My '85, with 227,000 original miles & 50,000 on the rebuilt engine (done at 175,000 miles) had one previous PO. When I bought the van nearly two years ago, the PO had died & except for being told about the rebuild, I inherited *no records. The van is so clean, inside & out, with great original paint, that non-Vanagon folks can't believe it's seventeen years old. I love my mysterious PO, who lovingly cared for this beauty for so long. But I wish I could channel the PO! Since I bought my '85 I have adopted a premtive approach to maintenance: swapping things as appropriate in attempt to avoid disaster south of the border, where I travel every winter for 4-5 months. I am especially concerned about my *tranny, as I have no idea if/when it's been rebuilt, tho it's operating fine now. I have fears of water pump failure on the road, since it's not a simple thing to swap. The fuel pump doesn't scare me, since it's easy. With 50,000 miles on my rebuild, I hope my heads won't start leaking next winter in Mexico. Is there a rule of thumb re when to look for heads to leak? I had the coolant flushed last summer & used Autobahn. I feel it's safe to assume my PO used correct coolant before that. I carry Bars Leak in my travel kit. If the tranny starts to go bad, what are the symptoms? Do trannys go bad slowly? I've got a manual tranny. Feedback, please! Phaedra '85 Westy 4-speed |
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