Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:31:53 -0700
Reply-To: mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
Subject: Re: Minimum spares kit. Was: Alternator Brushes Wore Out Pretty
Darn Quick
In-Reply-To: <1314131470.7254.YahooMailNeo@web45302.mail.sp1.yahoo.com>
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There is no clear answer as to where to stop. My wife and I use our vans
for many long trips away from home, 1,000 or 5,000 or 10,000 miles at a
time. Much of the time we are away from cities or large towns. Vanagon
specific parts are not the most common things stocked by FLAPS, should
there even be a FLAPS nearby. Need a WBX waterpump on a Thurs afternoon?
Expect to wait until Monday at the soonest and pay double the price.
When it shows up as the wrong one, wait again for another day or two.
When the gasket is damaged when you open the second box? Do a Micky
Mouse repair and hope for the best, far from home on lonely roads.
Experience has shown us what is more likely to fail and what is hard to
obtain quick. We carry those parts, particularly the smaller ones, as
well as basic tools and some special tools that a given FLAPS may not
stock. We rarely need them. They are like insurance. It is easy to say
an insurance policy was a waste AFTER it expires without a claim. I have
not used my AAA towing for many years, but I renew each time anyway.
For spare parts we can shop at our list vendors at our leisure and save
a lot of money over what the parts cost from a FLAPS in some small town.
They even tend to ship the right parts, something the FLAPS have failed
me on more than once.
If you do find yourself broken down away from home and in need of parts
and/or tools, have the tow truck take you to a big FLAPS instead of a
repair shop. Then you can try the repairs yourself, with ready access to
tools and parts as you discover the need. I have bought a cheap floor
jack or wheel ramps more than once just to do a repair out behind or
across the street from a FLAPS. Even when I have the needed part with me
I don't always have all the equipment to change it. Some stuff takes too
much room.
Mark
Poppie Jagersand wrote:
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Rocket J Squirrel<camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
> "if you are into fixing it yourself..
> and going on semi-remote trips and being your own rescue team ..
> one should, or could, have more than one alternator total."
>
> But where does this end?
> ----------------------------------
>
> I also ask: How many spares should one really carry? Wife drives Toyota with no clue what to do if it stops... So do 99% of others whether they drive a car or RV.
>
> I used to have spares and tools filling the whole storage under the bench, but with a growing family there's need for the wife and kid's stuff too!
>
> Spare regulator is easy: I have one in the glove box.
> Spare alternator? I'd rather know how long I can drive on a full battery and know if that will take me home. Or bring one of those ctek pocket size chargers and make sure my next campsite has power to charge overnight.
> For the Diesel I've even wondered if there would be a way to jam open or remove the stop solenoid so it can be push started and driven w/o any electric whatsoever.
>
> Spare belts make sense.
>
> Similar theory goes for other things. Full hose set has been trimmed to just the octupus and the other split hose, assuming anything else can be fixed with generic hose from a FLAPS. Would be nice with a proven "clamp-on" or "tape on" solution for minor leaks. Should get some plugs so I can plug off heater core loop, and would be interesting if it is at all possible to close off rad loop and drive slowly w. just heater core and fan on max. (remember at Canadian temps the heater cpore can remove 30-50,000 Btu at peak.)
>
> Tool kit has gone from the full works, to a neat "sockets store in the handle" 3/4 driver and the sockets I actually need + 2 extensions +6mm allen . An adjustable wrench, Original VW 10/13mm wrench and screwdriver (recently lost at Dinner Roch, BC :(, electric multimeter, some spare wire, electic tape, hose clamps, nuts and bolts.
>
> Martin (and '82 Westy "Poppie")
>
>
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