Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 08:48:31 -0400
Reply-To: Mike Collum <collum@VERIZON.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike Collum <collum@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: Re: New Vanagon Owner!
Hi Kyle,
Welcome aboard. I think you'll find this list both enjoyable and necessary
to vanagon ownership. The traffic is such that you should probably set up a
Vanagon List folder and have your vanagon mail automatically sorted to it.
In that the van is new to you, I'd do as much "Routine" stuff as possible
before doing a whole lot of driving.
This includes changing the fuel filter (may be part of your problem),
checking all fluids, changing the oil and filter making sure you use a Mann
or Mahle filter and either 20w 50 dino oil or 15w 50 synthetic, and
generally inspecting the whole machine. The fluid checks include the
transmission. If its an automatic, the ATF fluid is one check and the final
drive oil is another.
Changing the anti-freeze every 2 years or less is important to keep down
corrosion. Even though the coolant mixture may still prevent freezing, it
loses its corrosion inhibitors. The anti-freeze must be phosphate free.
Bleeding the coolant system properly cannot be over stressed.
Just curious .... during those times you've lost power, have you tried
removing the gas cap to see if a vacuum had formed in the tank?
Mike
Houlton, Maine
'84 GL 7 pass automatic
'85 GL Westy 4 speed
> Hey, everyone! I just bought an '85 Vanagon about a month ago from a shop
> in Virginia called "Air Cooled Recycling Unlimited"... 255k miles or so on
> it, with (he said) about 55k on the engine since the last rebuild.
>
> Driving it from there to a friend's place in Ohio, I met several folk who
> approached me about it... and I commented to my friend, when I pulled in,
> "Whoa, I thought I was buying a van, but it's like I bought membership
> into a club!" ;)
>
> Another friend told me about this list, so I figured I'd drop in and say
> hi to y'all, and ask a question that's plaguing me a little bit:
>
> If I drive for more than about 20 to 25 minutes at a stretch, my van
> starts to lose power, almost like it's overheating. I know that the
> thermoswitch on my radiator's bad (I wired a manual switch in the cab for
> it, anyway, because I'm planning on taking it across-country and I don't
> want any inadvertent overheating as I'm climbing the Rocky Mountains
> toward Denver), but even with the switch in place and working properly I'm
> still getting the problem.
>
> Neither the temperature gauge nor the temperature warning light comes on
> while this is happening, I just lose power and have to pull off the road
> somewhere until it cools down. (25 to 45 minutes later, it starts right
> up, has no problems, full power again.)
>
> Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone know what might be causing
> it? I'm thinking of replacing the thermostat in the water pump, but I
> don't know if it's truly heat related or if it might be something that the
> computer might be screwing up? (I have cleaned the O2 sensor with brake
> cleaner, as suggested by an ASE mechanic friend of mine, but it didn't
> make any difference.)
>
> Any insight will be gratefully appreciated -- thanks in advance!
>
> -Kyle Hamilton
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