Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:50:43 -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: Re: Minimum spares kit. Was: Alternator Brushes Wore Out Pretty
Darn Quick
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I know ..I saw that later..
that it followed right after 'alternator' .
just giving you a hard time a little.
no harm intended.
re
"saw a lot of brown, gray, and dark black heavy metal things" ....lol !
yes...there are such things under there.
Speaking of..........I'm sure you or someone has checked your differential
oil ..?
No the starter is not that difficult to get out at all.
Don't remember off the top of my head if it requires an 8mm allen wrench
like the manual trans one does ..
and ...you can see it pretty well looking from inside the engine compartment
through the space between bell housing area and fire wall.
put it this way ..
as starter R & R's go in the automotive world..
it's about and nice and sweet as it gets, swapping out the starter on your
van.
There is no ...............#@**% about it ..
it's essentially the main batt cable, the trigger wire to pull off,
and two mounting bolts.
doesn't get much nicer than that..
btw...always keep in mind the starter trigger signal goes throgh the switch
in the shift console ..
those fail to conduct starter trigger signal solidly sometimes.
In a camp emergency ..you can just take the two wires that go through the
contacts and connect them..bypassing the swithc.
of course it'll start in gear...
don't tell anyone ..I actually like tha sometimes, like on purpose.
not for 'your regular consumer monkey' though.
what fun !
a starter is a bit heavier than an alternator, and not quite as large in
diameter..
but it is longer.
scott
turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rocket J Squirrel" <camping.elliott@gmail.com>
To: "Scott Daniel - Turbovans" <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>
Cc: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 5:41 PM
Subject: Re: Minimum spares kit. Was: Alternator Brushes Wore Out Pretty
Darn Quick
>
> On 08/30/2011 03:07 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote:
>> "how much heavier is a starter ? ...
>> like how much heavier than what.. ...say a spark plug ?
>> Quite a bit heavier than a spark plug.
>>
>> just teasing you.
>> I am very litteral. A bit asburgery.
>
> All right, Asperger Boy, context, context!
>
> I wrote,
>
> "Just got a spare alternator to pack. How much heavier is a starter?"
>
> Parse that sucker. It's an open book test.
>
>> Starter isn't that hard to change on an auto trans vanagon.
>> I also get the impression..
>> and pretty sure this is accurate..
>> you almost never get under your van ..
>> or almost never have it off the ground...
>> given you don't have a safe spot to do that.
>
> It's true, but I do have ramps and was under the van this morning hooking
> up a temp sensor to read the ATF temp on one of the hoses that feed the
> external GoWesty ATF cooler thingy. Looked around a bit, saw a lot of
> brown, gray, and dark black heavy metal things. Some of which I
> recognized, some of which are just mysterious part of suspension and other
> subassemblies.
>
> So here I am with an auto trans Vanagon and if the starter ever craps out
> the van is welded to the ground for eternity. My question is: If one is
> broken down in camp, is R&R'ing the starter difficult?
>
> Scott says, "Starter isn't that hard to change on an auto trans vanagon."
> But Scott takes vehicles apart for a living, and I am pretty proud to have
> done a voltage regulator/brush pack swap in the field a couple weeks ago
> (Mrs Squirrel is still bragging to her friends how smart I am), so I
> suspect there is a difference in skill level here . . . so is it /really/
> not particularly hard to do?
>
> And does anyone know offhand what tools are needed to make a field swap?
>
>
> -- RJS
