Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 12:01:42 -0600
Reply-To: KMcLean@MORROWENV.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Kevin McLean <KMcLean@MORROWENV.COM>
Subject: Pre-purchase inspection tips
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
A friend of mine has decided that his family needs a Syncro Westy (he has
seen how much my family likes ours!) and has found one relatively local (a
1986 with 160,000 km, no A/C, supposedly in perfect shape, asking $16,800
CDN) that he is thinking of purchasing. He has no Vanagon experience and
little mechanical experience (I explained what can go wrong and what
repairs can cost but he is still interested) so I want to put together a
list of things he should be checking when he looks at the van. What I've
come up with so far:
-Body rust, especially at the seams.
-Make sure all the Westy parts are there (i.e. those little ice-cube
trays, front curtain, screens on the side windows, both tables, cover for
skylight, bug screen for rear hatch, manual with the Westy and Syncro
supplements)
-Make sure the fridge lights on propane
-Check the stove and water pump
-Check for evidence of leaks from around the windshield
-Blue coolant?
-Check all 8 CV joint boots for any cracks or splits
-Make sure the skid plate/protection bars are all in place
-Should have 4 matching tires, all equally worn and of the proper capacity
-Check idle stabilizer and controller: when started cold, the van should
idle somewhere between 1000 rpm and around 1500 rpm, and then drop to
under 1000 rpm once warn and should not fluctuate
-Let the van idle for at least 30 minutes. It should come up to
temperature (temperature needle near the LED) and the radiator fan should
cycle on and off without the engine temperature fluctuating by more than
about 1 needles width.
-Check around the rear heater for any leaks. Move the rear heater valve
on and off. Check for any coolant smell. Check rear heater fan
operation.
-Check front heater: make sure it is adjustable from hot to cold and no
coolant smell
-Check high and low beam headlights
-With transmission cold, drive in a tight circle; there should be little
or no binding
-Check that the rear differential lock engages
-Check for any high-speed (drive-shaft) vibration or any unusual clunks or
other noises
-After a 20 minute high speed drive, check the viscous coupling again by
driving in a tight circle; should not bind any more than when cold
--Pay extra attention to any difficulty when shifting in/out of 3rd or 4th
gear
-After the test drive, let the van sit for at least 15 minutes and
carefully check for any coolant drips
If the van still looks okay, bring to a recommended VW garage and have
them check compression, leak down test, pressure test coolant system,
check coolant for exhaust gases, jackstand/2x4 viscous coupling test, plus
an overall mechanical inspection (brakes, etc).
Any other suggestions for a potential Syncro Westy owner?
Kevin McLean
Calgary, AB
1987 Syncro Westy.
| 
