Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:59:38 -0800
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: Talking about exhausts
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you're thinking of 1600 type air cooled Bug engines..
with heater boxes.
Usually the heater boxes last really well...
so to do a muffler and tail pipes, you just replace the muffler that
essentially just plugs onto the end of the heater boxes, plus onto the two
rear cylinder's exhaust ports. .. Very simple and basic.
however....to get better performance out of an opposed four, plus have a
good place for a cat...
you end up making front and rear pipes that meet at a collector on the left
side ..
then a J pipe to a cat/muffler across the back.
that's got to be better breathing than the 1600 bug system ..
plus a nice long place for a cat and good sized muffler acoss the back.
waterboxer exhaaust systems are not that bad.
They are just not taken care of.
I know that for most people an exahust system is ...
when it wears out, you replace it,
then you run it while it gradually deteriorates until it's time to do it
next time.
Am I the only vangaon tech in north america that really gets under there and
roots arond and tightens loose things ...and espeically ...treat against
corrosion ?
I feel like I am sometimes.
I do not see that shops are anything but parts replacers really.
give you a perfec example..
got an 87 Wesy in ..only 104K mimiles on it to ....guy's been driving with
no reverse for I don' know how long..
I'm not finished inspecting , adjsuting, and lubricating yet ..
but I immediatly find the lever on the side of the trans, where it fits over
splines is as loose as a goose..
and ..
of course, you let any spline system run loose, and it wears out the parts.
No looseness, no wear ....what a concept !
and the whole linkage is bone dry and worn and sticky.
so how it is that in 23 years no one has lubed and checked things ?
like how can shops do tune up work and not notice the shift lnkage is vabue
and wonky and needs a little attention and mention it to the customer ?????
these vans or such excellent vehicles.
And they are not hard to take care of.
And it looks to me like regular shops just know how to do things like clutch
jobs and brakes jobs..
and attenting to little simple things...
such as tightening and a spray of lube is just completely beyond what they
can do.
that's silly of course, but that is the standard of most car shops ..
find *justifyable* profitable repairs to sell..
then make as much as you can off it.
the actual result on the car, or how well the car is actually taken care of
...
has nothing to do with common professional car repair.
It's just like social security and medicare make no mention of dental
care. Is that stupid or what ? !!
A fundamental health issue ..a prevetive and maintannce one ..
and the focus is on repair after things break.
and many shops would tell this person they need all new almost unavaiblbe
shif linkage parts ...
and tie up the van waiting for the parts, and charge about 400 bucks, and
STILL not lube the various little spots here and there that no one has ever
lubed since the van was built.
people are getting ripped off in regular car repair .
and I'm not saying becuase it's expensive..
( expensive is inconvenient, but it's not dishonest or anything like that by
itself ) ...
it's because shops evidently are unable to really see the details that need
simple attention.
they'll last indefenitely if someone would just take care of them.
It just can not be that I am the only person that sees moving mechaisms
crying out for attention..
and if owner's don't do it, shops sure won't. ..or can't.
anyway ...they're such great vans...
so worth taking care of.
a lot of people don't seem to take care of things. A flat spare tire say
...not uncommon at all.
and I am going DARE Obama to tell amercians to stop idling their diesels.
Too political to say of course ..but humans don't even take care of the one
planet they have.
oh well !
enjoy our fine vanagons while we can !
The essence of it is , things that move and touch other things wear ..
but if they're lubricated they don't wear much at all. lol.
and exhaust systems benfit from inspection and care and corrosion
prevention, and last longer and work better when cared for. It's easy too.
----- Original Message -----
From: "A PETER MARSH" <apetermarsh@MAC.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 2:21 PM
Subject: Talking about exhausts
> FWIW
> When I was a youth in the UK (many many years ago) - we had nice air
> cooled Beetles and Buses and lots of other things I forget. Also had
> great sounding exhaust systems that were not the present "plumbers
> nightmare" that were easily fitted to that engine.
>
> What has happened to this simpler system I wonder?
>
> Peter Marsh