I do carry a set of belts.  I don't have a clue as to what spare hoses I
should carry.
How does one tell that the alternator is going?  The only time it's happened
to me was about midnight on I5 outside of scenic Kettleman City.  That red
light really grabs your attention when you've been on autopilot for several
hours.
When my water pump went, I thought for sure it had to be the auto tranny or
something else seriously expensive.  The noise was terrible, and I never
would have guessed it was coming from the water pump!  Now I hope I'd
recognize it, but I'd be afraid to drive it any distance (like from
Kettleman City to Visalia).

Bob Trousdale
'90 Westy

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
gary hradek
Sent: Friday, November 03, 2006 9:20 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: spare waterpump or alternator

Bob,
   I guess I would not suggest you carry either but rather some odd
collection of hoses and a spare belt.
Both the waterpump and alternator should give you some
warning before failure.   Listen to the engine and
look for leaks or coolant loss and never ignore those
red lights.   gary
Perked me up!  I've been thinking about buying a water pump as a spare.
The
first one lasted about 150,000 miles before it self-destructed, but my
limited experience with other vehicles is that 150K is unusual.

I'm concerned that either the water pump or the alternator can be
catastrophic failures far from home, so thinking about buying one each to
carry as spares.  I'd be curious to hear other listees thoughts.

Bob Trousdale
'90 Westy

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