Date:         Tue, 28 Apr 1998 11:27:17 -0700
Reply-To:     "Thomas D. Hanlon" <hanran.inc@INTERNETMCI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Thomas D. Hanlon" <hanran.inc@INTERNETMCI.COM>
Organization: The Hanran Enterprises, Inc.
Subject:      Auto Club Mobile Engine Diagnosis Service
Comments: To: Vanagon <vanagon@vanagon.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Listees,

In about five hours (4 pm, Pacific time) I present my 84 Westy to the
Automobile Club of Southern California for the Club's MED (Mobile Engine
Diagnosis) Check. For $52.50, "members get an engine diagnosis and Plus
a Car Check."  The Car Check is the the usual procedures I do myself::
lights, belts, hoses, lubricant levels, battery&cables, tires, radiator,
air filter&exhaust systems and windshield wipers.

The MED includes, "battery/charging system, starter cranking system,
ignition system, cylinder power, fuel injection/carburetor performance,
emission levels."

I read today the posts of Karl Bloss and Ron Salmon in respect to hot
engines and compression tests. Thanks for those insights. I'll run my
Westy for a half hour even though the Auto Club lot in which the tests
will be made is about a mile from my home.

Does anyone have any comments, caveats, suggestions or other insights
about these procedures?

Auto Club of SO CA is a highly-qualified and recognized outfit.  Its
labs both tests and verifies tests for the State and its emissions laws
and for acceptability of engine re-dos such as Kennedy, among others, as
I understand it.

Ron Paden, one of the Club's test officials, gave me a method to help
simplify coolant changes and to get the "air" out using a long length of
vinyl hose from the radiator bleeder valve to the coolant (expansion
tank?), the one with the "min" and "max" indicators.  I'll post that
when I get time.

In the meantime, please review the foregoing, and post, publicly, as
requested.

Tom Hanlon
Palm Springs, CA
84 Westy