Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2016 20:45:45 -0400
Reply-To: Eric Caron <ecaron1@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Eric Caron <ecaron1@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: West River small report
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West River Westies happens each July and is a wonderful gathering of busses and VW folks.
this year I arrived Wednesday with about 6 other participants and enjoyed listening to about 100 others arrive through Friday.
The Jimmy D 67 bus made many tube runs and I enjoyed two trips down the river.
On our first trip we arrived at the drop off where the covered bridge was being rebuilt by a young work crew. I’m told their faces were priceless as they saw this bus arrive and 11 of us with 11 tubes tumbled out. They should have seen us a few years ago when we arrived with 19 in that bus!
Many great things happened this weekend but I’ll never forget my departure.
I work hard to keep my bus healthy so even though I stayed to the end I didn’t worry about my bus starting and leaving last.
Thanks to a talented friend I have a house battery. So on Monday I said good bye to the last of the 100 or so folks. all the other busses started up and left no problem.
So I was surprised when we started the van but it would not keep running. It would stall as soon as it tried to idle.
finally we gave up and opened the back compartment.
My friend and driver looked around. First he found a wire almost completely burned through. it had become free from a tie and was sitting on the muffler. We checked a few other things we had looked at earlier in the week. Then, my helpful friend said, I found it!
He had removed my air filter cover earlier in our stay and not replaced the connector to the AFM! once installed bus was perfect!
Lesson learned? When friends show me things in my engine compartment start van when they are done to be sure all is back in order.
bonus from the event the burned green wire was for my oil pressure light. Now it is repaired and placed safely away. If we had not found that wire the light would have not worked and if that happened I would have not run the van perhaps being stranded or miss another event. So despite wondering how I could be the only bus not starting, and the bit of concern that created, all turned out great.
Now, wish me luck at next weekends Jerry Jam concert and bus gathering, no exploring the engine during this event!
Eric Caron
85 GL Auto Westfalia