Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 15:58:37 -0800
Reply-To: MDC Vanagon <vanagon@SPEAKEASY.ORG>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: MDC Vanagon <vanagon@SPEAKEASY.ORG>
Subject: Re: engine seized, sad day...
In-Reply-To: <p05100302b8c171c95945@[68.3.101.250]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Looks like it's time for yet, another, Tiico.....
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Kevin and Heather
Sent: Friday, March 22, 2002 3:42 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: engine seized, sad day...
Well Volks, sad sad day.
It actually happened a few days ago. My beloved 82 diesel ASI camper
Vanagon seized its engine.
I bought the van 4 years ago with 120K miles and original engine. I
drove it all over the place, put about 50K miles on it, then decided
last year that the engine was getting a little old and tired, and
since I had money at the time and knew I was off to medical school in
the fall (and would be poor), I decided to get a rebuilt engine, one
that would last for years.
The mechanic I got to rebuild the old engine said it was so worn out
it couldnt be rebuilt, so we rebuilt off a new (used) block, I
replaced a ton of stuff (oil pump, water pump, clutch, etc etc), and
dropped it in last spring. Ran beautifully, strong and powerful
(well, for a diesel westy). Drove it up to Alaska that summer, took
good care of it, broke it in correctly, changed the oil frequently,
had no problems with it.
Until last week. The van sat for a week while I was out of town on
holiday. I started it up monday, and it just didnt sound right.
Loss of power, more smoke than usual, ran a little rough. Got home
from school that day, called a mechanic, made an appointment for
thursday to bring it in. I'm thinking maybe valves, timing? Dunno.
Wednesday morning, I make it about a mile from my house and it
stalls out and dies. I restart it with difficulty and manage to turn
around to limp home when it dies again. Now it wont start at all.
engine cranks a few times, then the starter just clicks. I pop the
engine cover and see smoke rising off the starter. Awh sheit I say,
lock the van up, then run home to find another way to class. That
night, a neighbor and I drive his truck by to tow it. On the way, we
decide that maybe the starter died and we can pop it into second and
get it started to drive it to the garage; soon as I let out the
clutch, the rear tires lock up and squeel like the Dukes of Hazards.
Quick call to the mechanic confirms my suspicions that the engine is
seized up. $3-4 grand for a rebuild is his quote (about 1G more than
last year). Unfortunately, I live a few states away from where I had
the work done last year, and havent the time to drive there and kick
some arse...
So, anybody got any thoughts on what may have gone wrong? Any
suggestions on what to do with it? I mentioned to my wife that I'd
like to fix it, but she fixed me with THAT STARE and said "Its too
slow, it has no air-conditioning (we live in Phoenix), and not worth
the money". New attempts to broach the topic havent gotten me any
further. So I guess its going to be sold for parts or for a project
to someone. I'll post an official for-sale email with details
sometime in the future.
Everyone drink a toast tonight in memory of Jesus, my 82 Vanagon.
--
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Kevin Innes
Where have the years gone? Why, into the usual vices of the romantic
idealist: into sloth and melancholy, each feeding upon and
reinforcing the other, into love and marriage and the begetting of
children, into the strenuous maneuvers of earning a living without
living to earn, into travel and play and music and drink and talk and
laughter, into saving the world - but saving the world was only a
hobby. Into watching cloud formations float across our planetary
skies. But mostly into sloth and melancholy and I don't regret a
moment of it.
-Edward Abbey.
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