Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2003 19:03:24 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: How hard can you push a Westy?
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All by my lonesome, I drove my 85 GL down the Alaska Highway from
Anchorage, Alaska to Birmingham, AL . Total distance - 4500 miles.
Alaska Highway was paved all the way. I was actually able to get up to
and cruise at 55 mph most of the way on The Highway. Down in lower
Canada and the States it was 65 & 70
Drove 12-14 hours a day with only fuel stops. Longest leg of my journey
in one day - Ft. Collins, Colorado to Ft. Smith, Arkansas.
Malfunctions on the way. Header pipe weld cracked somewhere in Wyoming.
Chose not to fix until destination reached. With the engine in back, me
up front, the noise was tolerable. Water pump failed 60 miles out from
Birmingham. Got towed the rest of the way.
Other long one-man hauls - Birmingham, AL to Santa Fe, NM in 1-1/2 days
in my 88 GL - speed 65.
On the return from Santa Fe, the engine burned a hole through a piston.
I got warning signals long before it happened but didn't recognize what
the signals meant. No strange noises or even rough running, no over
heating indicated, nothing, but every time I would go through a clover
leaf or off/on ramp curved to the right the engine wouls lay down a
smoke screen. After the engine blew, I realized the smoking was the
result of oil slinging up in the cylinder barrels and going past a badly
scored place in the barrel and broken piston ring. Had I had more
experience I could have perhaps headed off the iminent engine failure.
Final comment. The fellow that rebuilt the engine, is an old time VW
mechanic, with lots and lots of rebuilds under his built. He strongly
cautioned me not to attempt driving like the rest of the interstate
crowd. He said that if I drove like them, the engine would not survive
very long. 50,000 miles would be about it. Said the engine just simply
wasn't designed for those kinds of speeds. Said drive 60-65 max, and the
engine would last a long time, trouble free. Took a bit to gear myself
down to that, but now that I have, it's not a problem.
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
Royston, Jerry wrote:
>I need some advice. I'm thinking about going up to Newfoundland from the DC
>area and would have to travel a good 1,100 miles in 2 days to make it
>worthwhile. Is this too much to ask of a Westy? The most I've driven in
>one day so far has maybe been 300 miles with no problems. Can you run a
>Westy at 65 or 70 for 8 hours a day or for that matter at 50 for 10 hours?
>I just don't want to push the van beyond its limitations.
>
>Gerry Royston
>'87 Westy
>Bethesda, MD
>
>
>
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