Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (September 2008, week 3)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:46:25 -0700
Reply-To:     Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject:      Re: Tune Up or Not?
Comments: To: Michael Sullivan <sandwichhead@GMAIL.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=original

1. the tune up parts themselves, in waterboxer vanagons, especially if real Bosch ones, last REALLY well, and are not the weak link at at. 2. it takes about 4 to 6 minutes to look under the distributor cap and remove one spark plug for inspection. 3. whenever you touch or work on a car, you introduce opportunities for something to be different, or not right, when it might have been just fine beforehand. I would not, for example, change the fuel lines and then hand the van over to someone to go on a trip. That is REALLY asking for trouble. You don't truly, truly know your fuel line work is good until the thing has worked properly for a few weeks, and you've inspected your work a time or two in the meantime. 4. Really............here is a Scott Foss Turbovans Shazam quote :

"It's not the parts, it's the workmanship."

people think 'changing parts' is fixing cars. It's not. The real repair and improvement, or restoration back to full health relies about 80 % on workmanship, and only 20 % on the parts installed. Example : .......tdi sycnro Vanagon, Symptom : horrible 2nd gear sycnro action. A shop changed the pilot bearing, which was toast........The shop installs a waterboxer pilot bearing with just *nothing* for a pilot bearing dust seal. That pilot bearing will just turn to dust, like the first one did, in maybe two and a half years, and then like the first incorrect pilot bearing, it'll contribute to tearing up the 1,500 dollar or whatever it was sycnro transmission rebuild job. A proper diesel pilot bearing with built in dust seal is the right part. About half the waterboxer clutches I take apart..........the felt dust ring seal is missing, because the little metal ring that retains it is missing, likely because it was removed by the machine shop to surface the flywheel. They of course forget about that tiny part. The shop forgets about it, It goes back together with no pilot brg. dust seal..........and a few years later, the little rollers are rusty dust. I see this ALL THE TIME.

it's the Workmanship, not the parts.

And when I work on vanagons, I find myself restoring this or that, treating rust, replacing things left off, tightening loose stuff , or whatever. There is far, FAR more to REALLY fixing and restoring back to full health than just installing a part or several. I'll even say this, installing whatever part........is really only 40 % at the most, of 'REAL repair and bringing back to full health' is. do good work, have fun ! Scott www.turbovans.com

----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Sullivan" <sandwichhead@GMAIL.COM> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 9:50 AM Subject: Re: Tune Up or Not?

> Well, my kid wants the van for the weekend, so will do the lines on > Wednesday so I don't regret it. Thanks all. > > On Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 11:43 AM, Stephen Grisanti > <bike2vcu@yahoo.com>wrote: > >> I applaud your intentions, but have always found that doing something >> uncalled-for generally results in the unintended and unwanted. But that >> could just be me. >> >> Stephen >> >> --- On *Sun, 9/14/08, Michael Sullivan <sandwichhead@GMAIL.COM>* wrote: >> >> From: Michael Sullivan <sandwichhead@GMAIL.COM> >> Subject: Tune Up or Not? >> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM >> Date: Sunday, September 14, 2008, 5:01 PM >> >> >> Kinda feeling lazy today and was gonna replace rotor, cap and plugs. I >> will >> be doing the fuel lines in a week or so. Van is running great and wonder >> if >> I can do another chore and just keep the tune-up parts on hand. Just >> don't >> know when last done from PO and don't want to make trouble later on, but >> if >> it aint broke.... Opinions? >> >> -- >> Michael in San Antonio >> 91GL AT 'Gringo' >> >> >> > > > -- > Michael in San Antonio > 91GL AT 'Gringo'


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.