Date:         Mon, 10 Jul 1995 03:31:28 -0400 (EDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         EROBINSO@ccmail.sunysb.edu
Subject:      Fixed the bus...bus died :(

Okay,
	For some reason no one gave me any replies to my short circuit problem
('73 bus automatic) but I put the old condenser back on the distributor and
then it worked fine.  I guess I just wanted some reassurance.

Anyway, after I got it running well again I decided to go to stay at my
mother's house for the weekend.  So I went driving away and when I got off of
the highway (it's about an hour long trip to my mother's) my bus had no power
and I had to baby it in order to go the last few "city" miles.  It would stall
at every traffic light and not go up hills unless I had some momentum.  At one
point I had the gas floored and was going 20mph!  This was very upsetting and
the car finally died in front of my friend John's house (a little closes than
mum's).

It wouldn't start at all later that night or for the next two days, so
eventually I decided to push it (with my mother's help) to a nearby VW
specialist.  When I tried to start it it sounded horrible and slow and I had to
keep the gas floored just to keep it going.  The engine looked like it was
going to jump out of it's compartment.

Arggg!  I'm so frustrated.  I never found a mechanic I felt I could trust so I
learned to do everything myself (I also can't afford to do otherwise).  But I
hate when I have no idea what's wrong.  In this case I think there are just too
many possibilities.  I don't know enough history about the bus, for one thing. 
The guy before me (who knew nothing about cars at all) had the dual carbs
replaced with a single one (I don't know what kind) at a body shop, no less. 
Maybe this is the problem?  Maybe I need head work?  Am I just overheating?  It
would usually run quite poorly after one of these trips.

My Squareback keeps looking better and better the longer my bus is
incapacitated.  But I'll ride my bike to work this week and see what the guy
says (he didn't seem so bad when I talked to him), I can certainly use the
exercise.  Ugh, how am I going to pay for this.

Thaks for your time and attention for a few minutes, even if no one answers I
appreciate the chance to vent.

-Erik.