Yo Listees, Spent the first full day as a Vanagon owner fixing the source of the hot brake odor coming from the right rear. Took a few minutes to find the trademark VW inspection holes with a mirror and flashlight I could see one of the holes (yes, only one) had an adjuster. Loosened the shoes up enough to get the drum off and found that things had gotten very hot. My nose is notoriously insensitive (wife accuses me of not noticing my own body odor), but PO must have _really_ been bad. Sprayed brake cleaner all over and things looked much better. The layer of surface metal steel fabricators call mill scale was cooked completely off the drum. Its braking surface was still smooth, so decided to put it back on. The shoes were extremely rough textured--strange. Anyway, I cleaned things up, adjusted the brakes and torqued the axle stub nut to---253 ft lbs--like and older bus because I don't have a manual yet. Immediately after this morning's post, I went to the library and Books in Print listed a Bentley Manual. By the time I left the building, Barnes and Noble has agreed to order me one. So, after it arrives I'll be considerably less ignorant, although things underneath an 89 VW _do_ look somewhat like the underneath of VW's I've seen before. Was not getting the archives to work a mistake on my end or did they have problems this morning. Thanks for the kindness and advice. Keep to the High Road Fred Brittain 78 and 89 Westys |
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