here we go... a VW van tale

[moose pit]

Shitty... is the stud sheared or just missing? If missing I'd try a dealer or online retailer to get a replacement. good luck!
I ended up pulling the dash again to kick start the blower motor that I put in last year... should have check the fuse first ... would have saved a hour of fucking around.

Snow tires go on this week... and I might drop the beast off at VW for a full tune up and to have fluids changed and flushed, and a front end squeak checked as I can't find it.

[Toby]

What Moose Pit said. If the stud's missing (most likely), it's an easy replacement. Get a new stud from a VW dealership or wrecker. Use some loctite on the stud when installing. Use two nuts to screw the studs in to about the same torque that the nuts require when done up. Put some more loctite on the nuts when you put them on.

I can't see how the studs would shear given their purpose but if that were the case I'd call in a professional. I've made a mess of home efforts to remove sheared bolts/studs enough times to not want to do it any more unless it's very straightforward. Hopefully there's enough room that it can be done in situ. It shouldn't take a pro very long nor cost very much.

[MakersTeleMark]

If it's sheared, it's a bit more involved. Drill it out and don't fuck the threads.

Replace with new studs, or if your cheap, go get some matched threaded bolts.

Easy fix. Make sure the mounting bracket isn't cracked from the torque.

[skiing-in-jackson]

This is what I'm working with. I thought I lost both studs, but one is in place- and well, you can see it.

Problem: The coolant cross over pipe is in the way. It was to be removed to get at this area. But... it has some funky press fitting at the other side that I'm afraid to jiggle.

[Toby]

Wow, not much thread holding those studs in. That's enough room if you leave the pipe on, no? Surely the studs aren't that long that they'll hit the pipe? There must be enough room if the old stud fell out with the pipe in place. Just use spanners instead of ratchet/socket for installation.

[skiing-in-jackson]

Wow, not much thread holding those studs in.

The piece you see on the right is the stud itself. It sheared off down in there.

I'm wondering if the one stud- tightened up, with the support bracket would hold it. I'd like to put some JB Weld in the shallow hole and let it set up.

If the alternator gets the shimmy, it will deform the aluminum engine block- then you're really fuct!

[Toby]

If the stud is sheared off in the hole (bit hard to see), then I'd call a pro workshop with a spark eroder, although how they go with soft, melty aluminium nearby I'm not sure. I reckon it'd be worth giving it a shot with one stud, one support bracket as an emergency. Although it's a long trip you're going on and it'd suck to break down. I'd rather get it fixed ASAP with a new stud personally.

I'm mystified how it sheared so deep in the hole, especially with no unusual load. Belt tension and/or vibration surely isn't enough to do that.

[advres]

You guys should meet my buddy Nate

[HansJob]

I found this site extremely helpful. www.thesamba.com
I have an '87 Westy that I completely restored. New motor, stripped to bare metal/repainted, lifted w/17" rims. Do you have a Bentley manual? #1 tip-change the fuels lines. These things are prone to catastrophic fires. Need anything/questions, hit me up.

[MontuckyFried]

Saw this posted today on slickdeals.net and thought of you guys on this thread. I used to love Legos, and thought this is actually a pretty sick set.
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Volkswage...uestid=4650344

[moose pit]

And some winter "camping" stoke from last season.

[skiing-in-jackson]

I found this site extremely helpful. www.thesamba.com
I have an '87 Westy that I completely restored. New motor, stripped to bare metal/repainted, lifted w/17" rims. Do you have a Bentley manual? #1 tip-change the fuels lines. These things are prone to catastrophic fires. Need anything/questions, hit me up.

^^^Sweet ride^^^

I read and post on the Samba as well. Great info. It def has pulled me out of a sling more than a few times!

[skiing-in-jackson]

Between Raton, NM and Trinidad, CO. I have a pic of me here some 20 years ago on a college Western trip.

I just finished Jackson Hole→ SLC→ Vegas→ Phoenix→ Albuquerque→ Cheyenne→ Jackson. 11 days, no mechanical issues whatsoever.

Well, I fixed a wiggly alternator wire causing my battery light to come on in Gallup, NM. Back on the road in 5 minutes.



Stuck on I-80 for about 5 hours. I pulled off thinking I wanted to be on the shoulder, but got right back in traffic again. I was parked in a lane of traffic East of Larmie, WY for 2 hours one time and 3 hours the next.

The wind is blowing here about 50-60 mph. As the day progressed, I counted about 25 semis off the road. Jackknifes mostly, but a few trucks just got blown completely over. I saw a semi riding on just the right wheels for second just ahead of me. It was crazy. My Maxxis Big Horn tires were awesome.The best 14" tire ever. Super quiet on the road, amazing on the drifts and ice. I was impressed.

The fastest drivers were going about 25 mph in these conditions. I was one of the few cars on the road. I talked to some truckers that said traffic was backed up for 40 miles. Look at the line of semis backed up:

[skiing-in-jackson]

Just got back from a 5500 mile road trip after ski season.

Jackson Hole→ Outer Banks→ Ocracoke Island→ Richmond→ DC → Jackson Hole

Only one breakdown... and it was a good "'ole fashioned roadside one".

The hinges holding the accelerator pedal fell apart on the side of the road in West Virginia. I was able to fix it in the parking lot of Food Lion. Eventually I had to walk a mile or so to the local FLAPS and buy some screws.

Not the best pic, but the broken studs are sorta sticking out of the floor. I pinched them off trying to grab them with a vice grip. I was able to punch them out with a hammer and nail and put a larger screw in place. An easy fix, but it was pretty scary the first time it happened and having to jump out and wave the enormous trash truck into the other lane as I lay stuck there in a lane of traffic.



In all it's glory, parked at Frisco Campground @ Cape Hatteras National Seashore. We spent a few days here, but the kids complained, "THIS IS JUST LIKE YELLOWSTONE!!!" They were alluding to the wilderness of it all. We eventually went to a great campground on Ocracoke Island and loved it.



Lots to do there- we had bikes and longboards to skate on. Not to mention $5.00 shrimp baskets each afternoon! Way better than Frisco Campground.

One fun pic: We brought longboards into DC a few of the days we were there- lots of closed streets made for some great skating. Some of the guards specifically said no skating as our boards went through the scanners, others didn't say a thing! Here Liberty kating in the Russell Senate Building. It rode great- all that stone. We even saw a bunch of Senate types- they all go out of the way or smiled/cheered when the gang went by! I couldn't believe how great DC was for longboarding.

[moose pit]

Looks like you're logging way more miles than I am.

Just swapped tires and realized that I neglected to disconnect the battery before letting her sit... dead battery again. oh well.

[skiing-in-jackson]

I'm having the worst time tring to get my Vanagon going.

We went to Yellowstone for the weekend a month or so ago and everything was great. Well, it was a little hard to start, but it drove like a champ.

I checked all the fuel lines and they all seem OK. They're draining by gravity and the fuel pump is squirting fuel. I have a good spark.

Maybe a bad tank of gas killed the fuel pump??? (again...)

[skiing-in-jackson]

SOMEBODY STOLE MY GAS!!!

I never thought to think about my gas level. The needle /sending unit have always been slow, so when I would crank the engine the needle wouldn't budge from empty. It was tyhe way it always was- buried until I was driving a bit- slow but accurate.

My tank was bone dry! Every drop gone! That's never happened before. I hear this happens all the time in the city, but not here. Wow.

I hope they needed it.