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Date:         Sat, 3 Aug 2002 22:45:51 -0400
Reply-To:     Edward Maglott <emaglott@BUNCOMBE.MAIN.NC.US>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Edward Maglott <emaglott@BUNCOMBE.MAIN.NC.US>
Subject:      Road trip report
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

I missed the High Country Bus Festival due to a conflicting trip on the same weekend. And here's what happened, Vanagon wise.

I lit out early on Friday morning from Asheville, NC heading up to Northern VA. I got about 75 miles to Hickory NC on I-40, and things started to get loud from the back end. Just an exhaust leak kind of loud though... I pulled off the interstate and found the problem to be where the pipe called the connector meets with the piece called the collector. The flange part of the pipe seemed to be cracking off of it. I had noticed a small leak there a few days earlier, but didn't think it would fail completely. Hmm, what to do? I didn't really want to drive it like it was. So pulled onto US 70 and started cruising into Hickory seeking assistance. Came to a Midas shop first and pulled in. They got me in pretty quick despite having a fair amount of business. the guy put it up on the lift and showed me the plan to cut off part of the connector and weld in about an 8" piece with a new flare on the end. I would still use the existing hwy, and would be able to replace the whole connector later. $40 seemed a little steep, but I went ahead. It did take the guy close to an hour to do it, so Maybe $40 was not too bad. I got in it to leave and started it up. I went around to check the repair and could hear and feel a small leak in the area where it bolts together. Oh well, I thought, I will fix it right later.

So I drive on to lunch at my favorite bbq restaurant, Short Sugar's, in Danville, VA. Come out from lunch, and start it up, way loud again. I think i had the AC on coming in to Danville, and didn't hear it apparently. I went to look, and found that 2 of the 3 bolts holding that joint together were gone, and the third was really loose, with the nut barely on the threads. I was pissed. It was hot too. Well into the 90s and humid. I crawled under there and tightened the nut up enough so it wouldn't fall off. I drove a ways to an area with more shops, where I thought I had seen a Midas. Turns out there is no Midas in this part of VA, nor in the direction I am going, until Richmond, about 140 miles. Hmmmm. I could find a place to buy the necessary bolts, washers, etc, and fix this myself. It was more the principal of the thing that they screwed up their work. I found a shady corner of parking lot and checked to see if I had any appropriate bolts on board, nope. Crawled under there and just tightened up that one nut. I noticed at this time that there were no washers on the bolt, which I am pretty sure I had used in assembling this joint a year ago. Well, that one bolt held fine for the rest of the day. Still a little leaking, but not too much.

The next day, I take the van to a Midas shop in Fredericksburg, VA where I am visiting. The manager is surly, but the service tech guy puts it up on the lift. I jump under there with him and tell him that it just needs those bolts replaced. He tells me that "something is getting ready to come apart" in the engine, possibly the timing belt. OK, I refrain from educating him on the particulars of the engine. Indeed I do hear something other than the exhaust leak... A nasty rattling scraping sound. Then he looks up to where the AC belt is and says that it is too loose and it could be the AC compressor bearing. OK, just fix the exhaust. He seems relieved. Then in the course of lowering the vehicle to shut off the engine, and raising it back up, he starts looking it over and asking me questions. he is starting to like the 86 westy. Another wrench guy comes over and likes it too. So now he is taking a little better care of me. He put on new bolts and washers and double nuts them. he says they shouldn't have sent me out from the other shop like that. OK, my exhaust is fixed, quiet and not leaking at all. Apparently they just didn't tighten those 3 bolts at the first place.

Now, about the other scary noise. I drive to a nearby parking lot and pull up in the corner. I find that one of the bolts that holds the AC compressor has backed out and is hitting the pulley. I take the opportunity to tighten up the belt while I am in there. It is almost all the way to the limit of it's adjustment and is still not overly tight. While I am working I get visited by a sheriff. he asks where I am headed, from, what I am doing, etc. I tell him. he pulls around and parks 50' away and I assume he is running my tag. A few minutes later, he heads on his way.

The AC was the other item of interest on this hot trip. Previously I had trouble with lots of air coming in through the front ventilation system, even with all levers shut. I followed the advice of Tim Hannink, and made some foam blocks to shove up in the heater vents behind the plastic cover. This made a big difference on the hwy. Also, I suspect I am leaking refrigerant. Early in the trip it was working really well. I could use it on fan setting #1 and be almost cool enough. #2 was a little too cool. Great! Later is started working less and less.

Then it became Monday and was time to make the 7 hour trip home. It was really hot, over 80 at 8AM and predicted to get up to 100 in VA. I am thinking I will try to stay as cool as possible as long as possible. It is gong well in the morning on a shady stretch of I-95. Then it suddenly stops all cooling. I assume the refrigerant has gotten low enough that it has shut the system down. I make it just west of Richmond, and it is getting really hot in the old van. I develop a coping system for high heat vanagon operation. I buy a big fruit juice drink with my tank of gas. I take off my shirt and put in on the back of the seat. I open the passenger side window and the sliding window over the kitchen. I open the drivers vent wing at low speeds for additional air. I put my windshield sun reflector next to me by the door. It stick up just far enough to block the sun from hitting my lap and not far enough to block the view of the mirror. The juice drink is gone in 15 minutes. Then a lot of water. 2 big Ice Teas from Short Sugar's. More water. Stop at every rest area and fill the water bottle with nice cold water from the water fountain. Drink it up. I was actually pretty comfortable once I got used to it.

Get home and a few days later need to move the van. I notice the power steering pump is no longer groaning when I turn the wheel. The steering doesn't seem too heavy on the gravel driveway though. Did my power steering heal itself? Check the fluid, it's ok, but hey, the belt is of the PS pump and the AC compressor. D'oh! Coulda spent 15 minutes on Monday morning putting the belt back on and had a cooler trip back home! I never noticed the PS was not working in about 325 miles of driving.

Otherwise the van ran fine. No over heating in the very hot temps. Never even got close, stayed at about 1/8 to 1/4 inch to the right of the LED, as it always does. MPG is sucking though. All in the 16s. Cruised in the 60-70 mph range with the AT. Cruise control would be nice, but I did make good use of the left foot gas pedal technique out in the rural areas. That helped a lot. I became frustrated with the ~250 mile range on a tank of fuel. My other car, Golf TDI can go up to about 800...

Edward


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