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Date:         Mon, 30 May 2005 13:44:54 -0700
Reply-To:     Michael Elliott <j.michael.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Michael Elliott <j.michael.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      An assortment of delectible questions
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Hi all,

We just got back from a three-day camping trip up Palomar Mountain. One of the two National Forest campgrounds there was closed, and even though I got up there early Thursday morning, the one remaining was nearly full. I snagged the last one with shade. It was a very nice trip, with beautiful weather, and other than the occasional roar from some giant RV's generator, or the motorheads across the way playing Megadeth at odd times, it was peaceful, too.

Mellow Yellow (1.9l) is running well, but I there are a few things I can't sort out and could use some help from the Wiser Heads here.

1. Engine longevity. The climb up to Palomar is a steep one. Laden with gear and passengers I needed to shift to first gear (automatic transmission). I kept the engine to 4,000 rpm. It would lug in 2nd gear. I read on Ron Salmon's site that the 1.9l WBX engine is usable to 5,000, and can even do 5,500 . . . so I reckon that what I was doing was acceptable. No overheating. Comments?

2. Warm Air from AT Pod. I notice that warm air blows into the cabin from the automatic transmission shift lever housing. It comes in through the PRND12 opening, and from the sides of the housing, too. Is this normal? Fixable? Here in Southern California, unwanted warm is is . . . uh . . . not wanted.

3. Unheated air blows on driver's and passenger's feets. There are vents on either side of the housing just forward of the shift lever housing. Outside air, unheated (unlike above), blows in through there. Fiddling with the four ventilation control levers does not stop it. Call me: puzzled.

4. Wind noise from both front doors. This is not the "apply soundproofing to the door panels" kind of noise, but leaky, whistling no-seal-at-all-around-the-door kind of noise. Both sides. Yet the seals, or gaskets, or whatever the are called, appear to be in good condition. Optical illusion? What's a good fix?

ON THE OTHER HAND, DEPT., The Dometic 182 did a yeoman's job on this trip, consistently running at least 25 degrees F, and more often 30 to 40F below ambient. The rear fin-cooling fan did not turn on once. This was the reefer that I put extra styrofoam insulation behind and mounted a little CPU fan atop the cooling fins inside. I did note that on the first day it only achieved 25F differential, but the next two days did better. Does it take these things a day or so to (figuratively speaking) build up a good head of steam?

--

Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus 83.5 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") KG6RCR


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