Date:         Fri, 17 Sep 1999 18:22:10 -0700
Reply-To:     2 Tow Joe <twotow@DOGS-LIFE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         2 Tow Joe <twotow@DOGS-LIFE.COM>
Subject:      Towing, Anyone? (long)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Thought you may want to hear about our Westfalia adventure last weekend.

I thought I heard a faint *pop* as we accelerated eastbound heading into
Northern Cascade Mountains. Our Westy seemed to continue running fine, so we
kept going.

A mile or two later, we started smelling gasoline through the open windows.
We were lucky enough to be right upon a wayside picnic area, so we pulled in
quick. Sure enough, gasoline was cascading down onto the ground near the
rear axle, practically the width of the vehicle. A little gas was dripping
and sizzling on the exhaust pipes, but we got everything cooled down safely.

We had all the rubber fuel lines replaced recently, so we were a little
curious about the situation. With a low cell phone battery, in an almost
out-of-service location in the mountain foothills, we managed to reach a
fellow who said he could tow us. He showed up and before long we were
piggybacked on top of his truck bed, racing down the highway westbound to
the
nearest mechanic, 34 miles away.

When we got there the mechanic found that a gasoline return line had come
off and had sprayed gas all over the underside of the vehicle near the
engine compartment hatch. He showed us the hose clamp that had *popped* off,
and then put on 2 new clamps to fix the errant hose. The hose itself looked
fine, he said. He also said "no charge, it only took me a minute." Nice guy.
We gave him 10 bucks for beer.

After toweling things dry and waiting for the fumes to evaporate, we figured
that one of the new hose clamps must have been defective when the fuel lines
were replaced, but it was fixed now, and *lightning wouldn't strike twice*.
So we resumed our vacation where we left off, eastbound into the mountains.

When we reached the last gas station before the pass, we pulled in to top
off the tank. At idle just before I turned off the ignition we thought we
heard a faint buzzing sound. It stopped when the engine did, and resumed
when the engine started. So we found a nice park 1/2 a mile away and rested
for the night.

The next day the buzzing noise had disappeared. Had we heard a bee or
something? Anyway, we were ready to go now!

After a few miles, the engine started running a little roughly and lost
power, then resumed, then lost power again. Great. So we pull over on the
shoulder and see gas on the ground again under the engine, in a different
spot this time. We remove the engine compartment cover, and see gas
squirting from a tiny little hole in a fuel injector hose right onto an
exhaust pipe. What's going on? These are new fuel lines, right?? Luckily we
caught it in time again, so no fire. I did have the fire extinguisher in my
hand, though, just in case.

Now it's Sunday, and the mechanic we'd seen yesterday is closed. Our cell
phone says *no service* so I walk to the nearest place with a phone and
reach the same guy who towed us yesterday. He says he'll bring new fuel line
and clamps and fix it right there on the side of the road.

He pulls up, then shows us the line he's replacing after he gets it off the
injector. It has a teeny little rip near one end, maybe a millimeter or two
long. Apparently it got forced on or something when the fuel lines were
replaced. It made it this far, but it finally gave out. So he puts on a new
hose and clamps it on tight. He also checks out ALL the fuel lines and says
he can't find any other leaks of any sort. We make him double check to be
sure. He says he feels sorry for us, so he only charges us a few bucks. Nice
guy. We give him 10 bucks extra for beer.

We pull out on the highway, eastbound this time, deciding we'd had enough,
time
to go home and head into the North Cascades some other time. A few miles
later, the van starts running very roughly, losing power as we come up to a
roadside restaurant. So we pull in and call the towing guy for the 3rd time
in 2 days. We ask to be towed to someone who is a VW *expert* who can tell
us what's going on with our Westy once and for all.

He tows us a lot farther this time, to the *Bavarian Autohaus.* We retire to
a motel nearby. Monday morning we call them and find out that our *fuel
pressure regulator* was bad. It was causing so much pressure build-up that
*it could have blown off any hose,* according to the person there. I had
never given much thought to our fuel pressure regulator before.

We hope this is an uncommon experience, but felt we should share it with all
you Vanagon / Westfalia owners in case it could catch someone else unaware.
It's a $75 part that can cause you some grief if it malfunctions and you
don't know *the signs.*

We were pissed at our Westy for a few days there and were positive we'd sell
it ASAP. But after a beautiful drive home with absolutely no problems and
the van running like new, now we think we'll keep it for a while longer and
see what happens.

Final note: Earlier today we passed a tow truck on the road. It was towing a
later model Westy. It looked a lot like ours. ;)