Date:         Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:41:02 +0000
Reply-To:     Trvlr2001@COMCAST.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "John C..." <Trvlr2001@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Re: Distributor woes; carry JB weld

I really advocate carrying JB weld or a bonding product like it.
One that sets up fast.
I hit a rock, and got a leak in my 2.2 oil pan, ( before I installed a shortened one. )
Coming down from the mountains above Bosie, ID.
I stoped at the FLAPS store, wiped it off good
applied and was back on my way in no time.
Held up well, even with the pressure, heat, & oil.
So, it should work good with metal coolant lines too ! :o)
JC...


-------------- Original message --------------
From: Tom Stone <tstone8359@AOL.COM>

> 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???????