Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2008 08:54:19 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Distributor woes
In-Reply-To: <8CA6B76D84B7DD7-1238-1628@webmail-dd18.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
It is possible that the distributor drive pinion was not properly shimmed
or the case wore out underneath it. There should actually be two shims
under it so the shims can act as a bearing. It can be a bit tricky to
remove the drive pinion. Reinstalling with shims is more fun. The shims
have to dropped down first, aligned, and the pinion is installed. If you
try to install the pinion with the washer on it then the brass gear on the
crankshaft can be damaged and if that happens, complete engine tear down
is in order. The part # for the shims is 111-105-235-A. You can use more
than two to get the height needed.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Tom Stone
Sent: Sunday, April 13, 2008 8:13 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Distributor woes
We left Illinois for Florida Thursday with a load of freight.? My son is
getting married in Sarasota next Sunday and I think we're bringing the
church!.? The wind and rain in Illinois, Ky, and Tenn. was vicious.? We
made it through that and stopped for gas on Tenn. somewhere.? I noticed
the smell of antifreeze when I checked the oil.? Upon inspection, I found
a pin hole rusted into the coolant pipe on the left side of the engine.?
Coolant was dropping down onto the Y pipe and evaporating.? We had a
gallon of antifreeze in the van so I topped off the tank and took off,
pondering my options.? We stopped at rest areas to inspect as we drove.?
As fate would decree, the hole got larger as we drove so by Georgia, it
had to be fixed.? I stopped at a Napa and surveyed the aisles.? I came up
with two temporary repair options.? One was to epoxy the hole with some
radiator sealer.? The other was to apply direct pressure to the wound with
a rubber patch and hose clamp.? We let the van sit for a few hours to cool
off but the leaking area remained wet.?I didn't want to drain the coolant
in the NAPA parking lot so the only option was to try the rubber patch.?
The patch was a piece of an inner tube patch, which I suspect is a rare
find these days.? I carefuly applied the hose clamp over the patch which
covered the hole and the wound was healed!? The remainder of the trip was
uneventful util we were 1 mile from the house we had rented.?The van
suddenly stopped accelerating.? It would go maybe 2-3 miles and hour but
that was it.? Did I mention that the van was loaded to the gills?? Not
interested in?unloading the van along the highway, I had it towed to the
house.? The house is in a nice residential area so the arrival of a
flatbed with a Vanagon perched on top brought out the neighborhood kids.?
I was able to back it up to the garage.? We unloaded the van and I opened
the engine cover.?Nothing looked amiss.??I checked the distributor and it
was tight.? I popped off the cap and checked the rotor. It and the shaft
spun freely.? Not good.? I tried reseating the shaft and replacing the cap
but the van would no longer start.? Pulling a wire and trying to start the
van showed?that there was now no spark.?The tines at the end of the
distributor were chewed up so I suspect that the distributor has been
internally loose for a while.? Not sure what is going on inside it but it
appears that the shaft is too short.
Before I have a replacement overnighted?to us, does anone have any ideas
about what may be going on with the distrubutor?? Is there anyone on the
list in the Bradenton/Sarasota area who may have a spare>? I have a few at
home I can replace mine with once, and if, we get there.?
Tom
'91 Carat???????
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