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Date:         Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:35:42 -0500
Reply-To:     Tom Hargrave <thargrav@HIWAAY.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tom Hargrave <thargrav@HIWAAY.NET>
Subject:      Re: Now Preventative Maintenance, Was Do U carry spare ECU?
Comments: To: Jake de Villiers <crescentbeachguitar@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <u2t71d9cdf91004150837ze3fbbaa6pf8fb5d0be73c3eb9@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

None yet but I'm looking for a project.

Does this keep me from contributing to this list?

Tom

-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of Jake de Villiers Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 10:37 AM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Re: Now Preventative Maintenance, Was Do U carry spare ECU?

Hey Tom, please remind us - what kind of Vanagon do you drive?

On Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 5:25 AM, Tom Hargrave <thargrav@hiwaay.net> wrote:

> I quit carrying spares & tool boxes over 20 years ago. I decided I was > "failing to plan" which kind of leads to "planning to fail". Also, > I've driven 40,000 - 55,000 miles / year over the past 10 years, most > of these miles in what most would consider old cars. > > But there is a method to my madness. I'm under the hood of my cars a lot. > Also, I replace items like belts & hoses & coolant & brake fluid & > brakes & tires when they should be serviced & not when they fail. Then > I throw these old parts out because there is no need for a old spare > unless the one on the car is about to fail. One other note - I replace > belts & hoses with good parts, not the cheap $4.00 crap from the local > McParts store. I believe the last Gates Green Stripe V belt I bought > cost me $18.00 from NAPA while the "supposedly" identical belt from a > AutoZone or Advance Auto was in the $4.00 range. > > I also inspect starters & alternators for brush wear. And I replace or > inspect other accessory items when they rack up a lot of miles. > > Your ECU should fall in the inspect & repair / replace category. > Disassemble it once every 10K miles & look at the wear stripe in the carbon. > If it shows a lot of wear then relocate the wiper BEFORE IT FAILS. If > you don't do this then you are "planning to fail" like I used to do 20 > something years ago. > > This may seem like a lot of work but it's nice to know that you can > take off on a long trip in a vehicle with over 200,000 miles on the > clock and expect to arrive at the other end with no issues. > > I have had some road failures but with one exception, none were in my > control and none could be fixed on the side of the road or with tools > you'd usually carry in a toolbox. The one exception was the alternator > in my 87 Mercedes 300SDL - the rear bearing locked up. But even with > the alternator, I borrowed what I needed from AutoZone. > > > Tom > www.kegkits.com > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On > Behalf Of miguel pacheco > Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 6:35 AM > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > Subject: Re: Do U carry spare ECU? > > Jim, in your case, not having the part you needed in a breakdown, > would make a far more interesting story. How about it, has it ever happened? > You carry far more than I do, and I'm pretty well equipped. > Miguel > > I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. > - Thomas A. Edison > > > > On Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 10:50 PM, Old Volks Home > <oldvolkshome@gmail.com> > wrote: > > Yep,spare 1.9 ECU (replaced one in Adrian, TX off I-40 several years > > ago coming back from Tennessee to SoCal). Plus a starter (replaced > > that on another trip coming back from Tennessee to So Cal 3 yrs > > ago), extra hard start relay (I have this installed on all VWs I own > > and just installed one on the 914 this past week), alternator > > (replaced that about 8 years ago in Turlock, CA rest stop - only 20 > > minutes to do that!), two distributors, water pump, thermostat > > w/O-Ring, AFM, master cylinder, accel cable, ignition switch > > (electrical part [gave one away to Bev at the Buses By The Bridge > > event a few years ago] and lock cylinder), fuel pump (replaced that > > a couple of years ago on a Jerome Jamboree trip in the middle of > > 100+ degree heat under an overpass on I-10 about 25 miles east of > > Quartzsite, AZ), fuel filters (both square pre filter and cannister > > filter), fuel pressure regulator, plugs, rotor, cap, hall unit, ICU, > > spark plug wire set, coolant ECU sensor, assorted FI connectors > > w/pigtails, 2 meters of 7mm fuel hose, 2 meters of 3.5mm vacuum > > hose, lotsa appropriate clamps, assorted bulbs and the list goes on > > and on and on....Very well equipped multi-drawer toolbox that would > > normally go on top of a > roll-away - this sits on the floor directly behind the passenger seat. > > When you live full time in a Westy, it's best to be prepared for > > most contingencies :) > > -- > > Jim Thompson > > 84 GL 1.9 "Gloria" > > 84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt" > > 72 411 Station Wagon "Pug" > > 75 914 1.8 (No Name Yet) > > Full Timing Since March 1999 > > oldvolkshome@gmail.com > > http://www.oldvolkshome.com > > *********************************** > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 8:59 AM, mark drillock <mdrillock@cox.net> > wrote: > > > >> On the weekend I got a call from a friend in trouble. He had taken > >> a group of people up to a lake a few hours from home, using his 86 > >> GL as a tour bus. Everything went fine and they made it up the 5000' > >> mountain without incident. After unloading he decided to park in a > >> different spot and the van would crank fine but not start. > >> > >> He checked for spark, ouch, a-ok. > >> He had just filled the tank, so plenty of gas, bad fuel? > >> He bought some starting fluid and it fired right up and quickly > >> died, each time he sprayed. > >> He changed the fuel filter, no joy. > >> He pulled the injectors from one side, no fuel spraying, aha! > >> Pulled a fuel line loose, cranked, plenty of flow. > >> He pinched the return line shut, cranked, still no spray at > >> injectors but a new leak showed in a line. > >> Bought an injector noid light, noid light blinked during cranking. > >> I told him the ECU could still be at fault, strong enough injector > >> pulses to blink the noid light but not enough juice to fire the > injectors? > >> AAA called, made it home by tow truck. > >> Installed his spare ECU from his Westy under bench storage, fired > >> right > up! > >> > >> Mark > >> > > >

-- Jake

1984 Vanagon GL 1.9 WBX 'The Grey Van' 1986 Westy Weekender/2.5 SOHC Suby 'Dixie'

Crescent Beach, BC

www.thebassspa.com www.crescentbeachguitar.com http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27


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