Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:19:42 -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?
In-Reply-To: <i2gbfb5ccc41004151047w37cdbb5fhdda6f10ab50895f@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Jim,
It seem you are doing it right but you understand PM. And I agree that
identifying high failure items is a smart idea. I just take the "replace it"
approach and you take the "carry it" approach. Neither of us is wrong.
Most of us don't care or don't get around to serious PM. It's so bad that
over the past 6 months I've looked at no less than 20 used VW air cooled and
water cooled busses and with each and every one of them, everything I could
shake, pull on or twist was worn out. You can't convince me that a wheel
cylinder failed, the steering box wore out, shocks died, the air filter got
dirty (if there was one) and the carb needed a rebuild all in the same
month. In every case the previous owner or maybe the one before him ran the
thing until it wouldn't go any more.
I guess I don't understand because everything I own except for the
Harley-Davidson that's in the middle of a oil pump replacement could drive
from here to California tomorrow. I do have a newer Jeep - Wife bought it
for me because she has a misguided belief that I need something "new and
reliable". But I mostly drive my 77 Vette and ride my 76 BMW right now.
Youngest brother is driving the 87 Mercedes diesel.
I guess I'll climb off my maintenance soap box for now.
Tom
www.kegkits.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
Old Volks Home
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 12:48 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Now Preventative Maintenance, Was Do U carry spare ECU?
Tom -
Keep in mind that for most of my life I have been a PM nut, thanks to my
late father who was a Navy plane mechanic, tool and die machinist, aircraft
model maker (display & wind tunnel testing for Northrop-Grumman) and a
consumate hot rodder starting with Oldsmobiles ending up with VWs from 1961
onwards (how many 1950 split window bugs have you seen fully restored with a
2180 stuffed into the rear, tunnel trans and 356B brakes all round? This
was a daily driver for 20 years for both him and myself). As with any VW
(or other make) I've owned, PM always comes first. Even with living
full-time in Ole Putt, I religiously change the oil & filter every 3K, the
square fuel prefilter every other oil change (to prevent fuel pump
starvation and overheating). Other tune up and rigorous inspections are
done on a regular, periodic basis.
My experience in owning, repairing and driving VWs in almost 50 years has
taught me to carry spares for this and that, depending on the model. I
don't "plan for failure", but I go by the old fashioned Boy Scout saying "Be
Prepared". Knowing what could go wrong in the worst location has enhanced
my preparedness.
Regarding ECUs - the comparison of an ECU for the Wasserboxer Vanagon and
the Mercedes is ludicrous. Vanagon Wassers aren't all that bad, but have a
higher failure rate than the Benz. I'll continue to go with carrying one.
YMMV
--
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 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
>
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