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Date:         Mon, 5 May 2008 16:48:44 -0500
Reply-To:     Jarrett Anthony Kupcinski <kpcnsk@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jarrett Anthony Kupcinski <kpcnsk@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      New Shocks and Lessons (Re)learned
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes

It's always nice to have a productive couple of weekends. Oly was up on jack stands for most of the day a couple of Saturdays ago while I sorted out my starting problem and replaced the rear shocks. This past Saturday saw the replacement of the front.

I began the ignition issue repair by following the common advice I got from list: replace the ignition switch. Unfortunately, the problem didn't reside there, and I began contemplating the necessity of getting a new starter. Before I went down that road, however, I followed Mike Collum's advice (thanks Mike!) to clean all the grounds. Duh. Basic VW troubleshooting 101. In fact, while I was mucking about under the van, I took the liberty of cleaning not only the grounds, but all the connections on the starter/solenoid. Tried it again, and voila! The van comes to life happily now.

The replacement of the ignition switch was not a futile exercise, however. First of all, I discovered how much easier it is to work on the dash area with the steering wheel removed. Good to know for future reference. Secondly, I discovered that my turn signal, wiper switch, and cruise controls were all horribly corroded. I dismantled these and cleaned them out.

Now when I say dismantled, I mean it. These switches are pressed together, so I had to drill some of the plastic to take them apart. If you ever do this, watch out for springs and ball bearings. Reassembly was a nightmare (but not impossible). The result is that my washer fluid works well enough to spray the car behind me (had to adjust those). And I thought I'd have to replace the pump! Turns out it was a corroded electrical terminal issue. Duh. Basic VW troubleshooting 101. My cruise control still doesn't work, but I wasn't expecting it to. Probably a relay or something. That will require more investigation later.

The best part of the weekend however was replacing the shocks. Removal and reinstallation was straightforward, and now Oly has shiny new Bilsteins all around. Oh man, what a difference! It felt like I was driving a new car. The sway and bounce were gone, and the handling before and after was like night and day. The wind (and big trucks) didn't push me all over the road. Even the wife (who only experiences the van from the passenger seat) said it felt much more riding in her Jetta (only higher). I HIGHLY recommend the Bilstein Touring Shocks (Rear: BNE2007; Front: BNE2019).

I also changed the oil, things were going so well. It's nice to have a productive couple of weekends.

Jarrett '89 Camper GL, Oly


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