Date: Fri, 1 Apr 2011 22:42:50 -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: Two Weeks until Wanee must get van ready! - PLUS important fire
advisory
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suggest you do that work and allow at least a couple of weeks of local
driving ..to make sure that work 'sticks' ..ie. is fully successful.
fwiw ..
there is only ONE SPOT on the fuel lines/hoses that is weak..
on all vanagons .
VERY IMPORTANT this one spot get fixed........which is to ELIMINATE that
spot.
ALL VANAGONS that have not had this one little thing done to them are
heading for a fuel leak and likely fire.
the whole layout of hoses is very good ..the original hoses are super
excllent material.
so I mainly only do two things ( I work on dozens of vanagons a year ...it's
what I do full time ) ..
one ..all the 'crimp type' little metal hose clamps on the hoses on the
engien..
cut those off and replace them with 'proper' screw type hose clamops.
( and not the common # 4 small american hose clamp ! )
the correct ones are like the ones where the hoses conect to the injectors
..
with that small phillips head screw. Those are 'real' fuel injection
screw-type hose clamps.
I think BD sells them in stainless steel even.
I use a regualr screw type clamp ....german made, curled up edges so they
don't dig in ..
they work fine ..but 'real' fuel injection screw type hose clamps are
better.
now that 'one spot.
that white plastic 'fire wall fitting' ..
very silly of VW to put that part on the van. Serves no purpose..
other than to make 3 junctions over a span of about 3 inches.
where the hose on the engine is attached to it ...not really a problem
there.
where the hose on the 'backside' attaches ..that's not really a problem.
BUT ...
that hose on the backside is about 1 1/2 inches long..
and where the black plastic line comeing from the fuel pump plugs into the
forward end of that short hose..
they used a crimp type hose clamp.
This is THE SPOT that leaks first ! ..
recently I was working on one..
I just pulled on the black plastic line there ..and it just came right out
of the hose
so ...cut or remvoe that plastic part .....no need for it to be there at
all.
then ..take the hose on the engine ..and connnect it directly to the black
plastic fuel line with a good screw type clamp.
And arrange it where you can eyeball it easily ..right there in that big gap
between trans bell housing and body of van. Secure it some so it can't flop
around.
Do not ..in my opinion..run it through the hole in the firewall that the
fitting used to be in ..
cause if you do that........you have to rubber grommet it ..a
and WHY run a hose through a hole in the firewall when there is no need to
??? !
this way ...you have replaced 3 clamped fittings with one..
and with a good screw clamp on there...and right were you can see it..
it's very unlikely you'll have a fuel leak there , or fire caused by that.
if you do nothing ....eventually it will leak there, guranteed.
and replacing the fuel hoses on the engine ..
they are extremely well made hoses. I'm not even sure you can buy genuine
high pressure fuel injection hose made that well these days. Use your
judgement there..
Really good fuel hose ..
and they do make great stuff these days ..is pretty expensive.
I do not find the hoses on the engine to be weak at all, most of the
time...but the crimp type clamps ..
always cut those off and replace them, in my opinion. One vendor claims the
crimp type is better. I dissagree.
and drive around all you can well before taking off on a trip ..especially
if the van has been sitting ......and work just done to it.
When work has been recently done on a vanagon ( or any car ) it's not like
'oh, I don't need to worry about that system' ..it's
really.................... 'got to watch that system more carefully than
usual because it was just worked on.'
as a rule ..seriously ...whenever I work on a vanagon with a problem ..and
it's just been worked on ..
say it's a engine issue ..I got right to the most recent work done on
it.....high probabilty thee's something not done right there. The
workmanship mistakes I see on vanagons ....just endless, very, very common.
( for example...vacuum booster line on the plenum ..no hose clamp ...
if it falls off, engine won't idle.....it's tucked behind a little, so might
be hard to see.
anther one ...VW dealer puts plastic engine cover back on a Eurovan VR6
engine so engine oil dipstick is covered ...rather than sticking through the
hole in the plastic cover so you can use the dipstick.
and about a thousand other things like that ..way more than a thousand
actually. Don't automatically trust anyone's work ....even your own ..always
check everything. But especially don't think any shop has done things 100 %
correctly ..they only occaisonally get every tiny part exactly where it
belongs. )
scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Shawley" <easywind1975@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, April 01, 2011 6:00 PM
Subject: Two Weeks until Wanee must get van ready!
Need good vibes sent my way: Leaving for Florida in two weeks for the Wanne
Festival from PA. Started shaking the bugs out of the van from hibernation.
Will have to get tires I think, plenty of tread but some very mild dry rot.
Question what tires should I get for my Vanagon with stock 14" wheels???
Ok I'm kidding, I believe I'm getting the Hankook RA08's, a local tire guy
can get 'em any day he says $440 out the door. Going to replace fuel lines,
change oil, maybe redo some grounds, and replace my heater temp cable.
Anyone heading to Wanee this year?
Ryan =
