Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 12:14:04 -0500
Reply-To: pete owsianowski <pnocean@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: pete owsianowski <pnocean@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: questions from a Vanagon novice
In-Reply-To: <DNEFLHPPMKKCMAEKKDCCIEANCNAA.jhecht@alum.mit.edu>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
on 2/22/04 8:43 AM, Joy Hecht at jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> I've been reading the list with interest and thought it was time to send in
> a few questions. I'm sorry if these seem naive - I'm a newbie to Vanagons.
> I just got my (first?) vanagon in November, and mostly haven't gone anywhere
> in it - though for not going anywhere, I've had enough repairs done! I hope
> this isn't a trend.
>
> Matilda is a 1989 burgundy Westy with 130K miles on original engine. I am
> moving into her - I kind of already have, gave up my apartment, sold all my
> furniture, gave away much of my stuff, and put the rest in the basement of a
> house where some friends live, though I own it. At the moment I'm still
> parked in "my" driveway while I finish off some work, but by mid-March I
> should be on the road. (I consult for a living, can do that from anywhere -
> that's how I can, I hope, pull this off and stay solvent.)
>
> I'm a real non-techie, regarding both auto mechanics and everything else, so
> I have lots of questions. Here's a few to start - none related to actually
> keeping Matilda running:
>
> - Electric power. Here in the driveway, Matilda is plugged into the
> garage
> outlet, so I have light, heat, computer, radio, and the ability to recharge
> my cellphone. On the road that won't be so easy. Does anyone have
> experience with having a second battery to provide these services? What
> kind of battery should I get, how do I connect it to the first battery, how
> do I plug things into it, and how much can I expect to be able to run off a
> second battery?
>
> - Pop-top canvas. Mine is in okay condition, not too beat up. I was
> thinking of replacing it in order to have three windows, but then started to
> think I might be able to put additional windows in the current canvas. (I
> have no other technical skills, but I can sew.) Has anyone ever done that?
> Do you have any advice?
>
> - Roof racks. I will be carrying a long skinny kayak on my roof. I'm
> looking at Yakima racks. A friend is giving me most of the pieces,
> actually, ones he doesn't use any more. I have not yet sorted out how to
> attach them to the pop top. Does anyone have experience with Yakima racks
> on their Westy, and which hardware did you need?
>
> - Refrigerator. The previous owner of Matilda said the refrigerator
> didn't
> work, but I said he had to fix it before I'd buy. So he did - but when I
> actually showed up to buy her, we could not get the pilot lit. We tried and
> tried and tried, to no avail. Finally he cut the price and I took her.
> Other than this, the refrigerator (apparently - according to the repair
> place) does work - electric and battery are okay. (I can't really test it
> now, as it's cold outside and the refrigerator is very cold even without
> being in operation.) Does anyone have experience with uncooperative Dometic
> refrigerator pilot lights? I've read some of the stuff on the web about
> repairs on Dometic refrigerators, and tried to find repair people, without
> success. I assume there's some kind of starter for the pilot? Anyhow, if
> anyone knows much about pilot lights on these refrigerators, please let me
> know!
>
> I'll be heading south from the DC area in March when I hit the road - Chapel
> Hill, Outer Banks, Charleston, Savannah, Georgia coast (good kayaking), and
> I don't know where after that. I'm open to suggestions, and would love to
> meet other Vanagoners. Are there networks among you for people who want to
> meet each other in their travelers?
>
> I'm looking forward to hearing from you with any advice you can offer!
>
>
>
> Joy
>
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Joy E. Hecht
> Consultant on Environmental Policy and Information
> jhecht@alum.mit.edu
> http://users.rcn.com/jhecht/gypsy
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Check out www.semyan.com
Nice upgrades.
Pete
'87 Westy
"Joe's Van"
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