything anyway! .
Two days into diagnosis, Bill checked for a plugged CAT because someone
mentioned in passing that the exhaust might be plugged. I forget who.
Man, was it ever plugged! Solid! Burnt to a crisp.
So, many thanks to those who e-mailed and especially those who called. I
think that I talked to both Ken Wilfey in NJ and of course Kyle Wade who
called me early one AM and woke me up with suggestions. That's OK Kyle, I
needed to get up anyway, so much to do back then, so little time.
Many thanks to all who helped me to get her up and running. From the front
end assembly, to the drive shaft alignment, to the clutch slave cylinder
leak to the motor problems.
Another big thanks is owed to the many who published their where abouts as
emergency contacts for the trip over. You will not be forgotten.
I have many e-mails saved from the experience. It's the comradery (sp)
that this list generates that keeps me (and all) coming back for more.
IN THE END, She ran like a top. Barely 24 hours after West Side VW (St.
Louis Park, MN) did the alignment, she was on the road to NJ. 65 MPH all
the way. (yeah I know, but my dad was following with towing the dead '89
GTI and he don't run so fast.) In fact, she's still going strong. Of
course there are a few problems to still work out, like; no radio amp hence
no radio, headlight ground connection fried on the hi/lo beams (running
80/100's, stock wire, eh) and oh yes, the muffler let loose about 150 miles
into Wisconsin.
What a trip. 1200 miles, no radio, mom threatening to sing to me if I
looked like was going to fall asleep at the wheel, and just the muffler to
listen to!
THANK YOU FELLOW VANAGONERS
Ch
Carl Hansen
856-303-9370
carl_hansen@ieee.org
Ch
'89 SyncroBeast Vanagon - Thank god for Brother-in-laws. SyncroBeast
together. It's a long story, someday we'll recover and tell it.
'87 16V GTI
'80 850 Yamaha Special
'87 16V GTI w/ hale damage - parting out - body gone, parts remain
'89 16V GTI w/ toasted motor
'86 Scirocco (8 valve w/ auto) - SO's
toooo many parts to count, all hauled out to NJ!!
Man, no wonder we were 7,000 lbs over!!!
Prior Lake, MinneSnowta oops, now Palmyra NJ till we find a house!
