Date:         Sat, 27 Jan 2007 14:53:47 +0100
Reply-To:     Erik Peterson <motoerik@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Erik Peterson <motoerik@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Another newbie
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Hello all,

I had the great fortune to "inherit" a 1983 Vanagon Westy for free
about a week ago.  I'm USAF stationed overseas in Italy, and we have
serious restrictions about how many vehicles we're allowed to own &
ship, so a guy who was going back to the US gave it to me (I only had
to pay the Italian road taxes).  It's not in the best condition, but I
plan on using it & fixing most of the problems over the next 3 years
I'm here.

I'm a fair shadetree mechanic- pretty damn good with
electronic/electrical things, and intermediate-ish on the mechanical
side.  I have a pretty decent toolbox of common stuff, but almost no
specialized stuff, and I plan on doing all of the work myself.  It
came with a Bentley manual, but I haven't had time to look at it too
much yet.

I snapped some photos of it, you can see them at;
http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/m97/MotoErik/Vanagon/
The engine drips coolant around the area of both heads, you can see it
in pics 004 & 005.  It doesn't use oil, and the coolant doesn't go
down noticeably, so I plan on driving it until the summer months (when
I can commute on my motorcycle).  I'm thinking that a minor external
coolant drip is no big deal, does the list concur?  Is this the simple
gasket problem that I think it is?

It also has minor surging at lower RPM's, I don't know the exact
range, since it doesn't have a tach.  Pulling away from a stop, it
will hunt a little, until I'm going about 10mph, and then everything
is fine.  What are the common causes of something like this?

The speedometer wasn't working, it didn't take me long to figure out
that the C-clip on the wheel hub was gone.  I fabbed up a crappy clip,
but would like to get one that actually fits correctly, but haven't
been able to find a good source yet.  The local VW guy said that parts
were almost imposssible for him to get for older vans, and told me to
look online, but I haven't had luck finding small bits like this.  I
don't want to replace the whole cable for a clip that should cost
about $0.17.

The top had some "work" done to it by a PO.  The seals look like they
were put on by a blind man, who wiped the excess glue everywhere he
could reach.  It doesn't leak visibly, but the pop-up canvas is
mildewing, so I know that moisture is getting in.  The front luggage
rack drain is messed up too.  There's a tube running right above the
drivers door into the rain gutter (pic 021), but it's not hooked to
the drain holes in the luggage rack.  pic 020 is the underside of the
rack, is there supposed to be drain tubing in there?  All the water
pools up, and drains out a hole in the dead center, above the rearview
mirror.  Free windshield washer, all I have to do is hit the
brakes....

Anyways, I've rambled on enough.  Glad to be here!


--
Erik Peterson
'83 Vanagon Westfalia
Aviano, Italy
MotoErik@gmail.com
"True wisdom comes to one who has traveled far
and knows the ways of the world" Anon Viking poet