>I've come to the conclusions that Vanagons were built by committee.

Most definitely!

> I had to remove the oil filler neck in order to remove this darned hose,
> which means that I had to drain the oil, too!

While replacing my brake lines I found a truly interesting site: the "T" for
the rear brake lines is situated *above* the transmission.  To get to it one
would have to drop the transmission.  I took the path of least resistance
and bought another "T" and just routed the lines in a much more
direct/easily accessible fashion.  BTW I got the "T" (aka brake fluid
distributor?!) from Rocky Mountain Motorworks for $6.00 (very helpful people
with great service); it isn't listed for a Vanagon, it is listed for the
older bus but is the same item.

Mack
'87 Syncro Weekender