Date: Mon, 25 Nov 1996 09:33:33 -0500 (EST)
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Michael Pelikan <pelikan@sover.net>
Subject: Re: EUROVAN EXHAUST
At 06:31 PM 11/24/96 -0600, you wrote:
>
> Dear EV Owners,
>
> I was just wondering what your experience with the exhaust
>system has been. At what mileage did you have to replace which part of
>it? Where did you get the system, dealer or aftermarket? WHich aftermarket
>business? Given the scarcity of parts and the problem of having to wait
>until local dealers receive them is it wise to buy the most likely part
>of the exhaust system to need replacing in advance of the inevitable
>breakdown?
>
> So far at 38K miles I've had only to weld a hole in the exhaust
>pipe just in front of the muffler.
>
>Thanks in advance for your responses,
>
>Hal Roth
>'93 MV
>'87 Audi 4k
Hi Hal -
My '93 EV MV 5 speed has a little over 72,000 miles on it now, and
the only trouble we've had with the exhaust system has been the
fairly recent acquisition of an annoying rattle at around 2000 rpm
when the engine is under load. This is a known issue which has
cropped up with other folks as well. It's traced to the heat shield
situated above the catalytic converter, designed to keep exhaust heat
away from the fueld tank. This, plus gravel getting into the
perforations of the shield surrounding the cat itself, conspire to
produce the rattle. The fix others have used is to get the gravel
out. I'm mulling over a way to hang the shield better, such that it
can't wiggle. Whoops! Is this clear? Understand: we're talking
about two different shields here. The gravel-catching perforated
one is visible just behind the passenger door (under the car), and the
wiggler is a big weird stamping hanging above the bent pipe just
"upstream" of the cat - it's visible once you drop the big pan.
At 72,000 the EV still seems almost entirely unchanged from the wonderful
new vehicle is was when we bought it in Anchorage and brought it down
the AlCan to Vermont. This is one heck of a subtantial vehicle. I've
got no doubts it'll be with us a long, long time.
Anyway, if I had to start replacing exhaust components I'd use VW parts
all the way. Even though the number ov EVs brought into the US is
small, there are *lots* more of them in the rest of the world, and
availability of stuff like exhaust system components shouldn't become
an issue for a long time.
Enjoy! Yours is just starting to get broken in!
Michael Pelikan
'93 EuroVan MV 5 speed
'74 Super Sun Bug
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