Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:51:54 -0700
Reply-To: Poppie Jagersand <poppie.jagersand@YAHOO.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Poppie Jagersand <poppie.jagersand@YAHOO.CA>
Subject: Lost fresh water tank drain plug during trip. Temporary solution?
In-Reply-To: <73EF3EB1A60D4D5085B471D4FB50ACCC@RON>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I'm in the middle of a trip, and I just found my water tank dry and
drain plug gone. I'm in Banff, and was going to head into the rockies
in a day or two.
For a permanent solution I will order a real plug with the right thread.
Question is: Is there some non-destructive solution I can use to have
water in the tank for the next week?
I was thinking to wind electric or rubber tape around a wine cork until it
fits, and try to plug the drain pipe with that, but I'm afraid it might fall out.
Another alternative is to find a boat drain plug to fit from the inside of
the tank. A marine store would have such things, but sadly Banff is nowhere
near the sea...
Any better ideas? There are two grocery stores in Banff and a too many
souvenir stores. I didn't find a hardware store yet, though there might be one.
Thanks,
Martin
--- On Mon, 7/7/08, The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM> wrote:
From: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject: Re: Drain plug
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Received: Monday, July 7, 2008, 10:26 AM
> First, I have to respectfully and emphatically disagree with
> Mike Miller on using a hardware store supplied plastic water
> pipe cap on the Westy Fresh Water Tank Drain Pipe. 12 years
> ago I made this mistake that cost me dearly when I had try to
> find a another tank because the SAE sized cap and threads
> literally obliterated the drain pipe threads which are both metric.
>
> VW 253 070 285 - 34mm -
> Parts Fiche (ignore ETKA) says 80 thru 85, but I've
> encountered this size up thru early 88 models.
> VW 255 070 802 B - 35mm
> Parts Fiche (again ignore ETKA) says 86-91, but again, I've
> found this to be pretty spotty thru 88, but quite consistent
> on 89-91 tank pipes.
>
> Both are sadly obsolete by VW & Westfalia
I have suitable replacements.
Early: http://busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=253067285
Late: http://busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=255070802B
We list the break as sometime in 1987, which is more accurarte than '85.
There is no doubt that '86 used the early style. Still, like Jim, I have
found the break point to be "iffy." I have seen late '87 models
that took
the early cap, and at least one early '87 that took the late cap. It may be
that Westfalia was using whatever happened to be on the shelf in '87 and
it's not a clean break at all. The difference is so minor that it's
impossible to tell with the naked eye, making it a coin flip knowing which
to order if you have an '87. (One option is to order both and return the
'wrong' one.)
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
www.busdepot.com
(215) 234-VWVW
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