Itinerant Air-Cooled Utah and Beyond

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Utah and Beyond

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Jul 10, 2018 8:48 am

See, this little trail got a little too little and way too eroded. I had to abort. Nooo turn around to be found:

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You can see the rear-of-car imprint in the foliage:

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You can see the front-of-car imprint here, inches from a drop-off:

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Don't do this. Don't just drive up some rock-strewn path that has a warning sign "Not Recommended For Automobiles." That turn-around took miles off the clutch. It was a good 14-point turn:

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What a good little rhinoceros thundering through the garden:

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Drove down I-15 and looked at valleys and mountains that must have been what Salt Lake City looked like before it got developed:

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Camped out here. Didn't know that I would wake to the detritus of American Civilization:

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Rallybug and I go back. He still stands as the first time in my career, not to mention my life, that I have ever had to tow an air-cooled Volkswagen.

viewtopic.php?f=67&t=11523#p201296


We stretched new vistas in Volkswagen ownership this year. We did the very most messiest CV repack ever ever ever:

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We had to be so excruciatingly careful because there was sand all over the place. Including on and all over us.
See the joy on his face? Can you see his face? That is the face of a man who is *done* with a CV joint repack and new boots for baby.

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Speaking of joy, this child's joy was a joy to behold. We just had to let him release the jack and stow the implements. He had brought out his tool box to help:

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Rallybug, we CAN put him to work for real next year! Just suit him up in hazmat gear if we have to do any CVs again:

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I left rallybug with a number of loose ends regarding the heating system's NLA distribution box cable and push rod tube/valve cover leaks but we have the tinniest mewliest (sounds like a baby lamb) horn working. This bus has future memories to make with those two gorgeous kids. I say let's put them to work and let them drive Harvee. Great seeing you, and still trying to clean up . . .

Went up to I-84 to cut into the mountains. it was a little too late to get a decent lake shot, so you get this Great America Again (sponsored by "atoyot") shot instead:

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Drove into the night, pulled off in Wyoming and camped at an abandoned gas station pad up the hill from I-80, and stargazed and fell totally asleep, unaware of what a challenge the next day was going to be, good grief:

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Got passed by a handsome pair of Colorado-plated Vanagons doing a solid 70 mph:

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Somehow, I was already at a Starbucks when they tromped in, two women, four or so kids, and we struck up a conversation. I asked if they were renting the Vanagons. If you had seen the below, you might have asked the same question. They both own these Vanagons (one is a Synchro).

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I have just run out of time, and I have a lot of driving ahead. Who knew Verona WI was so far away when the fuel pump keeps screaming and the engine vapor-locked for over an hour and the starter is getting more and more balky?
(to be cont.)

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BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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sped372
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Utah and Beyond

Post by sped372 » Tue Jul 10, 2018 9:21 am

Hope Wisconsin treats you well. Sorry an appointment wasn't in the cards this year but I hope to meet you again one of these laps.
1971 Karmann Ghia - 1600 DP
1984 Westfalia - 1.9 WBX

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rallybug
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Utah and Beyond

Post by rallybug » Tue Jul 10, 2018 2:17 pm

Thanks once again for all your help, Colin :cheers:

I found the air distribution cable at Serial Kombi in France - they had 5 NOS ones left, and they're NLA for replacement, so as the UPS/FedEx charge was about the same as the cost of the cable, I added in some extra bits to make it worthwhile, without upping the shipping (fan mesh grille, timing scale, cover for brake warning light, bolts for the engine tinware).
Harvee the Wonder Bus - a 1979 CA-spec 7-seater bus

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Utah and Beyond

Post by Jivermo » Tue Jul 10, 2018 3:11 pm

I read the 2013 tow truck thread, and I have to ask about Harvee...did you ever go back to that mechanic, and get and install the control flaps that were left off.

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rallybug
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Utah and Beyond

Post by rallybug » Tue Jul 10, 2018 3:23 pm

By the time I got back to them, they didn't have them anywhere - I even checked their storage shed. Business has now been sold, so I have to start over with finding someone willing to sell the pieces at an acceptable price (less than the $400 someone is currently asking on TS for the full kit, hopefully!).
Harvee the Wonder Bus - a 1979 CA-spec 7-seater bus

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BusBassist
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Utah and Beyond

Post by BusBassist » Tue Jul 10, 2018 4:04 pm

Oh Boy, that CV joint re-pack looks to be messy business. I have this on my list of possible tasks for my IAC appointment in August. And after seeing the photo of Rallybug 'Rastlin' the blue bucket of grease, I'll have to really get in the zone.

Colin, I assume when you said you missed a photo of the lake, you were referring to the Great Salt Lake. Being a native of Bountiful, (just north of Salt Lake City) I remembered a circa 1975 shot my father took of the lake that also included our under construction house and beloved 1970 Bus. There was still a fair amount of undeveloped land then. Today is a different story.

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Rallybug, the next time I'm out to visit my folks, I would love to stop by and say hello.

Jeff
Late 73 Bay w/a transplanted 914 Engine.

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rallybug
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Utah and Beyond

Post by rallybug » Tue Jul 10, 2018 4:11 pm

That’d be cool, Jeff - my wife is a Bountiful native, her parents still live there and, heck, NSL is basically a Bountiful extension anyway lol
Harvee the Wonder Bus - a 1979 CA-spec 7-seater bus

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Utah and Beyond

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Jul 10, 2018 6:11 pm

The photograph of the American flag was the beginning of My Traverse Travails.

Headwinds to San Diego, headwinds to Coos Bay, headwinds to Maupin, fine, I cannot blame The Creator for the cold Pacific interacting with the hot desert winds. But, good God! when I pulled onto I-84 Eastbound, I was expecting to catch the prevailing westerlies, the prevailing westerlies which have always made west-to-east a bit more economical. No no, not this night, there was a raging headwind blasting down from the high plateau all the way to I-80. It settled down at the Wyoming campsite. I was able to do a very thorough slow valve adjustment early the next morning without clouds of sand turning my engine into a slurry of oil and aluminium. But later, as soon as those Vanagons passed me, there was a WHOLE DAY of headwinds as I headed east towards Cheyenne. It seemed so unfair to NaranjaWesty.
Head temps were setting off the Dakota Digital warning set at 430*. Richened the mixture screw. Dropped the timing a clockwise yank on the distributor. No dice, that hated 430+* showed up again and again. Hills, headwinds, now the car was not starting at gas stops. Had to wrench start off the solenoid again and again. Then the fuel pump began to scream constantly. I cleaned the filter (this, I can do) to no avail.

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Finally, at one particular stop an hour after the Great Divide climb, as I was now re-retarding the timing, the engine just died a slow fade away death during the timing light hook-up.
What would you assume? I assumed first that the pump had expired in the heat. I went straight to the AFM and moved the wiper with the ignition on. A bubbly belch issued deep within the fuel tank, yes, the pump can still run. Ran the pump to purge air from the fuel loop. No start. Not even a try. Got flustered in the 100* heat with my hot hot engine burning my fingers and hands and arms. With great pain, I checked the point gap hoping that the gap had closed up. Well, it did a little. Opened the gap, screaming worse than the fuel pump ever did when that dumb distributor clamp refused to snap on. Hopefully attempted another start. Nope. Statically tested coil by opening and closing breaker point gap and watching the end of the coil wire. Good purplish spark. "Now it will start!" Nope. Ran the pump again. The pump was screamy. A burst of indigestion greeted my ears again. "Hey, maybe the fuel pressure regulator isn't holding the fuel pressure and all the gas has boiled right out of the fuel loop!" Well, the only test for that is to wait and let the engine cool beneath the boiling point for fuel on a hot engine. The gas station across the street presented itself as a mirage in the heat. "Start, damn you! . . . not you, NaranjaWesty, YOU, God! Start stopping the wind!" Sat in a dark-ass little fury and thought hard about the fact that the car *would tell me what was wrong if it could*, but I have to guess. Poor little forlorn hard-working VW:

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Now, Lo! And it came to pass in three score minutes that NaranjaWesty burst into song with fulsome glad hosannas. Tore across the street to the now closed gas station and filled up full plus gas can, because any screaming fuel pump wants head pressure and as much fuel quantity as possible to help keep things "cool" in the blistering heat. Gratefully enjoyed the breeze coming through the driver's open window as I got up to speed, courtesy all of those hot little pistons and cylinders. Oh, about 20 miles to nowhere, the engine started coughing and sputtering. Problem is that the interstate is currently down to just two opposing lanes and we are on a hill. 60 down to 55 down to 45 down to 40 (hazard flashers!) and there is NOWHERE to even pull off, no shoulder. Merged onto hard clumps of brown grass, broken bottles, tire shards and got well off the pavement at a crazy sideways angle. Sat. Stared. Got buffeted by passing trucks. Deliberately and carefully did I remove the little choke screw serving as access to the tee on the left fuel rail. It spit like an enraged kitten. Installed the fuel pressure test gauge (**carefully! hot engine!) and noted with alarm that the pressure built quickly to 38 psi and stayed there. When I shut off the ignition, it held at 28-30 for several minutes . . . so much for vapor lock??!! Fuel pump! Must be dying only when it gets electrically hot! Need to call Happyfolk. We're losing the cross-country battle.

Removed fuel test gauge, mopped the engine spiffy as fuel evaporated, and noted that the engine started right up. Now how to merge onto a single lane interstate with no acceleration lane . . . here's how:
You fricken WAIT and WAIT until an unexpected lull in oncoming traffic allows you to pull immediately upon the pavement and accelerate mightily to 15 mph, perform a lightening quick double-clutch into 2nd and pull smartly from about 12 mph to 30, double-clutch into 3rd and pull from 27 to a max permissible 47, and make it to the top of the hill before the trucks descend upon you like a pride of snarling steel lions. I filled up every four gallons after that. Keep that fuel "cool". Head temps still plagued me. No starts still plagued me all until 3:00PM the next day when I had a brilliant thought.
Here's the brilliant thought:
Brilliant Thought
"duh, move the wiper richer, you still have it at that weird lean spot when you couldn't keep the head temps up when hill-climbing in New Mexico on May TWENTY FIFTH!"

viewtopic.php?f=77&t=13625#p229389


Sheesh. Today, I have been hammering the interstate at 70 mph in the 95* heat (hard headwinds only in the morning, mild now) and the DD gauge will not break 400*. The starter is now fully functional without red hot exhaust u-pipes baking it. The fuel pump is ...less... screamy, but the car is running splendidly splendid.

And I am an idiot. Ask wcfvw69, he'll tell you.
ColinInDesMoinesIA

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BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Utah and Beyond

Post by PaducahFrank » Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:37 am

Colin,

I gotta understand this. On MAY TWENTY FIFTH you adjusted your AFM to make the ECU call for less gas because the air was thin at the high NM elevations causing a rich condition and cool cylinder head Temps. Fast forward to driving down the highway in Iowa at about 800 ft elevation. It was way too lean because you were getting more O2 in the thick dense Iowa air and everything was running hotter than hell. Is this the case?

Any disruption in your progress East at this point is very disturbing because WE NEED YOU IN PADUCAH IN 10 DAMN DAYS!!!

Very truly yours,

PaducahFrank
Paducah Frank

1978 2.0 F.I. Non Cali Westfalia
1974 Triumph TR6
2005 Chevy Colorado

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Amskeptic
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Utah and Beyond

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Jul 11, 2018 7:15 pm

PaducahFrank wrote:
Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:37 am
Fast forward to driving down the highway in Iowa at about 800 ft elevation. It was way too lean because you were getting more O2 in the thick dense Iowa air and everything was running hotter than hell. Is this the case?

Earlier than Iowa, while still up in the high plateau region, Wyoming and early Nebraska. After Kearny (Kearney?) I could hoof it. This morning, I leaned the wiper again because We Are Tired Of 13 MPG and 374* at 65 mph.
Colin
(now at 15 mpg and 410* @ 65)
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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