Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:03:52 -0500
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: When things gor real bad.
In-Reply-To: <vanagon%2010081123250043@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Ben,
Scarey story. Really glad you and your customer were not hurt.
Not to worry about the English, I expect my French would be about as
difficult - maybe worse - but we get there. I used to live in Yupik
Eskimo country - the English/Yupik conversations could be real funny -
and my Eskimo friends would laugh at me trying to speak Yupik. But we
got it done. As a Public Health person, once at a village meeting, I
tried to use an Eskimo expression when I was talking about taking care
of the sled dogs and cleaning up the dog poop for a healthier
environment. I used a common Eskimo term for "dog poop" and all the old
ladies at the meeting started giggling shyly and some of the men laughed
out loud. My Eskimo buddy there with me leaned over and told me gently -
but with a big s**t-eating grin on his face " You didn't say it right -
emphasis on wrong syllable - you said we should all go out and clean up
'Grandmother"!!! After the laugh, and my embarrassment, my message was
well received. We got it done. - So, Ben, never mind the English. You
got it done.
Take care.
John
John Rodgers
Clayartist and Moldmaker
88'GL VW Bus Driver
Chelsea, AL
Http://www.moldhaus.com
On 8/11/2010 10:20 PM, Benny boy wrote:
> This is one long post but please read and cope with my poor English.
>
> Got scared tonight, working on those van is not funny anymore.
>
> I was having problem with a conversion, third one in 3 weeks. 3 automatic. I
> had glitch with all of them.
>
> I thought that i had a conversion problem (engine surging), to cut that
> short the second transmission was defective and had no neutral or park, so
> all the time i was trying to raise the RPM/engine with a tranny in reverse
> with me in the back!!!!!!!!! good thing that the emergency brake was very
> good. But it took me a good day to realize that, well, when your tired this
> kind of stuff happen.
>
> so of course the engine was not able to freely rev to higher RPM. The story
> is longer but i will make it short.
>
> Just so you know, the original tranny broke when i got the stock engine out,
> half of the bell housing (bottom) came with the engine (picture to come),
> this is why I was needing a replacement. So you know the story about the
> second one.
>
> Hans from Vanaru got me a third one that look in perfect shape, low mile,
> ok, time to swap another one. (understand that in a Subi conversion there is
> a lot of modification around the transmission)
>
> I started this morning and at 1pm we where testing this one on the lift, all
> look perfect. I then finish my conversion.
>
> time for a small road test, all is fine and I came back to the shop to fix
> the front brake.
>
> 6pm, time for the final test drive, customer is with me, he is from BC,
> nice guy (a surgeon).
>
> We hit the freeway after some easy driving around the block, 50, 70, 80 mph,
> the customer is real happy and me to........
>
> this is is when hell happen, at 75mph on deceleration......... the rear
> wheel completely locked down.... putting me side way at 70 mph, i fear the
> worse and got ready to roll over, but I got it under some kind of control
> sideway until i finally slow down (it seem for ever with those tire hssing
> like crazy), she then steer left and right for a bit but bang we ended up on
> the shoulder perfectly align off of the freeway, I even had the hazard light
> blinking before I was fully stopped????? Thanks to my racing years in F1600.
>
> Got back to the shop on a tow truck, van on lift, no problem with the
> engine, nothing wrong with the brake, transmission is even trying to go in
> P, R, N......??? only one thing left, differential... but it feel ok when I
> spin the wheel???? The hell, I removed the diff pan and...... NO OIL!!!!!!!
>
> The 2 main bearing had exploded and part of those lock the diff.
>
> I never looked at the oil diff level, well I forgot when the phone ring for
> the 100th time today distracting me.
>
> Now, let's say that i would have put oil in it and postpone the explosion,
> he is driving back from Quebec to BC with 3 young (beautiful kid) and his
> wife...
>
> How do you think I feel tonight. My mistake? Maybe, to tired, for sure. I
> miss one thing out of 100. this guy came for a conversion, i'm now dealing
> with transmission problem from hell.
>
> I'm only happy that it did happen to us and not his family.
>
> I made a mistake by not checking that third transmission oil/diff level, the
> fact that I was disturb so many time with phone call didn't help.
> But I'm not suppose to be dealing with transmission problem, I'm suppose to
> do a conversion on a perfectly running van and it's not the case.
>
> By the way, this is not a question of money because I'm not even charging
> for all that transmission crap. I lost 2.5 days so far and I'm not asking
> one $. Conversion are hard work and no easy task, glitch are part of the
> deal. But where does it end???
>
> For those with automatic transmission... please check that oil level.
>
> I do thing that the damage was already done way before I got that tranny, by
> not adding oil I have pushed this one and it failed on me.
>
> still, we could have injured ourself badly tonight.
>
> those van are getting old, many of you have kids, if it happen to me it can
> happen to anyone.
>
> Cheers, Ben
> http://www.benplace.com
>
>
| 
