Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2001 13:18:38 -0800
Reply-To: Bill Kasper <dragonlist@IPMTS.UCSC.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bill Kasper <dragonlist@IPMTS.UCSC.EDU>
Subject: Re: Trilogy of the trip to libby montana "conclusion"
In-Reply-To: <20011105204536.5073.qmail@web14702.mail.yahoo.com>
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well, i have a similar story, involving oregonians, oregonian auto
repairmen, and bosch alternators.
on our trip this summer we had the pleasure of driving to portland, with
the lovely home of tom and margo salicos at the end of that day's
drive. we'd not met them, but tom had graciously offered us overnight
"camping" space and hot showers so we could avail ourselves of
portland's pleasures. what resulted from that offer was a wonderful
friendship and some further good times involving hot springs and
woodfire-cooked food. they're great people, and lots of fun.
on the way to portland, coming from cave junction by way of crater lake
and some odd forest road "shortcut" given to me by a lady at the
steamboat resort that added more than two hours to our travel time, the
van's alternator and ox lights came on. this was just outside of
eugene. after consulting bentley i decided it was that the alternator
wasn't charging properly, because the lights would go off above 1500
rpm. so we drove onwards, to our meeting with tom and margo. they fed
and watered us and made us feel more than at home, which was a greatful
relief after such a trying day (remember, all this took place with a 3.5
year old lad unhappy on the third day of our trip).
the next day we took in portland's zoo and some of downtown, and when we
got back tom and i talked about the problem i had. he gave me his
repairman's number, nick at m&m automotive in hillsborough (i still have
to post a note complete with his address and phone; that's at home). i
called nick the next morning (after the night of the exploding diaper)
and we got there about 2pm.
nick was just leaving, so his son (whose name i cannot
remember...peter? paul?) took a look. diagnosed bad brushes, and $50
to replace, parts and labor. he started the work, and one of the
brushes got lost/stuck inside the alternator housing. so, he decided to
take off the alternator and fish around, which he did, and got the brush
out. by this time nick had come back, and they started to put the
alternator back on...at which point nick realized the rear cup bushing
on the alternator was shot, and that they should not put it back in the
van. he quoted me a $200 price for a new alternator, and called his
parts guy immediately...that they needed it RIGHT NOW.
i was lamenting to him that a new alternator was a hell of a sad way to
spend $200 on the fifth day of a three week vacation, when his son
remembered they probably had the right alternator in a parts vanagon out
on the lot. they pulled it and it was a match, though not the exact
part number (a bosch 90A with the right pulley length, though). they
put the new brushes on this alternator and got the new one installed.
they had to use the 2wd alternator bracket, though, as the "new"
alternator wouldn't accept the syncro's (upper) bracket; the mount for
the adjusting screw is too thick, so we needed the thinner bracket.
they got this on, and i asked him what the cost would be. nick says
"$50", and i just about hugged him. i was signing off on the paperwork
when the parts guy walked in with the new alternator...nick winked at me
and kindly told him he'd have to take it back with him.
i highly, highly, highly recommend m&m automotive in hillsborough, or
(just west of portland). and tom and margo (and kevin and
*stamper,stamper*) salicos in beaverton are also very, very fine.
AND, nick gave me a tip to a great camping place in the coast
ranges...spruce run county park, just outside of elsie on highway 26.
great river (the nehelem), somewhat crowded, but beautiful.
bill
'87 syncro westfalia
On Monday, November 5, 2001, at 12:45 , gary hradek wrote:
> Thank you Oregon and thank you Joe a truly honest
> mechanic who I would recommend to any vanagon owner.
> Gary
>
>
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