Date:         Sun, 5 Jun 2005 13:17:05 -0500
Reply-To:     Maggie Dew <maggie@WESTFAM.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Maggie Dew <maggie@WESTFAM.NET>
Subject:      AC report, trip report
Content-Type: text/plain

This is a preliminary report after having dual AC installed on my '85
Westy with Subaru 2.2 engine.  The AC was installed by Jerry at European
Cooler Air in Dallas.  Due to problems with my heater fan, and the need to
repair the compressor, the job took 7 days instead of the 3 originally
planned on.    I had already put all my stuff in storage in preparation
for working all summer in Los Alamos, New Mexico, so was rather impatient
to get going.

The dual AC performed well and I experimented with trying just the front
or just the rear AC and found that I was only really comfortable with the
dual system on.  I drove from Dallas to the Oklahoma City area, loaded up
my summer gear and headed for Albuquerque.  The bus was loaded down and I
had a headwind from western Oklahoma to Albuquerque and my mileage
suffered.  The usual 18 or 19 mpg on the highway sank to a poor 15 mpg as
I began climbing the hills in New Mexico.  Now I don't know if the mileage
was due to being heavily loaded, going uphill at altitude against the
wind, or the newly installed AC - or perhaps all of the above.  At any
rate, the AC felt great and I had no problems except for a couple of times
when the engine died at a stop.  I'm thinking the idle needs to be
adjusted since it only happens with the AC on?

This morning I went out for a bike ride in White Rock, where I'm staying,
and ran into a young couple (Mark and Marge I think) from Quebec who were
camping in their '87 red Westy with red pop-top.  They were traveling
cross-country and enjoying the scenery although Mark complained of
crawling up the steep hills here at around 20 mph.  Anyone know these
folks?  I forgot to ask if they were on the list.

Happy camping, all

Maggie
'85 Westaru "Anne Bonney"