Basic Engine Problem's I might encounter? (don't moan at me)

[valbarley]

As you are all mechanical genius' out there and I have zilch knowledge of my poor bus just wondered if anyone had some simple guidelines/pointers of what to do if I am out in the bus and it suddenly gives up

I have AA coverage but are there are any basic, obvious things I can check for before calling them out?

Only asking as I saw the list of tools to carry with you on here, and thought I wouldn't know what to do with them anyway :shock:

Is it worth getting spare ignition leads, plugs etc and carrying them on the bus? Anything else?

Sorry for being totally thick

(Debating taking a photo of the engine and you can all point at the bits so I know where they are.... )

She has just been serviced and looked over and had no problems to date (touch wood) but a bit of confidence would be good

 

[Doris]

yeah post a light clear pic up of the engine bay.the biggest thing is to learn the principles of an air cooled engine,that will help you to work things out & understand anything you read. keeping them cool is vital.

of course you've always got help here as well ;-)

 

[valbarley]

ok here you go!

The only things I know about her is the original engine was recon'ed at 70k and she has a double sump :?

(and a temperature sensor on the dipstick so I know when she is going to blow up)

Pic 1
(Leisure Battery)

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

Pic 5

Pic 6

 

[67panel]

get that rats nest sorted(bodgy wiring on lesure batt)as for spares basic- points and condenser,plugs,fan belt, mobile phone with AA/RAC no pre programed :lol: just in case.

 

[ZedBed]

First off, take off the dizzy king lead stupid "suckers'll buy anything" multi-spark rip-off rubbish contraption, saw it in half and find two loose washers in a plastic case, and replace it with a proper lead. :roll:

Then fish about in the petrol tank for a net full of lead-shot that is supposed to "help", but will probably end up blocking the outlet.

:lol:

Then watch for the "techenders" thread - next one is september - and go camping for a weekend and learn about the basics of engine maintenance. It's held nr Hinkley so not far from you.

 

[sparkywig]

First off, take off the dizzy king lead stupid "suckers'll buy anything" multi-spark rip-off rubbish contraption, saw it in half and find two loose washers in a plastic case, and replace it with a proper lead. :roll:

Then fish about in the petrol tank for a net full of lead-shot that is supposed to "help", but will probably end up blocking the outlet.

:lol:

Then watch for the "techenders" thread - next one is september - and go camping for a weekend and learn about the basics of engine maintenance. It's held nr Hinkley so not far from you.

He's right you know....
Techenders is perfect for the mechanically unsure.

 

[valbarley]

Thanks for info re: techender

Dates seem a bit woolly atm, but looks good

Will look into it

 

[BJ1]

IMO your fuel lines are potentially dangerous. The pump outlet has a bloody awful PVC hose on it which will be rock hard and could fracture easily. The inlet line appears to be solid metal - not a good idea as these can vibrate and break - should be proper rubber hose for the final 9" into the pump. I strongly suggest you replace all the lines from the tank onwards and put an inline filter under the tank.

Are you servicing your engine yourself - a good VW specialist or experienced old git like me would have spotted those lines by now. Most so-called garages (aka module-fitting muppets) haven't a clue about how to set timing, valve clearances etc etc. Has anyone checked the endfloat and compressions on your engine - good guides to whether it's in good nick? It's a nice old 1600 single port (great engines!) so needs a bit of TLC.

 

[KevH]

You are being offered a lot of well intentioned very sound advice here mate, however I know from being in your position just 12 months ago that both the advice and the prospect of acting on it can be overwhelming. Don't despair. Setting yourself up with a good basic set of spare parts to carry with you and joining the AA will get you out of the smelly stuff 99 times out of a 100.

I have not 'done' techenders either but it is now on my list.

In the meantime, find a good local VW mechanic who knows about air cooled engines - ask on here or look in Camper and Bus, etc. - and ask them to talk you through the honest truth about your motor, the good and the bad and ugly. It may cost you about a hundred notes maybe - two hours labour - but trust them and it may save your bus going up in flames. I called on Alan and Phil Sutton at Creative Coachworks in Wem, Shropshire, who were brilliant and gave me the confidence to start to get my hands dirty. Simple stuff of course, but at least now I know what I am looking at.

But don't be put off or intimidated. And do start putting that set of spares together, such as points, leads, condenser, coil, dizzy cap, bulbs, fuses, accelerator and clutch cables...these are the things likely to fail and the AA man won't be carrying them. And it will be pissing down of course.

 

[valbarley]

You are being offered a lot of well intentioned very sound advice here mate, however I know from being in your position just 12 months ago that both the advice and the prospect of acting on it can be overwhelming. Don't despair. Setting yourself up with a good basic set of spare parts to carry with you and joining the AA will get you out of the smelly stuff 99 times out of a 100.

I have not 'done' techenders either but it is now on my list.

In the meantime, find a good local VW mechanic who knows about air cooled engines - ask on here or look in Camper and Bus, etc. - and ask them to talk you through the honest truth about your motor, the good and the bad and ugly. It may cost you about a hundred notes maybe - two hours labour - but trust them and it may save your bus going up in flames. I called on Alan and Phil Sutton at Creative Coachworks in Wem, Shropshire, who were brilliant and gave me the confidence to start to get my hands dirty. Simple stuff of course, but at least now I know what I am looking at.

But don't be put off or intimidated. And do start putting that set of spares together, such as points, leads, condenser, coil, dizzy cap, bulbs, fuses, accelerator and clutch cables...these are the things likely to fail and the AA man won't be carrying them. And it will be pissing down of course.

I bought the van totally clueless (still am) in April but thankfully it drove back from Arundel (166 mile) good as gold, other than the accelerator cable sticking - It had only been out twice in the 18 months so may have just been sticky. She has had a few runs since then and it seems fine now after a bit of oil/grease

I took it round to a local VW mechanic at Balsall Common (near Coventry) and asked him to give her a good look over - he changed the oil, adjusted the steering, (also got the tracking done last week) , brakes (I have actually got some now), clutch, new exhaust tail pipe, general look over the body (bit of corrosion on the sill but hopefully still MOT passable for a while), brakes (ok but back disc plates could do with replacing if I can ever find a pair which seems like thr holy grail), sorted out the heater (metal cap left in pipe so heat not getting through), washers etc etc. He charged me £70 for that lot so I was more than happy

I haven't any reason to doubt her atm, but the forums put the fear up you, and I just want to know where/what to look at before getting Mr AA out (I am ordering plugs, points etc etc for techender weekend, will leave them in the bus prior to that) Any major jobs I am happy for the mechanic to do (unless I suddenly turn into a whiz authority on it :? ), it's just my basic total ignorance I am trying to address in case of an emergency

At the moment I am taking her away probably 1 in every 3 weekends, pretty short trips (average 50 mile) and all seems ok

Thanks for the advice everyone, I'm not looking at making her a show bus, I just want to maintain her pretty much as she is and keep her running

Might as well stick a few pics on now I have waffled on about her.. :shock:

 

[KevH]

She looks a real beauty mate . You'll no doubt get some good humoured stick for the hi-top from the traditionalists on here, and for the ride height from the slammers too. As an ex-hightop and standard height enthusiast, I'd urge you to defend your corner. A beaut...lovely original Devon interior too.

 

[valbarley]

She looks a real beauty mate . You'll no doubt get some good humoured stick for the hi-top from the traditionalists on here, and for the ride height from the slammers too. As an ex-hightop and standard height enthusiast, I'd urge you to defend your corner. A beaut...lovely original Devon interior too.

Yeah I know I am in the minority liking the hardtops!

Makes life a lot easier being able to stand up though, and I didn't want the maintenance of a pop top

Ok, ready to defend on standard height as well! (have to bump it up the kerb as it is)

 

[lard]

She looks a real beauty mate . You'll no doubt get some good humoured stick for the hi-top from the traditionalists on here, and for the ride height from the slammers too. As an ex-hightop and standard height enthusiast, I'd urge you to defend your corner. A beaut...lovely original Devon interior too.

you didn't say it was a high-top :shock: - looks stunning and I'm very envious of your additional headroom, but glad I wouldn't have to fit it in my garage

As above - sounds like you are on the right track - I'd just list down some things in priority (such as changing the fuel lines) and then buy a copy of the Bentley manual which will give you all sorts of insight and step by step guides on most procedures

If it was me:

Replace fuel lines
Replace lead from coil to distributer (may as well change all leads, distributer cap and rotor arm whilst you are at it)
Investigate and sort wiring for leisure battery (looks like you've a relay split charge setup but the connections look messy and dangling about)

It's a never ending cycle of preventative maintenance to catch problems before they impact - but each job is one worth doing

My best advise is to get a Bentley manual

 

[Doris]

looks lovely mate.another standard height bus ;-) what's the colour? looks like lotus whiteon my phone?

well done mate on asking for advice,we all want these things to stay on the road

 

[valbarley]

looks lovely mate.another standard height bus ;-) what's the colour? looks like lotus whiteon my phone?

well done mate on asking for advice,we all want these things to stay on the road

Wish i knew what colour it was

There was no M plate on her, and I know she had a respray about 2 years ago

Can contact the seller though, he was brilliant with my thicko questions, and Im sure he mentioned what colour the respray was

Want to get some paint as there is a bit of rust at the top of sliding door panel inside which needs a bit of TLC with some filler. Saying that the paint inside looks more beige so think something else has been slapped on there anyway

 

[EarlyBay Bill]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1566913101" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hi mate
You might also want to grab a copy of the 'idiots guide' per the attached link. No Offence intended, I have recently bought a copy and the intro covers the basics of how an air cooled engine works and what's what when you look at the engine etc. it's a bit dated and quirky but will be useful I'm sure

 

[Humphrey]

Great looking bus...especially love your interior, looks awesome.

From personal experience, good to not only carry a spare fan belt with you but good to practice how to fit it before you have to do it on the side of the motorway! Looks straight forward until you have to goof around with the shims, not to mention bust yourself a new one trying to get the bolt off!

 

[KevH]

looks lovely mate.another standard height bus ;-) what's the colour? looks like lotus whiteon my phone?

well done mate on asking for advice,we all want these things to stay on the road

Wish i knew what colour it was

There was no M plate on her, and I know she had a respray about 2 years ago

Can contact the seller though, he was brilliant with my thicko questions, and Im sure he mentioned what colour the respray was

Want to get some paint as there is a bit of rust at the top of sliding door panel inside which needs a bit of TLC with some filler. Saying that the paint inside looks more beige so think something else has been slapped on there anyway

If you get yourself a birth certificate from VW (search for the thread on here) it will tell you your original spec, including colour. No guarantee it will match what is on now though. Looks like Lotus White to me.

 

[weeboll]

2nd recommendation to get john muirs idiots guide, its not perfect but it explains problems and how to diagnose them.

John tunes your eyes and ears in to the sound and faults of the engine and helps you work stuff out

engine not turning over. dashboard lights on? yep. hear the click of the solinoid on the starter? yep. wiggle gear stick or hit starter to help it engage.

its also a better red over a glass of red in the evening than the bentley manual (guilty of reading both)

oh, and you need a hammer.