Date:         Tue, 7 May 1996 12:13:36 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         cmoran@cswnet.com (Colin A Moran)
Subject:      Alcan trip (long)

     My drive down the Alcan Highway was not as bad as some.  The highway
has improved immensely.  The only stretches that were not paved, were the
ones that were being improved.  I drove from Anchorage to Topeka KS, with My
wife, three sons (ages 4, 2, 2 months), a greman sheppard, and a cat.  I
removed the middle seat to make room for the dog kennel.

     I experienced only minor problems, the first was a problem shifting.
The shifter was suddenly real stiff and the tranny wouldnt go into grear.
The first thought was the clutch was not commpletly disengaging. I stopped
and checked the tranny, Covered with ice.  The ice was formed around the
shift linkage and made it hard to shift.  Shifter worked fine after removing
the ice.

     Next came an annoying problem with the engine.  At about 10" of vacumn
at light loads it would buck and jump.  This started just past Tok Junciton.
The problem would come and go, with no consistancy.  It has'nt done it since
the trip.  It is scary though out in the middle of nowhere with an engine
that acts like it's about to jump out the back.

     Then just before White Horse, we ran through a construction area.  A
bypass road had been built out of, what appeared to be flint.  The next
morning in White Horse, the left rear tire was flat. I took it to a repair
shop, where they removed a sliver of rock about 1 1/2" long.  It went right
through a BF Goodrich T/A radial.

     The next problem occured just south of Edmonton, Alberta.  After
driving for 2 hours, I noticed a fluctuation in the oil pressure.  Just to
be safe I pulled off the highway to check it out.  When I walked to the rear
of the van I noticed a puddle of antifreeze rapidly forming under the right
rear.  I had tightened the drive belt for the water pump and altenator
before I left Elmendorf.  I got it too tight.  The seals in the water pump
had worn out, due to the increased strain on the shaft.  I had the syncro
towed to an official VW repair station, in Red Deer  it was only 5 miles
from where I stopped.  When I say towed, I mean placed on a flatbed truck.
You can't tow a Syncro with any wheels touching the pavement.  To replace
the water pump, it cost almost $300.00 US, and one days travle time.

After we entered the us driving through Montana we were passed by an 18
wheeler.  It kicked up a rock, that at the time looked as big as a baseball.
It struck the winshield directly infront of me.  It created a bullseye the
size of a golf bal,  I though it was going to come through.  It would'nt
have been so bad if it had been on some other part of the windshield.  I had
to through or around that spot for another 1000 miles.

The last problem I had was found after the trip in Topeka KS,  at my
parents.  I found that both outer front CV joint boots were torn.  It
appears, from the marks on the lower control arms, that the tow truck put
the hooks on the arms to pull the van onto the flatbed.  In the process both
boots were ripped.  I checked the van out before the trip and they were'nt
torn then.  Thats about 1800 miles with torn boots.  Needless to say I
immideatly removed the CV joints and inspected them.  They looked fine.  I
replaced the boots and have not had any problems , ...yet.

     If I had to do it all over again I would in a heart beat.  The scenery
was magnificent.  I want to drive the alcan again, minus the dog and cat.
Question,  way does the movement of a vehicle give animals gas?

     One thing I recommend, if you drive your van or bus over long
distances, install full set of guages.  It saved me a motor.  It also helps
to diagnose probles as they happen.

Cheers to all.
                            Colin

         
Colin A Moran

If you can't dazzle them with brilliance,
baffle them with bull sh*t.

86" Syncro GL