Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (February 2004, week 3)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Mon, 16 Feb 2004 19:07:11 -0500
Reply-To:     Larry Chase <roadguy@ROADHAUS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Larry Chase <roadguy@ROADHAUS.COM>
Subject:      Re: RoadHaus - Escaping Air Sound?
Comments: To: vwcc@yahoogroups.com, vanagon@yahoogroups.com,
          'ev_update@yahoogroups.com', Syncro@yahoogroups.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Volks,

Thank you one and all that responded to the "Escaping Air Sound?" post.

Many useful suggestions were received.

But many "Wonderfully Less Than Useful" suggestions where also received.

I thought it might be entertaining to share a summary of those.

Names have been removed to protect the ....... well lets just say the more "Creative" of our community :)

Summary

- - -

angry coons and skunks can emit a very nasty hissing sound when a couple males meet up on the prowl. from the way you described the sound i would poll all the critters to see who was hissing in the quiet time.

- - -

I've personally never seen another case of Vanagon Paranoia as bad as yours. You're just sitting there in readiness for the next "fatality" to show itself to you. Florida is a great place to sell Vanagons / Westy / Synchro and you should consider that while the RoadHaus is still running and you're local to the only comparable Syncro market to CA.

- - -

Its my understanding you are traveling with a former "wet westy" of the canine variety....I know my dog is capable of "spontaneous releases". : )

- - -

Larry if you are in florida, gators also make a loud hissing noise in the night.

- - -

Well, Larry, the first thing that comes to mind is... get out of Florida. In fact, anyplace east of the Mississippi... leave!

Mostly it is a function of being afraid.

Your experience reminds me of the time I camped in an alley in Venice, California (I was visiting friends but sleeping nights in my Westy). Rough neighborhood. It had me worried. I was parked up tight against a retainer wall, so cars could get by, and only able to get in and out of my Westy via the passenger or slider door. At night I would put up all the curtains, lock the doors and try to sleep.

The first night something woke me up in the wee hours. I lay there trying to think of what it was that made me wake up. It seemed like someone had gently shook my bus, sort of like maybe trying the door handle to see if it was unlocked? Or, maybe a small southern California earth quake? Something. I started to doze off and it happened again! A gentle shake of my Volkswagen! I quietly got up and peeked out from behind the curtains up and then down the alley. Nobody!

It took a while but I finally got back to sleep.

The next night it happened again. Exactly the same as before but this time I was wide awake almost immediately. Somebody was trying my door! Some homeless person? I lay there in a panic and stayed very quiet. In a minute or so they shook my bus gently again! I peeked out and again there was no one even though the alley was well lit by a sodium vapor street light! Damn weird and spooky!

The third night I finally figured it out. Once again, in the wee hours, my Westy shook. Again after a minute or so it shook again. Turned out it was a big tom cat! It would leap from the retainer wall onto the roof of my bus; the first shake. After checking up and down the alley he would leap down to the ground, the second shake!

Your experience may differ!

- - -

Maybe a sea lion with gas? Mermaid? Roadguy? Bullet the road dog?

- - -

It's Bad Clam Gas, Larry. ;-)

Or, having restored Great Engine Power, you're actually on Mars --- and the landing bags released their last gas <gasp >

- - -

On Memorial Day weekend a couple years ago I heard a similar sound. I was camping down inside Big Hole, which is next to Big Hole Butte in Central Oregon (leave it be, the puns are too obvious). Around midnight I heard what I thought sounded like a single cylinder steam engine, maybe a quarter mile away. There were 3 or 4 loud puffs about 1 or 2 seconds apart. Then it was quiet for about 3 or 4 minutes, and it happened again. The whole time it lasted about 20 minutes.

At the time I thought it might be elk. But I didn't know if there were elk in that part of Oregon. Mostly, I've heard of elk down on the rivers along the west slope of the coastal range.

But when you choose to camp in some place like Big Hole you have to expect some weird noises.

- - -

A giant Nutria fart?

- - -

Swamp gas?

- - -

the only people for me are, the mad ones, mad to live. ~Jack Kerouac, "On the Road"

Larry Chase Email: RoadGuy@RoadHaus.com Web: WWW.RoadHaus.com Cell: 408.202.1217 What: North American Road Trip How: RoadHaus - 1990 White VW Westfalia Syncro Today: Florida


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.