Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2001 04:10:11 -0500
Reply-To: Stephen Steele <steeles@HORIZONVIEW.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stephen Steele <steeles@HORIZONVIEW.NET>
Subject: Hi... my name's Stephen and I'm a Van addict
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Why can't I be satisfied with a car like the rental ('02 F**d Taurus) that I
had to use to get my family home last week? It's fast... it's somewhat
comfortable... it gets good mileage... BUT IT'S NOT A VW!
The day after Christmas dawned bright for a trip North to collect some
tongue and groove knotty pine that my brother-in-law, Bob, has declared
surplus and maybe I can use in my new cabin. The plan was to bring his son
back for a visit with his cousins for a few days before his parents returned
the visit and picked him up on New Year's Day. All this would be no problem
if I was NORMAL... but I'm a VAN addict and I'm not normal!
I insist on driving and maintaining these Waterboxers.
So, lets' see... got to take Hans...Fritz (the '84 Westy) is hibernating and
anyway, we will have five souls aboard for the return trip...so Hans (the
'91 Caravelle) gets the job. Put on the Yakima for the lumber. Check out all
systems. Gas up ($1.07 for reg.). And we're off.
Rest stop at 2.5 hours and Hans burps a little more coolant than normal (.3
-.4 L). I check the coolant level and add to the top mark. Off again. Temp
starts rising to the LED spot as we near our I-71 exit. Only about seven
miles to Connie and Bob's. No sweat... I'll check him out there.
Three hours from home, three miles from our destination; Hans went lame on
me and blew his right head gasket. Steam, Steam, Steam! Pulled off at once,
shut him down right as the oil buzzer chirped once. Post activity and cooled
down inspection shows he runs ok with a bulky start (low compression), no
sign of coolant or steam in the exhaust, no coolant in the oil sump, all
lines and hoses appear to be intact, and a direct leak out of the front
right head gasket area. Bob, the brother -in-law (whom I suspect is a closet
VW addict), hints at the likelihood of leaving Hans permanently with him in
the cold Ohio North... like I COULD DO THAT to Hans. I actually could, but
not in this condition!
We tucked Hans away in a convalescent bed and will pick him up on a trailer
in two more days. We rented the F**d; my sixteen year old son wanted a
Passat... bless him... next to no cars available during this holiday week.
We packed the wife, my teen, Bob's teen and Spencer (our Gift from God) 3
month old in and headed home through our first real snow storm of the year.
I'm ninety percent sure what happened was just the head gasket. After
starting to show a few coolant drops this past spring, he more recently
began gulping about a hundred cc's after a long run. I kept my eye on it
religiously. He never went below the low mark ever... I swear! He wasn't on
the front line anymore as I quit using him as my daily driver last year when
I got my diesel Rabbit. But Hans always took the bit and dug in whenever he
was called on.
In October, he performed flawlessly on a nine hour (each way) run to my
niece's wedding in VA. He worked like a trooper hauling an Amish-made file
cabinet home last month through the beautiful hills and countryside for five
hours last month. Many two-three hour trips to the Metro Columbus area went
off without any glitch or hitch. Add a little coolant here....don't need
any there... life was good, nursing the ailing patient. He was the party van
for the holidays...just like always.
Yeah, maybe I did have to R/R the coolant expansion tank before the VA trip;
And he DID throw a belt in the motel parking lot before returning. But he
has always been there for me. Heck, he has 166K on him!
On a trip we would stop, grab the burgers and go; the boys love to eat and
play games on his fold up table. He has carried a gazillon scouts to
campouts and ski trips and field trips. We camped in him for many years
before the Westy. He has moved us from one old house to the next. He has
carried washers, dryers, stoves, furnaces and even refrigerators for my
rentals. The Yakima double-duties as a ladder-lumber-canoe-kayak rack. Each
new lumber yard kid is awed by his capacity to carry 4 x 8's.
I'm a Van addict. I really worry that when I replace Fritz and Hans with one
newer Westy that I might go into withdrawal. I lie awake thinking about who
will get Hans and will they take care of him and keep him away from that
Nasty Old Crusher. I can't seem to convince my oldest son to take Hans...
his foot is still in the GTi, VR6 mode. Son #2 won't be home from the USN
for another two years and he already has two VWs. Fritz' new owner will be
my nephew who owns a Beetle and is a budding Van addict himself... I feel
safe with Fritz in his hands... I think.
Now all of this diatribe might not convince you that I truly am a Van addict
but there is one last thing that at least you GUYS out there will have to
concede really seals my case and affirms my confession... My wife.
Following Hans' road side attack...
She calmly loaded the baby, his gear, our gear and valuables into her
sister's car after calling for a ride.
Once back at her sister's house...
She understood when Bob and I suited up to go do the post attack analysis in
the cold and wind. Chest thumping, tire kicking, spitting and all.
She never questioned that I will fix whatever is wrong with Hans... "Even if
you are going to get him a new home, you have to fix him first."
She knows I'll take a vacation day to return the rental F**d, pick Hans up
and bring him home.
She has not even brought up the cost of the rental for 5 days or the truck
and trailer expense... she knows me... and she knows I am a Van addict!
She won't really begrudge the time I will take to get him back on the road.
She's the perfect wife for a Van addict...
and I have her and I won't share!
--
Stephen Steele*
Chillicothe OH
'91 Caravelle "Hans"
'84 Westfalia "Fritz"
'81 Diesel Rabbit "Ol' Yeller" by PO
'82 Diesel Jetta "Donormobile" for...
'82 Caddy VW P.U. ( White with a nice "mossy" tone from the
years' of sitting waiting to be discovered by a VW
addict like me).
'90 Jetta GL 16 yo Sons' "together" car
'74 MGB My first car...yep, I've kept it since '74
'93 Chevy S-10 I hate it ... soon to be "Gone"
*all rights reserved/no portion of this document may be reproduced w/o prior
written permission
