Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 00:32:50 EST
Reply-To: Chgolynch@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Sean Lynch <Chgolynch@AOL.COM>
Subject: Donder Becomes A Road Warrior And Other Blather
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One week.
2,583 miles.
Running at 68mph ten feet of the back of a USF
Dugan dual-trailer semi in a pouring rain in
order to pass the convoy you'd been following
for the last twenty miles.
Heading southbound on I-55 out of Chicago into
a heavy windstorm that buffets you all over the
road, plasters both your sideviews back against
the van, tears one of the front bumper corners
clean off, and beats your wipers stattaco
against the windshield.
Climbing up a long hill south of Nashville, and
noticing that you've hit upon a clear stretch of
highway, where the moon and the steady mechanical
thrum of your engine are the only distractions.
Pulling into a truck stop to buy fuel, and
discovering that they only have the large nozzle
diesel pumps, and that those can fill your tank in
just over twenty seconds.
These are just a few memories that I have of the
travelling I did with Donder, my '82 GL Diesel, last
week. I've owned Donder for just over three years,
and have never subjected her to driving of this
magnitude. Usual fare is the 35 mile roundtrip
commute to work, with the only notable exceptions
being a pair of ~400 mile roundtrips, and all the
hauling for the 2000 Census. Admittedly, I had my
doubts about her ability to make this trip, seeing
as the alternator, brakes, and tires are the only
new parts on her quarter-million mile chassis. Now,
I have nothing but faith in her. How many cars out
of that vintage can cover that kind of mileage at
wide-open throttle? Okay, I'm tooting her own horn
for her, but as far as I'm concerned, she deserves
it!
Your Vanagon is not as frail as you think. They're
pretty solidly built cars with excellent handling,
and a handful of drivetrain problems. There seems
to be a glut of list postings harping on the
shortcomings of our beloved Vanaboxes. Admittedly,
my '86 wasserboxer has coolant problems, and munched
its sleeved cam bearing, and has cracked heads. I am
convinced however, that the latter two problems were
caused by the former one. The lesson here is to be
vigilant of the mechanicals of your aging vehicle.
During the trip, Donder caused me to pull over three
times in Kentucky to check an odd smell (caused by
the older semi tractors I'd been following), and a
cooling system check and test-burping when she started
running cooler than usual. Again, nothing was wrong.
I felt better after checking anyway, mindful of the
fact that I didn't see many other vehicles of her
vintage out on the interstates. Watch, listen, and be
wary of the sensory inputs your van gives you. It'll
help you catch potential problems long before they
catch you.
At any rate, I'm looking forward to putting to the
interstates in the new year with my refurbished '86
GL seibensitzer, after shaking it down locally for
QA purposes. I'm trying a different engine sealant
for test purposes, which is used to seal the
drivelines in jetski motors. I'm also eager to put
my '80 van to test, having identified and fixed most
of the glaring faults of the T4 motor. I expect some
problems, but I'm willing to put up with them because
I really enjoy driving Vanagons.
I saw one other Vanagon on my trip. It was a silver
'85 with a color-coded grille. It was parked in a
mall lot off Dundee Rd. in Palatine, IL. Is this a
listmember's van? If so, props for keeping such a
vintage piece of iron on the road there, especially
since '97 and older vehicles are considered "old" up
there.
Now, let me get off my soapbox, and roundly encourage
you all to drive and enjoy your Vanagon daily, and
encourage you to shower the unconditional love on your
Vanagon that you expect from it. You'll be pleasantly
surprised. :)
- Sean L.
'86 GL "Blitzen"
'83 GL aircooler "Belle"
*roadwarrior* '82 GL Diesel "Donder"
'80 "First Lady"
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