Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 18:56:53 -0700
Reply-To: Malcolm Stebbins <mwstebbins@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Malcolm Stebbins <mwstebbins@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: My mechanic made a 2,000 km house call
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but I am currently at
the family cottage in Harbor Springs (in northern)
Michigan. I had my van given CDN$2,000 worth of work
at Shoal COve Auto prior to the 2,000 km trip before I
left for this trip. I left the day after the van was
worked on and the van was stumbling upon acceleration
– 1/4 to 3/4 throttle, but seemed to run OK at near
full throttle, or upon full acceleration.
You see I have a Solex carb gerry-rigged to the intake
manifold of a 1600 cc beetle, all hooked up to 91
syncro westy, so things do not always work just fine.
I bought the van from Jeff Hogue (of Shoal Cove Auto)
about 5 years ago.
I asked the list for help re the stumbling problem,
The collective wisdom of the list suggested several
things to check, but to no avail. I called my
mechanic (Jeff) back in Nova Scotia and he said that
he was soon going to be in Rochester, NY and then off
to see the Ford Museum in Dearborn MI, and that he
could drive the 5 hours to Harbor Springs to see what
was wrong. In the mean time he suggested that I try
squirting carb cleaner around the intake manifold to
check for air leaks. BINGO. When I sprayed carb
cleaner around the idle settled out and I could see
the fluid being sucked in around some of the gaskets.
Jeff's shop’s work, but not his work – he was in the
hospital when the work was being done on my van.
Well, as it would happen, I had purchased a VW intake
manifold from a European carb’ed van and a NEW Weber
DFEV carb and had just had an adaptor plate made to
mate the two. So by the time Jeff arrived (5 hours
from Detroit) I was ready to install the new manifold
and carb. Jeff brought some needed parts all the way
from Nova Scotia.
So the way I see it, Jeff drove his motorcycle about
2,500 kms to make a house call: deliver parts and
labour for an ailing van. OK ok, so he was going to
be in Detroit anyway, but he did drive 5 hours out of
his way to help me. Jeff literally worked for his
dinner.
I hope that you all have such a dedicated
friend/mechanic. Thanks Jeff. Malcolm
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