Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:53:43 -0800
Reply-To: Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Subject: WARNING(virus check bypassed): Re: Re: Death Valley
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Well I believe the original scenario was the choice between replacing a
ventilated piston on top of Mount Crumpet or paying a $2K bill to get towed
down from there. I can't see paying $2K (even if I have it) for a two-hour
tow so that leaves me to consider my other options.
I've 'replaced' the pistons in my WBX (rehabbed them anyway, had to take
them off, re-ring them and put them back on) and in the process I pulled and
replaced the engine. Given the two jobs I'd pick the engine R&R every time
pretty much regardless of the circumstances. I know that some of you have
done the piston work with the engine in the van and even do that routinely
but I think I'd only do it that way if I absolutely had no other choice. To
my memory pulling and replacing the engine was pretty simple and
straightforward and didn't take very long, and the piston work was pretty
much the opposite. BTW, I have an automatic, if it matters.
As for the tools to do the engine R&R, I take my tool box with me on long
trips, and I don't recall needing anything for the job that I didn't have in
the box. On the other hand, I had to create a doohickey to get those pistons
off and on and I don't even know where that is at the moment. I could
re-create it easily enough in a hardware store, but I certainly don't carry
it around.
Obviously you'd need to get the van off the ground and keep it there, but I
always carry bottle jacks and I have often taken a small floor jack on
trips. Basically I think the biggest practical issues assuming you actually
got ahold of another engine would be getting the van up in the air and
dealing with the coolant. When I go camping, anyway, I take firewood and
lots and lots of water as well as at least one bucket and a dishpan, so I
think I could finagle that part of it and if I actually had gotten into a
town to rent a truck and find and buy an engine hopefully I would've had the
foresight to get some ramps (among other thing) while I was there.
Having said that I think it's pretty clear that if you could get to a town
and get a rental truck you'd rent the truck and a dolly and pull the van out
yourself before you'd do any of the rest of it; then you could find a
storage place or something to do your work, or find a mechanic and a motel
room.
So basically I don't know that the skills, or the tools (outside of the
jacks and such) would be beyond what many folks on here have already
indicated they have and carry. I don't know what to tell you about the
confidence. I can count on one hand the number of times I've paid a mechanic
to do anything outside of smog checks and tire work. I don't think I'd feel
the same about doing an engine swap out of just about any other vehicle in
that situation but of the ones I have done the Vanagon was so easy,
comparatively, that I was amazed.
So give these choices: A $2K tow (and all the rest of the expense that would
follow), rehabbing a piston in a camping spot, or swapping a WBX in that
camping spot (assuming the availability of a working used engine, a rental
truck or the equivalent, etc.) I'd go for the swap. I think it'd be easier
and take less time than rehabbing the piston and it'd probably be cheaper by
half than the tow.
Cya,
Robert
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Elliott" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 7:50 AM
Subject: Re: Death Valley
> Robert Fisher typed:
>
> <snip>
>> In all seriousness I wonder if wouldn't be simpler to take
>> an engine to the van and swap 'em out. Get a ride to one place or the
>> other,
>> rent a truck, buy an engine and go back. It'd be cheaper.
> Robert, if I am reading this correctly, that you would drive an engine
> out to your Vanagon which is sitting on some dirt road in the middle of
> nowhere and swap in a replacement engine, then I am mightily impressed.
> If it was an aircooled engine, then I reckon it might be possible for
> even me to do it -- barely -- if I was lucky enough to have all the
> needed tools at hand and had a helper (at least for my '71 -- the engine
> never goes in easily because of that stupid mustache bar) . But if you
> could do that with a WBX engine, my hat is off to you. Your skillset,
> the collection of tools you pack, and your confidence far exceed mine.
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> KG6RCR
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