Date:         Mon, 15 May 2006 20:18:36 -0400
Reply-To:     shawn feller <rsfeller@CARBONCOW.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         shawn feller <rsfeller@CARBONCOW.COM>
Subject:      first trip in newly restored van. Verdict is still out if Westy
              will stay...
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

We visited Key West a 3000 mile round trip for us from Ohio after a full
interior and exterior restoration this winter/spring on a 1986 2wd Westy.
Photos at http://keys.carboncow.net <http://keys.carboncow.net/>  Although
the motor/trans preformed very well the van proved to be a non-stop concern
of small dumb things I'll be inquiring more about specifically in the
following weeks. It was a "shake down" cruise so I shouldn't be so hard on
it.but there was much preparation, attention to detail and dollars spent on
my money pit! Always wanted one of these things to see the USA in.as I
reviewed comments and concerns from newbies and experts alike I was VERY
nervous about taking a Vanagon on a 3000+ mile trip to say the least. The
plus is when I selected the van I was more concerned about a solid drive
train then good looks and the engine/trans did as it should have.

Photos of the van and the park can be found here: http://keys.carboncow.net
<http://keys.carboncow.net/>  look for the last group of photos with great
shots of the van. Review of the park is below my rant about the small
concerns. I detailed webpage and write up will come on the experience at
this park.

Of the top of my head concerns about the van include:

*       Fridge not performing well at all after a full pull and fix this
winter "on the bench". On the bench we got down to 28 degrees on 110v and
propane with new 12v vents fans installed inside the fridge as well as the
back. 50 degrees was the average temp at best, I'm guessing it has to do
with heat removal at the coils. I knew this thing would fail me!
*       Brake lights wouldn't work I was told. Finally figured out they only
work with hard breaking (I'm assuming there is a switch adjustment or
replacement needed).
*       Temp LED would not go out after starting the van warm. Then
sometimes it would. Not coolant level sensor nor running hot. I finally
determined that if you turn the ignition on for 20 sec w/o starting it would
go out when started. Now back in Ohio it is working fine!
*       Fuel gauge floated around uncontrollable for days w/o any
correlation to what was going on with Water Temp LED. Fuel Gauge then worked
perfect the whole way home on 6 tanks of gas. Will check voltage to gauges.
Grounds are all OK (that I can find!).
*       A couple of times the van ran warm and the LED flashed after long
highway runs. My inferred thermometer showed OK temps on the hoses and the
front fan cycling was minimal so there were no major concerns I could see.
We rebleed the system just to make sure. Will swap out water pump this week
as suspect of bad low speed flow. Radiator looks to be in good shape,
thermostat was checked in boiling water and temp sensor was replaced this
winter. New sensor has always given a 6/8 reading since new while the old
one was 4/8 all the time.
*       Developed front suspension creek over right front end. There one day
gone the next.this continued on and off for two weeks. Most likely upper arm
bushings.
*       Idle dropped from a perfect 800 in Ohio (1000ft) to 55-600 (4ft in
the Keys!) and stumbling rough when cold, fine when running. No vacuum leaks
I can find. Both 02 and Idle Control valve were recently replaced months
before the trip. Will swap in old ICV to determine if this is the concern
*       A/C system slowly degraded after replacing filter/dryer and x-valve
and recharge before we left. No viewable leaks. Will consider better flush
and new compressor now.
*       Front bra attachments scratched new paint job! What is the point of
owning a bra if it does the damage it was designed to prevent!!?!??!?!

I just don't know if we'll keep this thing at this point. The wife didn't
like it that much and I had this nagging feeling that it would fail big time
far from home. I was presently surprised about the power (other there in the
mountains of WV) and purr of the engine. The 225/75R15 tires made a huge
difference in ride, stability and getting those RPM down! Drove all day at
75 mph and calm 4200rpm.  I will most likely fix all issues discussed this
summer and then give the Westy one more shot for a planned trip to Mt.
Washington in late summer. You'll bet I'll have a new 12v (only) fridge by
then! I have to admit this thing attracted attention every where we went.
Owners of 40ft diesel pushers came to look at it as well as old and new
hippies a like. Something about the shine a new paint job on the 20 year old
van had the uninformed scratching their heads and those in the new singing
praise. The wife hated the attention knowing it was exactly what I wanted to
get after $6000 and many hours of curing this winter to get everything "just
right" with something she considers old and dumb!

Now about where we stayed. We stayed in Long Key State Park in the Florida
Keys. I highly recommend this park that has been repaired nicely after the
storm surge from Hurricane Wilma last year. We camped right on the beach and
the van was less then 20 feet from the ocean at high tide! We have already
discussed going back next year with our jet skis so we can snorkel in the
area. We are just not sure if it will be the westy! Again great photos of
the van and keys can be found here. Please email me if you want specific
comments on this highly recommendable park! No bugs, perfect weather, nice
breeze and fire camps allowed on the beach. This was paradise but we also
left as hurricane season starts in a only a couple weeks! See photos at
http://keys.carboncow.net <http://keys.carboncow.net/>

Shawn
Ohio