Date:         Sun, 22 Dec 1996 19:59:15 +0000
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         vwbus@netbiz.net
Subject:      Avoiding Routine Maintainence

Avoiding Routine Maintainence,

Is a mistake, plain and simple.

A couple things call this to mind.  While BSing with Steve Dolan at 
Tom Forhan's party the subject came up, Pat Flynn I believe was 
getting ready to repack his rear wheel bearings in the cold outside 
and Steve made the comment he was putting off a bunch of routine 
stuff till spring and I have put some stuff off as well.  Now on the 
'77 and '78 I bought 1.5 years back I did all my normal fluid 
changes, new rear brake cylinders, repack front bearings, etc. etc.  
Stuff I typically do when buying a car.  But then along came the '85 
and hell it only had 75k miles and stuff looked OK at a quick glance, 
and along came the '81 in a wild rush to get it ready for a 4k mile 
summer vacation in under 1 month from purchase to vacation and so 
after the engine was in other things overlooked.  The '85 recieved a 
bunch of special work needed to get it roadworthy, coolant tubes, 
exhaust, and both got CV rebuilds all round, but hell the brakes were 
there and worked and after all I had lots of time right.  WRONG, 
winter comes Corrado is sold (yey) '85 looks like prime driver but 
has been sitting a while, and got flooded back in spring but only 4-5 
inches up tires.  Start driving it after a month of disuse and 
suddenly weird stuff starts brakes don't seem quite right and get a 
little thumping that passes quickly.  Well take off fronts for a look 
and notice now that like a lot of the car everything attached to the 
body is oddly corroded (PA salt I guess) including front calipers 
massively corroded and discs are pretty thin too.  So that must be it 
caliper is dragging causing thump and bad feel, order me up new discs 
price calipers, decide to bleed all round only end up doing fronts as 
rears are missing bleeder on one side and I'm not in the mood to 
unbolt the drum, I need the car that afternoon.  Well fluid 
horrendous as one could imagine but action seems OK set out on way 
back to girfriends home (70 miles) her fortunately following in her 
car.  40 miles into it wonderfully on a 30F snowing day at 3000+ ft 
elevation, WHAM, big thump grinding and suddenly like I'm driving over
rumble strips.  Pull over look about all looks OK grab drivers wheel, UH OH 
rocks back and forth real bad.  Pull off center cap, UH OH outer 
bearing rollers fall out of the remains onto the snow.  Go on 
business to TN for a week, get it towed home assess situation.
Inner race is welded to spindle.  I won't go further into detail but 
suffice to say when you cut it in 4 place with dremel, heat red hot, 
and BEND a 1/2" thich cold chisel without removing you can kiss 
the spindle GOODBYE.  So there it sits in the garage, have sourced a 
local one for $50, cleaned and repacked other side with new disc, the 
calipers worry me but until I get the bead blast cabinet going are 
how they are.  Also the flex brake lines are ugly and although the 
hard are OK their union nuts crumble like the rest of the corroded 
mess.  And there is that water pump drip I've been avoiding and the 
leaking rear heater valve.  Moral is this thing only cost me $400, 
had $5000 of recent work before I bought it, I've put in $600 or so 
and it needs another $500 easily, which it will now promptly get so 
it can be reliable winter transport.  Will still be a good deal all 
in all but will not be if it strands me in sub-zero death weather 
because I've been an idiot ignoring it.  The '81 gets bearing and 
brake service all round as well.  It's easy to fall into a trap of 
neglect cause, it's cold, I'm busy, I'm tired.  I for one am getting 
off my ass.  RIGHT NOW as a matter of fact.

John
vwbus@netbiz.net