Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2004 16:16:37 -0700
Reply-To: Dan Wohlers <djwohls@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dan Wohlers <djwohls@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: My first Westy trip! Questions and Thank You!
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
This past weekend I was able to take my “new” Westy out for a camping
trip.
I found my Vanagon in a local newspaper last September. It had been
owned by a local farmer, who bought it new in 1985, to take to Iowa
football games with his family. It is a full camper of which the sink,
stove and fridge had never been used. It had 37,000 miles on it and
was in great shape on the outside. The inside had been a home for mice
over the last few years, so it needed some work. He had it listed for
$1100 OBO, which I thought was a steal. I almost felt guilty buying it
at this price, but I justified it by knowing that I would take much
better care of this van. After cleaning the van from top to bottom
(removed all cabinets, carpets, chairs, rotted tent) and some engine
work (new starter, hoses, battery, coil, brakes, etc.) I was finally
ready to roll.
My first trip was from Coralville, Iowa to Omaha, Nebraska to pick up
an almost new set of tires for the van. When I purchased the van it
had regular 35-psi car tires on it. I was on my way to pick up a set
of Bridgestone 603VZ D load tires from a fellow vanagon owner.
I left my house at 8 am Saturday morning and headed out on I-80. I
took 149 down to Hwy 92 and followed that all the way to Council
Bluffs. After jumping across the Missouri River to Omaha, I picked up
the tires and headed to a Tires Plus to get them put on the van.
After the tires were put on I headed out to Lake Anita State Park in
Iowa (South of I-80 near Atlantic). This is a stereotypical Iowa State
Park: beautiful, great level campsites, a lake within a stone’s throw
of my campsite, and full of friendly people. It was a little cold on
Saturday night (25 F), so I used a small electric heater that I had
brought with me. It was a nice night, but I found the bottom bed a
little small for me (I am 6’4”). I can’t wait to get the new tent and
make a pillow board for upstairs so I can stretch out.
The next day I had to start back towards home. I jumped on I-80 for a
stretch (the van handles much better with the right tires!) and then
took Hwy 6 back to Coralville.
Total miles: 573
Miles per gallon (approx): 20
Average Hwy speeds: 55-65
Average Interstate speeds: 65-75
Alright, now a few questions:
1. I noticed that after traveling on the highway for a while when I
would come to a stop the idle would bounce from 1100-1200 RPMs. If I
would drop it into neutral it would bounce from 1000-1300 one time,
then 1100-1200 one time, then stay around 1200 for a second, then
repeat. Any ideas?
2. My coolant level indicator light flashed occasionally during the
trip. I read that somebody had recommended that you turn the key on,
wait 1 minute, and then start the van. When I would do this the light
would not blink. Is this an indication that I have a bad sensor? I
checked my coolant every time I stopped, so I know that I had enough
coolant.
3. I noticed that the van had a lot more “power” when it was in the
3800-4100 RPM range as compared to the 3000-3200 RPM range. (I would
not slow down much when I would hit a big hill at 4000 RPMs, but if I
hit a big hill at 3000 RPMs it would slow me down). Is this typical of
these vans? Does anyone have a torque/HP graph for the vanagon?
4. I noticed that many people had commented on the fact that the
speedometers in the vans are not very accurate. I watched the mile
markers as compared to my odometer and I would be off 0.1 mile after 10
miles (counted this 3 times). This doesn’t seem to be off as much as
people had suggested.
5. I do not have my Aux battery installed yet. Can I run the fridge
off of the main battery while I am driving, or will I end up with a
dead battery?
Well, I think that wraps up my questions. If anyone has any answers
they can be directed to me off list (especially if any of the topics
have been beaten to death already) or on-list if you think it might be
able to help someone else with their van.
I would like to wrap this up by saying THANK YOU to all of the people
on this list!!!! I have silently used your wisdom for the last 7
months to help get my van running like it should. THANK YOU, THANK
YOU, THANK YOU!!!
Sincerely,
Dan Wohlers
1985 Westy
Coralville, IA
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