Date:         Mon, 26 Feb 2007 11:31:30 -0800
Reply-To:     Jeffrey Vickers <jeff@VICKERSDESIGN.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeffrey Vickers <jeff@VICKERSDESIGN.COM>
Subject:      Re: Plugs
In-Reply-To:  <20070226050937.BA1614E0597@vickersdesign.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed

Jason,

I think most of the water that gets in on the drivers side of a Westy
comes from leaking utility ports. When I pulled all my cabinets out I
had water at the floor level along the entire rocker panel. If you
fill your tank from the outside it can leak there too. My intake
water hose to the tank was loose and leaking and so were the other
two utility ports. I plan on closing them up someday since I always
fill my tank from inside the van so I can see how much water is going
into the tank (doh!) and I've never ever used my city water hookup. I
also plan to move the 110V hookup to someplace under the van. GoWesty
has replacement gaskets for the utility doors. Replace your old ones
and use some marine grade caulking on both side of the new seals.
Also check the water tank hose---some new clamps might be a good idea.

I used two layers of silver bubble type insulation---available in
rolls at Home Desperate inside my entire van. I spray glued those two
layers over a layer of Polyken Foilastic that is stuck directly to
the metal and works as a Dynamat (but much cheaper) type of noise
deadener, not to mention a radiant barrier. While you have the
cabinets out I would clean up and POR15 that entire area where the
floor meets the wall.

Jeff / 87 Soobie Syncro Westy
On Feb 25, 2007, at 9:00 PM, Automatic digest processor wrote:

> Date:    Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:36:47 -0800
> From:    Nathaniel Poole <myth.wright@GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: why are these plugs here?
>
> Exactly the same with my '80. There was so much h20 gathered in there,
> I suspect that it's leaking from the rear upper vents. There was
> nothing to indicate that it was a window leak.
>
> On 2/25/07, Jason Willenbrock <pooncerelli@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> hey all,
>> i am pulling all my camping stuff on my 87 syncro westy to do some
>> early
>> spring cleaning/inspection etc...  i had some interesting
>> discoveries.  One
>> is when i pulled the fiberglass insulation from the panels that
>> are directly
>> in front of both rear tires, not only was the insulation soaked
>> but a good
>> puddle of water was in the bottom of these panels.  So kinda
>> stumped i
>> noticed that if you look towards the front of onside the rear
>> tires wells,
>> there are two plastic plugs there.  one plug is numbered b 243.
>> What are
>> these for?  holding in water?  I took them out as it seems to me
>> this would
>> be a good weeping area.  Now oddly enough if the top plug, which
>> could also
>> be accessed from inside the panel section, was intended for a weep
>> hole, why
>> is it about 1.5 inch above the lowest point?  you would have to be
>> driving
>> up a steep hill to allow water to run out of this area.  Now, why
>> do I have
>> water and mudd in the bottom of this panel to begin with?  My
>> window seal
>> are all brand new and the tops of the fiberglass insulation was dry,
>> leadingme to think this is water coming up from the bottom but
>> where and how
>> do I get rid of it before it starts rusting???
>> any help here would be great
>> Jason
>> 87 syncro westy
>> so many roads to ease my soul...