Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2003 10:48:07 -0700
Reply-To: laurasdog@WEIRDSTUFFWEMAKE.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Steve Delanty <laurasdog@WEIRDSTUFFWEMAKE.COM>
Subject: Nice day at the coast...but blown shift linkage.
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Well, yesterday was well over 100 degrees here, so we left early
in the morning and took a really nice drive to the coast, out to
Mendocino and Fort Bragg. We spent most of the day at the
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, which is one of my favorite
places on the planet...
The weather was perfect, we munched a picnic basket full of
goodies at the coast while we watched the waves beat on the rocks
for a while, watched sea lions out fishing and having fun and
generally had a great time. The gardens were wonderful as always.
The dahlia garden is amazing this time of year, and the fuchsia and
begonia house was absolutely intense. I've never seen it so
incredibly packed with plants and such an explosion of color before.
Anyone that's planning on being in the Fort Bragg area needs to
make a trip a trip to the botanical gardens. It's a very special place.
I'm happy to have been a member for almost 15 years so far....
http://www.gardenbythesea.org/
As we entered Fort Bragg, some folks in a very nice looking
green and white split window bus honked and waved at us, and
later we got a wave from folks in brown and white splitty. I sure
wish I still had some of my old splits.
Saw 2 Vanagon Westies, but couldn't coax a wave out of
either one...
On the way home we stopped and hung out in the redwoods
for a bit, and also stopped at a great fruit stand and bought
a nice big box of perfect peaches and some fresh apple juice.
Mmmmm... Gonna make some peach pies!
Anyway, the day was perfect, EXCEPT, that on the way out of
the fruit stand, when I went to put it in reverse the gear shift lever
got all stupid feeling. It just kind of flopped around, and it no
longer required pushing down to engage reverse. Just slap it
over to the left and pop it forward and it's in reverse. Acckkk!
Also 1st and 2nd gear got really hard to find. Something bad
had obviously happened. I was able to drive it home O.K, but
it took a little patience and finesse to get it into 1st and second.
Sooo... now it's home and I've got it apart and it's not pretty.
The problem is at the shift lever. One of the plastic pieces,
the "Lower Ball Half (Bentley 34.6) is exploded into little pieces
and is quite clearly no good...
Are these plastic parts still available?
I don't see them listed with any of the regular van-a-vendors,
and the dealer isn't open today. (I'm scared to even check
the dealer anyway!)
Does anyone have a good used one to part with?
Any words of wisdom would be appreciated!
Steve
'86 Westy "Escape Pod"
