Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 23:24:31 -0400
Reply-To: pdooley <psdooley@VERIZON.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: pdooley <psdooley@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: Re: LIFE.....and Death
In-Reply-To: <d1ea9acf0707301918g6e239a11i12039f339af768dd@mail.gmail.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Craig, search the archives for "Vanagon syndrome".
Sounds like it could be the AFM.
Fixes for this include a resistor or capacitor soldered in the unit or
moving the wiper arm to new spot.
Could also be related to the temp sensors.
When diagnosing problems like this always check the tuneup stuff first like
wires, dist cap, plugs etc..
BTW- All the WBX stuff I mentioned above is just regurgitated information I
read from the list. I have never run a Vanagon with a WBX motor.
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
craig cowan
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2007 10:18 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: LIFE.....and Death
HELLO ALL. I too do not have a life. And will disagree with whoevers
Pre-teen that vanagons cannot be part of your life. I'm 18 years old and
worked 14 hours today to pay for my vanagon. Then i customarily work on it
and research it. It's not that i "dont have a life", this just IS my life. I
embrace it.
Death-Life
Now for those of you who have followed my story (and a good story it is,
someday it will be written and told as a bedtime tale to young kids), The
magic man who is the head of the service department at my work was able to
somehow (SERIOUSLY HOW I WILL NEVER KNOW!!!) Extract the broken drill bit
from inside my cylinder head, finish drilling and tapping the hole, and
reattach the manifold (the front exhaust manifold). IT DOESNT LEAK! Thank
god. But when i went to pick up the car on friday (and work) i had found
that in the new found silence of the exaust system, The Rear manifold is
leaking! GREAT. Well the master mechanic that actually solved the problem
has given me his labor for free. All 7 hours! And i got a deal ($55 vs
$75/hr) on the labor i was charged. But find it rediculous that i'm being
charged $250 for the labor involved in replacing $6 worth of gaskets when
the guy i'm paying did nothing productive towards the cause. What do you
guys think, should i argue that tommorow when i pay it or count my
blessings? I have an appointment for Thursday to get the rear manifold
fixed and they requoted me at 1-2 hour estimated for the job and think it
should "go better".
Life-Life
But anyway, the moral of the story is....IT DRIVES! Great. Well this
triggered the "HOW HOTT IS TO HOTT" thread the other day. I was convinced my
engine was not overheating even though the world told me differently. I
changed my BRAND NEW AND POORLY BUILT Temp switch back to the old one (moral
of the story, never throw out vanagon parts.....they're never really
"BROKEN") and now its running at the perfect temperature! So i'm driving it
around, and we had a "BUS PARTY" with a turnout of nearly 100 people
grilling and having a good time at a blues traveler concert. We raised
nearly $100 for "The bus fund" (a big jar that says exactly that). I'll post
something with pictures on the history and whats entailed in a "bus party"
sometime, its a good chapter in the childrens book that will tell my tale.
Life-Death
SO here i am driving around in the only VW bus for miles. Its so much fun! I
forgot all the stares and jaws that drop. I had someone try to buy it off me
in a walmart parking lot, we'll be talking numbers.... Had someone else ask
if i'd sell it at a graduation party. And managed to get my custom Vanity
German Licence Plate and carrier literally RIPPED off the front of the car
in a grocery store parking lot. (Anyone know a good and affordable source of
german licence plates, or vanity plates? Maybe have a spare they can share?)
So i'm having the time of my life. I have a date with a very nice and very
beautiful girl which consisted mostly of "just driving along" and hanging
out in the van. We had a great time. During that date she and i both noticed
a new symptom..... While driving along the engine would just "hickup" and
felt like it died for about a second then just pick back up and keep running
like a champ. It would do this every now and then (maybe every few
minutes?). It got a little worse today. Then i was JUST pulling into work
back from lunch when it hickuped and DIED. But it started back up and i
drove it to park it. It sat till my day was done. I get ready to go, jump in
the car and it did this. Then it reluctantly started, drove 10 feet....and
DIED. Won't restart! I suspect a fuel pump and have a spare to try out
tommorow (Again.....NEVER THROW AWAY VANAGON PARTS). The previous symptoms
involved when the car was still even the least bit warm from driving, it was
reluctant to start and would only fire after a few cycyles of turning the
key to the auxillary position to get some battery power to the fuel pump.
THEN you had to feather the gas pedal as turning the key and it would just
fire right up and run and run. Now it's dead. How's my evaluation sound?
I don't really expect any responses. I figure you all gave up reading it by
the time you got to any of the "bad portions" or any of the questions i have
stated. Whatever. Maybe this is just my way of recording my history so that
when it is written and illustrated into a childrens novel (much like "The
Little Prince", My favorite book!), there will be one underlying subliminal
message to be passed onto the children. "THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS
THAT......IT DRIVES.....BUT NEVER THROW AWAY VANAGON PARTS! YOU NEVER KNOW
WHEN SOMETHING WILL BE 'MORE BROKEN' ".
My rant and contribution to society.
Thanks for everyones help!
You have been great!
-Craig
'1985GL "Engelburt"
