Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2006 08:48:28 -0400
Reply-To: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: Just how far in over my head am I? (long)
In-Reply-To: <20060707075757.41806.qmail@web30010.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
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At 12:57 AM 7/7/2006 -0700, Curt Newsome wrote:
>This is my 3rd VW van, the most recent being a '78
>that I sold about 14 years ago.
Ok, just to be sure you understand that this -- the T3 generation of
the Type 2 -- is a totally different vehicle of a different
generation than the '78 T2. It's larger, heavier, handles better --
IF and only if you use the correctly rated tires, which can be a bit
of a challenge but there's information here to help you. It goes
faster, has much better occupant protection in a crash. It's lousy
in the snow. Like the Microbus, it's almost uniquely versatile among
vehicles sold in USA, and like the Microbus, the Westfalia conversion
is almost uniquely usable for general purposes when you're not
camping. Unfortunately the Westy conversion also wrecks the
aerodynamics so it's a lot noisier than the passenger versions, and
if you want to carry sheets of plywood inside you'll have to make a
rack to raise one edge a foot or so. And some people, myself
included, find that it uniquely fits the way they are. I would enjoy
a T2 or a T4/Eurovan but the T3 fits me like an old shoe.
involved in keeping a 21 year old vehicle (with LOTS
>of deferred maintenance) afloat has been sobering.
Ayuh.
>So what's the bottom line - will I ever be able to
>truly relax and have miles of trouble and worry free
>driving, or is something always gong to need fixing?
That depends to some extent on what you're used to. I've found that
the easiest way to afford one of these is to also own a Toyota
Corolla or summat. I consider it an expensive vehicle to keep in
both dedication and money; and if it doesn't have special value for
you I'd say get rid of it. But if it *does* have special value,
that's a different story and you'll have to evaluate for yourself the
costs and returns.
I'm the third owner of my '84 Westy with about 240,000 miles. The
first owner bought it in Michigan and had it delivered in Germany,
and then took it to Edzell Scotland where my sister bought it for a
camping trip in France that never happened. She hated it. The Navy
delivered it to Bayonne NJ when she was transferred back stateside,
and I picked it up on the docks there with 87,000 miles on it in '92
I believe. The transmission 3-4 syncro had suffered the classic
failure at 85k or so and was replaced with factory rebuild at
fabulous expense by Norrie's of Forfar, the "local" VW dealer who had
no idea what was actually wrong with the transmission. Oh yes, the
clutch was total toast after driving the poor beast 40 miles up hill
and down while jammed in third gear to get it to
Norrie's. Headlight switch panel dimmer had failed and I repaired
it in Scotland. Starter solenoid was failing giving the classic
hot-cranking failure. Rebuilt starter (overkill but I didn't know
better then) cured it soon after it came here. One front spring was
broken at the bottom. The notorious Autostop propane fill valve had
failed and been converted to manual operation before my sister got
it. Exhaust was near replacement time. Various high-current wiring
showed melting of insulation at the terminal crimps. Head gaskets --
i.e. the gaskets sealing the cylinder water jackets to the head
undersurfaces -- were leaking coolant. The AFM was becoming flaky
but was eked along by various measures until a couple years
ago. Scotland is very cool and very damp and generally there was a
remarkable amount of rust on whatever could. Suspension components,
bolts etc etc etc. and the beginnings of various seam rust. Brake
backing plates and dust shields were approaching lacy
condition. LIcense-plate lights rusted solid. There was also a
botched repair of the pillar ahead of the sliding door and part of
the door track which had rusted out completely under the bondo. Rust
was starting to force apart the corners of the fuel tank halves
outside the rolled weld. Exhaust support struts and engine
pushrod-tube shields were in tough shape. Coolant piping on the
engine very rusty. The underbody (which VW coated with wax-based
undercoating) was pristine.
The new transmission started whining after only 20-30k miles and had
ring and pinion replaced by local dealer here in RI. Been good
since. Shifts much better with synthetic in it. Front stabilizer
bar link broke driving over a bumpy field -- bad stress relief where
the link mounting stud joins the link. Exhausts have a rough life
here in New England and this is not a forgiving design. I had the
engine rebuilt at about 180k when it was showing signs of imminent
camshaft bearing failure. Engine control has been a chronic
irritation. Front suspension bushings have started to fail since
200k. There was an undiagnosed clutch problem where clutches would
start chattering in less than 10k miles, cured on fourth try at
engine rebuild time. Been good since. Wallowing handling not cured
by installing Bilstein shocks -- but cured by correct tires. Rear
suspension trailing arms finally succumbed to rust that began in
Scotland. Front brakes have had a problem with rust buildup on the
disks -- I suspect non-OEM pads may be the problem. The pop-up
H-frame sawed almost through one of its tubes at the hinge and the
resulting change in lead caused the corresponding pad to begin to
work up through the roof. reworked it with a piece of solid bronze
epoxied into the shortened cross-tube. Haven't fixed the pad yet,
just reinforced it with a steel strip. Various electrical nuisances,
none drastic. Starter solenoid is getting tired again.
Body rust has gotten completely ahead of me, and it may cost me the
van. But it needn't have.
All that being said, I've driven this beast for about 150,000 miles
in fourteen years. Much of the time there was some repair or other
pending, and I'm way more knowledgeable about practically every part
of it than I would wish to be; but it has only let me down completely
once, this past winter when the B+ lead from the alternator to the
starter corroded off its terminal and literally fell off,
coincidentally as I shut down in a parking lot. I jury rigged it and
drove it home half an hour later. It's a sturdy willing beast and
still gives a powerful feeling of solidity and capability. It has
always been perfectly willing to run down the (reasonably flat) road
at 80 or better all day without any detectable change from minute to
hour to day to week to month to year. It's carried anything I asked
it without the slightest complaint. Value for money? You decide.
cheers,
--
David Beierl - Providence RI USA -- http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage," '85 GL "Poor Relation"
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