Date:         Mon, 5 Oct 2020 16:08:43 +0000
Reply-To:     David Boan <dboan@OUTLOOK.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Boan <dboan@OUTLOOK.COM>
Subject:      Trip Report
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Hi Vanagon Types

Thought I would share a quick trip report.  Recently returned from a photo safari from Boise to NW North Dakota and back by way of Makoshika State Park (Glendive, MT) and the Crazy Mountains (Eat of Bozman MT).  The Crazy Mts are gorgeous and worth a trip if you have not been there.  We drove about 2,500 miles in ten days to photograph some of the ghost towns in ND.  No issues with the van except for getting a bad tank of gas at a small town in ND.  The van started missing shortly after a fill-up.  I ran through my mental checklist (fuel filter?, fuel pump? Electrical?).  I carried a spare filter and pump, but elected to see how the problem progressed rather than too quickly start swapping parts (the fuel filter was replaced in the spring and the pump is only five years old).  After another fill-up the symptoms improved, but still was missing under load.  After a second fill-up, the problem gradually went away.

The other noteworthy issue was the wind.  It was windy most days, but coming back across Montana there was a severe wind warning.  A headwind kept me from doing more than 55, which was really nerve-wracking on a highway with an 80 mph speed limit.  With few options for getting off or alternate routes, we drove with flashers going and just got off as often as possible, and from Bozman on took state highways rather than the interstate.  The wind kept our overall fuel economy to about 17 mph (I normally get 20).

I don't think there are any long-term consequences to a bad tank of gas, but interested to know if anyone has other ideas.

Dave B.
Boise