

| Subject: | Re: Buying a Van - Parts in L.A. |
| From: | Roger Whittaker |
| Date: | Mon, 25 Apr 2011 09:28:03 -0700 |
dear dan the van guy if i may be so bold as to say .... do not get the steel rplacemt piece ... why replace a plastic piece with a piece that will degrade with rust just run the hose through the fire wall with a grommet or fire hose to protect the worry point and secure with zap ties see you On Mon, Apr 25, 2011 at 7:32 AM, Daniel Rotblatt <d.rotblatt@verizon.net>wrote: > Roger - > > Thanks for the heads up - I'll pick up a steel "firestarter" and some extra > hose and clamps when I purchase the kit. I was looking at the kits last > night, and you're right, they don't allow for errors. > > Dan > Los Angeles, CA > '85 Westy Weekender > > > On Apr 25, 2011, at 12:43 AM, Roger Whittaker wrote: > > dear dan new van >> >> i saw you said you looked at fuel lines but you made no mention of the >> fire >> starter piece having been replaced >> this replacement is essential to your long term trouble free enjoyment of >> same >> this can not be emphasized enough >> this part needs to be replaced ASAP >> >> this is a link to an image of the part located right were the fuel line >> passes through the firewall into the engine bay >> *http://preview.tinyurl.com/3jp4djn* >> >> many kits come with a new version of the plastic OEM ...in my opinion it >> is >> silly to replace a defective idea with a different version of the same >> thing >> ... simply run fuel supply line right from pressure side of filter all the >> way along gear box as per OEM then through the grommet or piece of 5/8 >> heater hose set in the hole in the fire wall ... the hole made by the >> removal of the offending OEM part ... continue hose to distribution feeder >> manifold ... >> >> if you buy the replacement kit from gowesty or another supplier you will >> or >> may require a few more of those ear clamps --cause you will wreck a couple >> due to squeezing them in place in the wrong place or out of order during R >> & >> R ... also i covered my replacement supply line with 5/8 heater hose with >> from the firewall to each injector to give some protection from the heat >> of >> the engine wearing the integrity of the fuel supply line ... i also used >> some extra high pressure supply line... before i started the project i >> bought an extra 10 feet in case i errored and i errored twice in the R & R >> ... so had to remove the mistake and replace with new line... the kit from >> gowesty is exactly what is required by a skilled professional and is not >> forgiving of mistakes ... the whole thing took me 4 hours on my back in >> the >> driveway of another vanagon owner who was kind enough to lend me >> assistance >> when needed and especially his driveway as we were a long way from home >> and >> in Chico cali (thanks peter) >> vancafe or other supplier of this item may supply extra hose for those of >> us >> who learn by mistake as they go ...i have no idea >> regards >> >> On Sun, Apr 24, 2011 at 9:51 PM, Daniel Rotblatt <d.rotblatt@verizon.net >> >wrote: >> >> Bob and others, >>> >>> Thanks for the link to roadhaus - I just went over their list of >>> local mechanics and found some potentially good ones near me. >>> There's also a guy really close to me who, though not a VW >>> specialist, is an excellent mechanic (and a true character). I do >>> want to bring my Van in to a good mechanic who knows vanagons just to >>> get a safety check, and overview on any mechanical work that needs to >>> be done by someone who knows the idiosyncrasies of an '85 vanagon. >>> >>> >>> A suggestion: change your mind set, or thinking about your "new" >>> >>>> vehicle. You talk about maintaining it as though it's NOT a 20- >>>> something y/o vehicle that not many current shops will be willing to >>>> work on, and CERTAINLY not any VW dealerships, with only >>>> very rare exceptions. There are, for example, no VW dealerships >>>> in the city I live in that will consider working on, even an oil >>>> change, >>>> for a vanagon. >>>> >>>> >>> >>> I hear you all on the dealerships. My other "classic" (a '66 triumph >>> spitfire) has no dealerships since triumph is defunct, so I'm used to >>> (and prefer) doing it myself. I didn't really expect VW to want to >>> deal with it, and I've never liked taking cars to dealerships except >>> when on warranty. Just checkin the possibilities. >>> >>> Thanks again for the responses everyone! >>> >>> >>> Dan >>> L.A., CA >>> '85 Westy Weekender >>> >>> PS - On a side note: I did check the gas lines - most look good, but >>> I will replace since it's obvious they haven't been in the last few >>> years. They are scary - sitting right over the exhaust >>> pipes.... :^O A little design issue there. I'm surprised they >>> aren't metal tubes over the engine with a rubber one going to the gas >>> tank to take the vibrations. >>> >>> >>> >>> > -- roger w From Proverbs: Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: a servant who becomes king ... ---------------------------------------------------------- Explore printed work at: http://www.prliving.ca/ View the growing list of video work at: http://www.prpeak.com/articles/2010/11/29/multimedia/video/doc4c62e5f80d228504902172.txt
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