Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 22:38:06 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <jhrodgers@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <jhrodgers@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: Re: Vanagon Life At 40 Below (Webasto)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Interesting story. Ilived in Fairbanks in the late 60's and early 70's.
Used to drive out to Fox and get my drinking water from the artesian
watering point that used to be there. It was fun in those days. Even at
40 below the water ran. Of course ice was piled up all over the place.
The last time I was there a few years ago the artesian flow was gone.
There had been so much building with new wells all over that tapped into
the aquafer (sp) that it drew the pressure down and nobody has artesian
water anymore. So sad.
My first year in Fairbanks the temps got down to -48. I had a new Volvo
I had brought up from the states, and had installed new Michelin tires I
had ordered in from Sears. At that time, the tires were not tubeless,
and to get the 40,000 mile warranty I had to get the special inner tubes
that went with the tires. I went out in the morning of the first day of
that deep cold and all 4 tires were flat. I thought someone had
vandalized my care. I put the thing on jacks, got the tires off and my
neighbor took me and the tires to the station to check them out. The
tire man said they were so cold i would need to leave them in their shop
until they warmed up so the rubber would flex and they could get the
tire off the rim. Way late that afternoon I got a call, and was told I
needed to come to the station. They wanted me to see something. When I
walked in, the attendant said "Look at this!" He submerged my inner tube
from one tire and 9 million bubbles arose in the water completely around
the tube. Looked like some one had stuck holes in a pin cussion. Well, I
was blown away. The attendanat explained..! "You have here butyl rubber
tubes, which are great in warmer climated, but here in this cold, the
stuff gets hard and developes tiny cracks. That is what has happened.
Only natural rubber works here.!" Well, I bought 4 natural rubber tubes
at $25/each. installed. Pricey lesson about the cold, but an interesting
one, and it added to the adventure of living in Alaska.
Even with the new tubes, in the extreme cold the flat side of the tires
after sitting, would take a bit of travel before rounding out. I always
had to lived with the bumpty whump of each tires flat spot when I
started of every day.
I always bought tires that had that "tacky" quality in them for the ice.
In all those years in Alaska I never ever had to use chains, an only
when I bought my '85 Vanagon GL did I have a need for studded tires. But
on that rig there was a definite need.
I had an oil pan heater installed. It worked but was very marginal. As
for 8interior su[pplemental heat, I had none. Just the stock heaters,
which worked well.
I did have a '68 loaf, which had a 30,000 btu Suburban Motor home heater
in it. Burned propane, and boy would that thing perform. Would get so
hot it would melt the snow off your car.
Miss the good old days in Alaska.
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
..
Derek Drew wrote:
> This from my sister.
>
> This is a Webasto coolant heater that Ark Mirvus(sp?) sold her and
> that Dennis Haynes installed.
>
>
>> Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 00:47:57 EST
>> From: LisaDrew@aol.com
>> Subject: Re: My Webasto in Alaska
>> To: <derekdrew@rcn.com>
>> X-Mailer: Unknown (No Version)
>>
>> HI Derek, I thought this string of e-mails might interest you. In
>> the way of emails, the string starts at the bottom.
>>
>> In a message dated Wed, 19 Dec 2001 10:42:09 PM Eastern Standard
>> Time, LisaDrew writes:
>>
>> > Hi Ark, thanks VERY much for the fast reply. Derek is fine and
>> living mostly in Washington, D.C. I'm going to see him at Christmas,
>> and I'll say hi for you. I'll give Ed (my mechanic) your phone
>> number and your e-mail address.
>> >
>> > I'm going to be gone for two weeks, and I'm very much hoping my
>> repairs can be completed while I'm away, because I'll need a vehicle
>> when I return!
>> >
>> > I want to save your time for answers to Ed's questions, but here
>> are *my* answers to *your* questions in case you're really that
>> interested:
>> >
>> > Last winter (my first winter here), it did not get down much below
>> minus 15 or minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Mostly it was between minus
>> 10 and 10 above. I used the Webasto all winter long to warm up the
>> engine before starting. I never counted on the Webasto to fully warm
>> up the interior, but it did ok. I never measured the temperature
>> inside, and I never went on a very long winter drive. I also kept
>> the batteries charged with a battery charger Dennis rigged to the
>> plug-in. The Webasto runs off the coach battery.
>> >
>> > This winter I was doing the same. The temperatures dropped to
>> minus 40 degrees F., which has been rather interesting. (At that
>> temperature, the Webasto pumps some heat into the interior, but not
>> enough to get it what you would call warm. Separately, a VW van
>> driving at minus 40 degrees gets a lot of cold gusts coming in that
>> don't help the heat situation.) But in my driving around Fairbanks
>> bundled up for winter, this actually is never a problem.
>> >
>> > A couple of weeks ago the Webasto stopped working, a problem I
>> thought was related to low battery power in the extreme cold. But
>> that doesn't actually seem to be the problem, and now my mechanic is
>> telling me about the leaking coolant. Unfortunately, without the
>> Webasto I've had to do some cold starts, which have created other
>> problems for the engine. I'm about to cave and get an engine block
>> heater. Or another vehicle, but that means selling this one, and I
>> sure hate to do that.
>> >
>> > (On a sad separate but related note, I took a big pay cut to move
>> here, and if fixing the Webasto is expensive, I will have to just
>> ask Ed to figure out how to bypass it and stop using it.)
>> >
>> > In what is probably a separate problem, both batteries seem to be
>> draining power, so I may have some kind of electrical short. I
>> mention it here in case your heaterman brain says, "Aha! It's all
>> related!"
>> >
>> > Happy holidays -- Lisa Drew
>> >
>> > In a message dated Wed, 19 Dec 2001 10:12:04 PM Eastern Standard
>> Time, "ARKADY MIRVIS" <heaterman@nac.net> writes:
>> >
>> > > Lisa,
>> > > Great to hear from you. How are you doing? How is Derek? So, you
>> were happy
>> > > with your BBW-46.
>> > > Tell me about the lowest ambient temperature at which you were
>> starting the
>> > > heater and which temperature you were able to reach inside and
>> how long it
>> > > took.
>> > > Sorry to hear about heater problems.
>> > > I imported your heater from Germany. Let your mechanic to speak
>> to me, my
>> > > phone is below. Ask him to have full heater nameplate info for
>> me.
>> > > I can help to locate the parts.
>> > >
>> > > Kind regards,
>> > > Ark Mirvis - "The Heaterman"
>> > > 31 Byram Bay Road
>> > > Hopatcong, NJ 07843
>> > > Tel: (973) 398-6363
>> > > Fax: (973) 398-7298
>> > > ----- Original Message -----
>> > > From: <LisaDrew@aol.com>
>> > > To: <heaterman@nac.net>
>> > > Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 6:09 PM
>> > > Subject: My Webasto in Alaska
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > > Hi Ark, remember me? (Lisa Drew, Derek Drew's sister.) I'm
>> living in
>> > > Fairbanks, Alaska, where I still drive my syncro Westfalia. The
>> Webasto has
>> > > been great until just a couple of weeks ago, when it stopped
>> working. It
>> > > tries and tries to start (clicking) but doesn't fire up.
>> > > >
>> > > > My mechanic, who I completely trust and respect, tells me the
>> Webasto is
>> > > leaking coolant. He thinks it needs a water pump and also the
>> plastic
>> > > fitting that connects to the hose.
>> > > >
>> > > > I've got two questions for you:
>> > > > 1) Do you know how I can get those parts?
>> > > > 2) Would you mind answering a brief question or two from him
>> if I give him
>> > > your e-mail address? His name is Ed Simons.
>> > > >
>> > > > THANK YOU!!! -- Lisa Drew
>> > > >
>
> _______________________________________________Derek DrewCEO &
> Co-Founderhttp://www.ConsumerSearch.com/New York, NY & Washington
> DC==========================="Best Expert Review Site"for product
> reviews on the InternetJan. 2001, PC World
> Magazine==========================derekdrew@rcn.com212-580-6486
>
>
> Alternate numbers for the industrious phone caller that wants to try
> every avenue: 212-580-6486 (best), 917-848-6425 (cell); 202-966-7907
> (Work), 212-580-4459 (Home), 202-966-0938 (Home), 978-359-8533 (fax
> [efax]), 212-269-3188 (New York Seaport office).
| 
