Date: Tue, 05 Dec 1995 18:47:00 -0800 (PST)
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "Maher, Steve (SD-MS)" <SMAHER@PO2.GI.COM>
Subject: V6anagon/ Route 66: Day 2 /L
Day 2 of the V6anagon trip began at 6:00 AM-- about 2-1/2 hours after Day 1
ended. Lots of kids to send to school, dogs to feed, workplaces to be
gone to, and today an extra body to be shoved off the hideabed. A wonderful
pancake breakfast later, I was sitting outside staring at the V6anagon,
wondering which problem to tackle first.
Disconnected the 3 (?) fuel connections to the fuel pump, and undid the
two bolts holding it and its shield. The new one was a slightly different
shape, and while it fit the mount and the hoses, it didn't sit low
enough to get under the shield. The shield is heavy-gauge steel, and
I finally (and conveniently) decided that it was a rock shield against
stuff flung up from the tires (it was on the side of the engine that
would have been "front" in the Citation), so I left it off. Bob Hufford
called from work about then and spake of pizza, and the sun came out
from behind the clouds as the pump went on.
Actually, the weather was fine-- surprisingly so for Missouri in December,
according to Bob. Around 45 in the morning, up to 65 in midafternoon, nary
a cloud in the sky, except those my brain conjured up while imagining
Vanagons stranded in the middle of Route 66 somewhere, outside of
pizza-delivery range.
While fiddling around in the engine compartment, noted a few interesting
things. The perforated shield that hangs below the rear bumper of the
Vanagon, was positioned perfectly to catch any oil that might leak from
the engine and blow back-- and perfectly positioned to drip said oil
directly down onto the exhaust pipe. Also noticed that the exhaust pipe
had a large crinkle and an actual TEAR in the top, as well as being
extremely rusty. gently grabbed the tailpipe and lifted, and watched
the (clamped-on) muffler pivot easily on its joint. A look at the nuts
on the clamp-- forget it. Well, I guess this trip will be a good test
of the engine compartment seals. Now I know the source of the raspy
exhaust sound. I brought gun-muffler earphones just in case, but the
V6anagon doesn't seem loud enough to necessitate them.
Next the rack&pinion assembly. Through the good graces of listmember
Bradley, I had brought with me a complete rack & tie rod assembly, with
new boots and tie rod ends a la Kragen/Checker. Working on the rack
turned out to be as easy as working with tinkertoys, with only occasional
assistance from Mr. WD-40 and Mr. BallJointFork. I think the sight of
my 2# sledge hammer, scared the old ball joints off the car.
Installation was the reverse of removal (how many times have you read
that in the book, only to find it's never true? Well, this time it was),
and Bob showed up around lunchtime. We did pizza, finished up the job,
changed the oil, topped off the tranny, and adjusted the front alignment
as best as a pair of tired eyeballs would allow. I had no way of knowing
where "exact straight ahead" was, so best-guessed it, and wound up with
a steering wheel a quarter-turn off center. Oh, well, as long as it
stays out of the ditches...
Main reason I have been interested in this V6anagon all along, is the
extra power that it should have, as well as the prospect of having a
real, live heater. So far so good. But some things never change, I
guess-- despite the fact that the rack replacement should have been
a lot more major than the fuel pump, I can't help but notice that
so far, the Volkswagen end of this car has been a lot easier to work
on, than the Chevrolet end.
Cleaned up, strategically loaded up the bus, thanked Bob profusely
for his magnificent assistance and hospitality, and was off to get an
alignment and pick up the bulky, cheap items I hadn't brought with me for
the trip (Ice chest, pop, etc.). Van no longer shimmied (much), fuel
pump didn't leak (at all), starter started, engine ran, and all was right
with the world. Until alignment places started telling me that MAYBE they
could fit me in next week sometime. Well, van was tracking straight
(steering wheel notwithstanding), wasn't screeching its tires around
curves, and so I decided to venture out into the great unknown.
Stopped by a fireworks factory to load up on ordnance for the next
/martha trip, maxed out the tire pressure, made a final check of this
that and the other, and headed off as the sun was setting. Quickly found
out that you can't see diddly for Route-66 attractions when it's dark--
the most interesting ones were shut down 40 years ago.
After about half an hour of beautiful running, while trading feet on
the accelerator to relieve cramping from the incredible friction force,
the van conked out cold. Coasted over to the side while noting that the
amber ignition switch was no longer lit up. While coasting, reached
under the dash to count fuses, I rolled No. 1 thru 5, hoping to hit the
magic one. No joy, of course-- finally stopped, got out the maglight,
and started checking methodically. No. 6 it was, and we were off again.
The remaining shimmy seemed to disappear as the tires warmed up, but I
kept the speeds around 55-60 for now. Being able to accelerate up hills
in 4th gear is an exhilirating novelty, if you don't mind kicking the
sh*t out of the gas pedal to do it. I'm big on control-feel. A nice,
linear torque response to pedal-pressure can make driving a pleasure,
which this van absolutely did not have. Well, the goal is to get it
home where I can work on it at leisure (what leisure???). Redesigning
the throttle linkage will be near the top of the to-do list.
Trip was wonderfully uneventful from that point. The console Volvo heater
near the back seat, actually worked, and kept things toasty. Good thing,
because exhaust and burning-oil smell started seeping into the cabin from
somewhere. Never got dizzy, but kept a window open. Thank the lord for
the unseasonably mild weather. Rolled into Oklahoma City at about 11:00 PM,
put the V6anagon to bed, jotted down the notes you are reading now, and
finally fell asleep over my Rand McNally. Thus ended Day 2 of the V6anagon
trip.
Steve Maher smaher@gi.com
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