Anyone heard of Valle Shell 59 Front N, Orillia, ON L3V =
4R7?
I had been having intermittent clutch problems but thought I had =
solved
them by replacing my brake fluid (the clutch system also uses this
fluid). Sunday night I was 40 KM or so into the interior of =
Algonquin
Park and at least a 100 KM from the nearest town when the clutch =
suddenly
decided to give out completely. To add insult to injury it was also =
pouring
rain and I was low on gas.
We ended up spending the night outside of the ranger station at the =
entrance to our campsite since there was no way we were getting to our =
assigned
spot. I was hoping against hope that the problem was somehow moisture =
related (I
heard brake fluid can really suck up water). But in the sun of Monday =
morning,
despite rolling the van into a position where the sun could shine on the =
clutch
master cylinder (it seemed wet), there was no improvement.
I was not looking forward to a 100 KM+ tow to a crooked shop =
that had
never seen a Vanagon or an air cooled motor. Serendipitously =
I spoke to
a lady in a Tim Horton's in Orillia who swears by Valle =
Shell to
service her 70's Beetle. I thought if I could just make it to =
Orillia I
might not get screwed too badly. If anyone knows Valle Shell I'd =
appreciate some
feedback.
I reluctantly had to start the van in second and =
limped out of
the park at 50 KMPH, after a stop for gas I got her started =
in third and
got a decent 80 KMPH on the highway. I made it to Orillia and now I'm =
waiting
for the expensive phone call. Another listee mentioned the repair should =
be
around $400 Canadian for 4hrs of labour, a new clutch and throw out =
bearing
seal... sound about right?
Thanks,
Chris Gronski
Toronto, Ontario,
'80 Westy =
"Pokey"
'87
Chevrolet Sprint 5-Door
'91 Pontiac Firefly Convertible
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2000 =
3:52
PM
Subject: Clutch Problems / =
Brake Fluid
Replacement
Most people who responded to my =
clutch problem
post thought it was low or dirty brake fluid. Its funny because after =
looking
at my Bentley the level was the first thing I checked, I must actually =
be
catching on or something.
The level was about half way between =
Max and Min
so I think its OK, but the fluid itself seemed pretty dirty. Moreover =
I was
hit with an additional "symptom". I was driving along and the vehicle
hesitated or lurched. It was open road and not necessarily =
accelerating, nor
was I touching the clutch at all. It didn't feel like slipping =
like
clutch problems I've had in other vehicles where the revs climb and =
the
vehicle doesn't accelerate. Is it possible that the brakes came on
momentarily, because that is what it felt like...
Next question, I want to replace the =
fluid in my
brakes myself and I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendation on a =
good
brake bleeding tool to buy? Plus, I'm not really happy with Bentley's
instructions has anyone seen a better description of
how-to-bleed-brakes-for-the-complete-idiot? Also, I heard you really =
have to
watch out for the bleeder screws as they can break... any
thoughts?
Thanks,
Chris Gronski
Toronto,
Ontario,
'80 Westy "Pokey"
'87 Chevrolet Sprint 5-Door
'91 =
Pontiac
Firefly Convertible
Things seem to be getting worse with =
my
clutch.
I usually leave the westy in gear after I shut =
down the
engine, then push the clutch when starting the engine. This morning =
when I
tried to start my westy I got that kind of hesitation and lunge you =
get when
you try to start the car in gear, even though the clutch was FULLY =
depressed.
With the engine off I shifted into neutral and managed to start her, =
but then
had trouble finding a gear. I also heard a couple of "clunks" while
looking.
First gear was impossible to find but =
I got her
into second and she did finally get going. After I got moving the =
problem
seemed to go away, I have only owned her a short time and I've always =
found it
somewhat difficult to find gears. See below for earlier =
symptoms.
I assume this is a problem with my =
clutch, but
I'm open to suggestions. Any thoughts on how many hours a shop would =
charge to
redo the clutch?
Thanks,
Chris Gronski
Toronto,
Ontario,
'80 Westy "Pokey"
----Original Message =
Follows----
From:
"Christopher Michael Gronski" <chrisgronski@hotmail.com>=
Reply-To:
"Christopher Michael Gronski" <chrisgronski@hotmail.com>=
To:
<vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM&g=
t;
Subject:
Dead / not dead clutch pedal
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 16:48:48
-0400
I'm still trying to diagnose exactly when this =
happens but
here's what I know so far: Today I was driving along in 4th and saw =
the light
changing ahead, I pushed the clutch in and everything was fine but =
when the
pedal reached the bottom it felt dead, like it didn't have the spring =
back or
resistance that it should. I came to a stop at the light, shifted into =
1st,
lifed my foot off the clutch and everything was fine. Any thoughts? Is =
this
just because I'm not used to my vehicle yet or is it a symtom of an =
impending
problem?
Thanks,
Chris Gronski
Toronto,
Ontario
'80 Westy "Pokey