Date:         Sat, 27 Apr 2002 09:25:05 -0700
Reply-To:     Bill N <freeholder@STARBAND.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bill N <freeholder@STARBAND.NET>
Subject:      Re: propane tank dilemma solved
Comments: To: Bob Whitby <rpwhitby@MINDSPRING.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

When I bought my '81 Westy from my sister in 1997, she had owned it for 10 years, having bought
it from the original owner.  In those 10 years, she had driven it less than 3000 miles, and had
never used the sink, stove, of fridge.  She carried a cooler and a coleman stove when she went
camping.  No, I don't know why.  I can't even begin to guess.  Anyway, this van also had a full
tank of propane from 10 years before, and it worked just fine, as did the stove and fridge.
The water pump pumped fine, too.  It probably had the original air in the tires.  In fact,
everything was fine except the engine, which I replaced with an AVP rebuild, which is still
going strong.  I'm sure Boston Bob is a fantastic rebuilder, but folks out here in the West
swear by AVP as well.

http://www.avp-worldwide.com/index.html

Bill


----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Whitby" <rpwhitby@MINDSPRING.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, April 27, 2002 10:03 AM
Subject: propane tank dilemma solved


Thanks to all who responded regarding my recent propane snafu. The list has spoken and the
answer is:
Westy tanks, for that matter all tanks attached to a vehicle, don't have to conform to the
12-year rule.That is for BBQ tanks. The guy who tried to fill my tank, 17 years old if he was a
day, didn't know what he was talking about. And the reason he couldn't get propane into it was
that he didn't open the fill valve all the way (even though it says "open all the way" right on
the valve.)

Then I took the Westy to another dealer who opened the valve all the way at my behest. He was
able to get a half gallon into the tank before the propane starting shooting out the fill
valve. Which makes me think all is in order but that the tank has been mostly full for years.
The previous owner said she had never used the stove/fridge and she had the van for four years.
Is there a statute of limitations on propane, IE does it go bad like gas?

Thanks again,
Bob W.