Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2012 23:45:17 -0700
Reply-To: Old Volks Home <oldvolkshome@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Old Volks Home <oldvolkshome@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: WTB: Injector Driver Module
In-Reply-To: <50380C7C.8090602@turbovans.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Other than "standard maintenance", I guess I'm lucky for both of my
84s. The GL has basically been flawless, the only major thing
required in 3.5 years has been a fuel hose change-out. The Westy has
a few minor issues, but has done very well since the last engine
rebuild and auto tranny rebuild, both done several years ago. I
probably attend to "preventative maintenance" more than the average
owner, which was drilled into me by my late father. But maintaining
these and the 914 is a bit of chore with my limited leg mobility
issues, but it keeps me active. And it doesn't help the left eye
cataract rendering me blind in that eye doesn't hekp (corrective
surgery scheduled next month to help - I hope).
I had an ECU fail on me in Texas a few years back. Had a spare with
me and kept going. With my traveling all over, my Rear Seat Box is
packed with all kinds of spares some of which has been utilized on
various journeys.
--
Jim Thompson
84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
75 914 1.8 "Nancy"
Full Timing From March 1999 To January 2012
oldvolkshome@gmail.com
http://www.oldvolkshome.com
Find me on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Thompson/100000710343835
***********************************
On Fri, Aug 24, 2012 at 4:21 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans
<scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
> are you kidding ? re 'falling apart'.
> every last vanagon I see needs about 50 things , and I don't even insist
> on 'all new everything at all.'
> They are 25+ years old after all.
> I think they sold a lot of 84's..
> people love them, and keep them alive. There's lots of 84's still,
> especially westy's.
> They also get a lot of neglect over the years.
>
> it's good to have a spare ecu of course.
> I think I have seen exactly one bad 1.9 ECU ever.
> I'm glad to read that Bob had his priorities straight.
> 'longevity and reliability. ' - right on.
>
>
>
> On 8/24/2012 3:33 PM, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:
>>
>> "Sounds like yer 84 is falling apart on you, ECU, Spark Plugs, Water
>> Faucet, et al. What gives Mr Squirrel?"
>>
>> Normal maintenance, my friend, normal maintenance.
>>
>> Yes, there is some kinda weird engine cutout that occurs only when it's
>> da** hot and I'm climbing long steep grades. This surface for the first
>> time two summers ago. But didn't occur last summer. But did this summer.
>>
>> Science is baffled.
>>
>> My Ken Lewis O2 measuring gizmo says the engine goes LEAN when the
>> engine cuts out--so it could be my ECU going on a hunger strike or some
>> other fuel-delivery problem.
>>
>> Mark Drillock says he has a spare ECU for me to use for , and that's one
>> thing worth trying.
>>
>> The water faucet thing. Well, it looks like I got an early part from
>> last year when the parts had just been put into production. The leak is
>> a Known Issue. Bus Depot and Cherie, AKA, the "Skylight Gal" (GFAB
>> Manufacturing Ltd), have stepped up to the plate and are sending a new
>> pressure-tested unit.
>>
>> W/r/t the spark plugs. Man, I don't know what to do. Dennis Haynes, who,
>> in my estimation, ranks up with the sainted Bob Hoover of air cooled VW
>> engine fame (a man whom I was honored to receive personal coaching from
>> in 2007 when my '71 bay window blew its engine -- he lived about five
>> miles from my house) says the plugs will turn my engine into toast and
>> probably cause impotence.
>>
>> This can't be good.
>>
>> But other folk who have been using these plugs for, like, ever have no
>> complaints. These would be the Scott Daniels of our list fame, and the
>> tencentlife of The Samba fame. Off-record, I've received technical and
>> well-argued private e-mails both pro and con about these things.
>>
>> Hoover always discouraged anything that would improve the engine's
>> performance, feeling that the VW engineers optimized their engines for
>> long life. He did develop several nice modifications for the engines,
>> but they were done to increase reliability and longevity.
>>
>> But the Dark Side calls. The increased pep the new plugs provide is
>> seductive.
>>
>> --
>> Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
>> 1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
>> Bend, Ore.
>>
>> On 08/24/2012 03:06 PM, Old Volks Home wrote:
>>>
>>> Oh, the ECU......also called a "gonkulator"
>>>
>>> ;)
>>>
>>> Sounds like yer 84 is falling apart on you, ECU, Spark Plugs, Water
>>> Faucet, et al. What gives Mr Squirrel?
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