Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2024 10:28:04 -0700
Reply-To: Roger Whittaker <rogerwhitt1@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Roger Whittaker <rogerwhitt1@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: List member saves the day
In-Reply-To: <23153A2E-D959-4473-B551-D90563CF8549@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Dear Engine Running
From what I know about working on the VW engine - I have had a 1970/71 a
1985 and our beloved 1989 OEM 5 speed Diesel -
Dennis went into the engine bay and quietly said the VW Prayer - Then
spread the Magic VW Go Powder in a fine mist throughout.
For those who do not know the VW Prayer it goes like this
Himmlischer Vater
Who art in Westfalia
Hollowed be thy Combi
Thy Driving Holiday Comes
Thy will be done
On the highway as it is in the Camping spot
Give us our daily Millage
And forgive us our missed maintenance
As Thy Holy Bentley is yet to arrive
Forgive those who took our money and gave us poor repairs
As we forgive those to whom we took free advice from around the campfire.
Lead us not into tempting High speed Freeway Traffic but onto Blue Highways
only
And Deliver us from Evil by having our AAA GOLD RV PREMIUM card always at
the ready
Or when Off Road, A Knowledgeable Olde Timey VW guy or gal who already
knows Thy Holy Bentley
Amen
With no disrespect meant to practicing Christians, Christians who need no
further practice because they already got it right, or those who seek to
find offence in anything they have not thought of their selfs or have been
too weirded out to put pen to paper -
On Wed, Jul 31, 2024 at 8:31 AM Eric Caron <ericcaron96@comcast.net> wrote:
> OK listers,
>
> What do you think Dennis did in that engine compartment that resulted in
> the van starting?
>
> Pretty sure it is a stock 84.
>
>
> Eric Caron
> > On Jul 31, 2024, at 11:2
>
> > 3 AM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > It was my privilege to be able to help someone out.
> > It takes some guts to get into a 40 year old vehicle and not only drive
> it far from home but to also live in it.
> > Most "classic" vehicles get trailered to shows.
> > Regardless of whet we drive, there are times we all need some help and
> somehow our community is often there to help.
> >
> > Dennis
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com> On Behalf Of
> Eric Caron
> > Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2024 9:26 PM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: List member saves the day
> >
> > Hi folks,
> >
> > I host a VW bus campout each year.
> >
> > This message came to me today.
> > Guess who saved the day? And guess what he did to the van that got it
> running?
> >
> > I thought I share.
> >
> > Eric
> >
> > Hi Eric and Heidi:
> >
> > Thanks again for a great West River Westies weekend. Hard to believe
> we’ve had Wiffle since 1994 and only started coming down to Townsend a
> handful of years ago. Better late than never!
> >
> > After reading your recent Wrap Up, I thought I’d share a little about
> our Vanagon adventure.
> >
> > Wiffle is a faded yellow ’84 Westy (hence the nickname bestowed on it
> several years ago at West River by the regulars from Northampton for its
> uncanny resemblance to a Wiffle Ball bat). It’s an understatement to say
> it’s been a little balky the last several years.
> >
> > We had to have it towed to a shop after it came out of storage in early
> spring. It started on the first turn of the key but then had no further
> interest in starting. It took not one, but two visits to the shop before it
> finally seemed to be back in good health, fortunately just in time for West
> River Westies. Unfortunately, it refused to start again on the Wednesday of
> what we have taken to calling Vanagonpalooza week.
> >
> > Because it was cranking strong (and because I’m mechanically clueless),
> I thought maybe I’d just been flooding it, so I gave it another shot on
> Thursday. After predictably running the battery down, we successfully
> jumped it and thought we were set for West River.
> >
> > Alas, it failed to start again on Friday morning.
> >
> > At lunchtime Friday, I tried for a Hail Mary and, lo and behold, the bus
> fired up. We decided it was meant to be and so with Wiffle running, we
> decided to risk it and drive both the VW and our car to Townsend. The
> thought was, if Wiffle gave up the ghost, we’d just offload everything into
> the car, have the bus towed to the shop, pitch our tent at Bald Mountain,
> and enjoy the weekend.
> >
> > The good news is that Wiffle purred like a kitten on the entire 100-mile
> drive, and we had a great weekend – despite the West River water level. ;-)
> >
> > The bad news is that when we packed up to leave on Sunday morning and I
> hopped nervously behind the wheel, the bus cranked and cranked but was back
> to showing no interest in starting.
> >
> > The best news is the West River Westies community saved the day!
> >
> > We were minutes from calling for a tow when a fellow in the huge RV next
> to us, hearing the fruitless cranking, wandered over and offered to take a
> look. It didn’t take him more than five minutes to ferret out the problem –
> a faulty temperature sensor. Don’t ask me what he did in the engine bay
> (remember, I’m mechanically inept), but when he sent me back to the
> driver’s seat and told me to try again, Wiffle fired right up. It purred
> the entire two-hour drive home.
> >
> > It turns out the fellow from our neighboring RV with the magic touch was
> Dennis Haynes of Dennis’ VW Service in Bohemia, NY. He gave us a business
> card with the slogan, “I can fix what others can’t!”
> >
> > As they say, “It’s not bragging if it’s true.”
>
--
roger whittaker 604.414.6266
----------------------------------------------------------
PR MARINE SURVEYORS &
http://www.tvthatworks.com
http://www.tvpowellriver.com
LinkedIn -
- ca.linkedin.com/pub/roger-whittaker/14/78a/b71/Explore printed work at:
http://www.prliving.ca/
View the growing list of video work at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LastonLastof#g/u
http://vimeo.com/42309497
http://www.prpeak.com/articles/2010/11/29/multimedia/video/doc4c62e5f80d228504902172.txt
