Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2005 19:29:11 -0800
Reply-To: Chris Radcliffe <chrisr_vanagon@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Chris Radcliffe <chrisr_vanagon@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject: Re: So when a Westy sits for 5 years...
In-Reply-To: <20050128003802.23055.qmail@web21322.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Two words: fuel tank. I resurrected a '72 Westy that had sat for 10 years
until 1992... and the fuel tank had to be replaced, too much rust from water
in the ancient gas. If rust is blocking your fuel system, it might explain
your idling problem.
ChrisR in SF
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Robbie Cotner
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 4:38 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: So when a Westy sits for 5 years...
The early '85 Westy I'm looking at buying has been sitting more or less for
5 years, apparently being driven about once a year during that time. It was
also given a "$500 servicing" at a local mechanic who knows nothing about
VW's about 2 years ago, they have no receipt so I don't know what work was
done, but I did notice it had all new belts.
What worries me:
-Since it has been sitting in the same spot in their driveway so long, I
noticed under the engine on the concrete a large, almost rectangular patch
of dark discoloration. Coolant? Oil? I noticed none of either leaking
while the engine was running.
-The lady who owns it proudly said "all we had to do to start it back up was
charge the battery and put in some coolant!" I do not know how much coolant
was added, is coolant loss of any sort "normal" over time?
-I drove the van home and inspected it as best I could top to bottom. Ran a
compression test that came out terribly but I suspect it was because the
spark plug areas were so dirty that a good seal was impossible. Didn't
notice anything leaking looking up from below the engine, the head gaskets
looked good, soft and pliable from the outside. Heres what scares me:
Started her up to bring it back after the compression test(engine had been
off for over two hours), within two minutes of running the temperature gauge
is nearing it's peak!! The coolant light comes on. I don't see how it
could get so hot so fast, so while driving; I shut it off, and restart...
the coolant light goes off, and the needle falls to a more acceptable level.
However, now I'm having troubles keeping the van running, it wants to die if
I don't hold it idling with my foot on the gas. It had good power once you
got going, but when you came to idle at a stop it wanted to die. I got it
back and didn't mention a
thing about it to the owners, fearing they'd blame me for it as it did not
have this problem as I drove it away! Any idea what happened?
I'm quite mechanically inclined and am willing to fix whatever may go wrong
with the Westy should I buy it; but I'm worried that after taking a 5-year
break from the 110,000 trouble-free miles it gave the original owners an
abundance of problems may inevitably show up upon restarting its journeys.
What can I expect?
Thanks,
-Rob
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