Itinerant Air-Cooled

We saw one other Bay Window bus in Yellowstone this last weekend, and it's been eating at me ever since.

Of course I went over to talk to the guy. He had his wife and a kid or two in this '77 hightop (conversion unknown; I'd never seen one like it) with F.I. I asked him how it's going. "Well," he said, "not so good."

He'd just bought the bus and this was its maiden voyage. He said that coming over "the" pass it started chugging, "like the clutch was slipping". Hmmm. I asked if I could look at the engine. Okay, there's no engine seal whatsoever and the rest is f.i.l.t.h.y. I asked him to start it. At idle, it is chugging like crazy, not firing on all four it seemed to me. That's not a slipping clutch, I'm thinking.

Nothing smelled or felt particularly hot, to my amazement. I asked him if he's adjusted the valves yet. Nope. I asked him if he's pressing the accelerator when he starts it. Yes. (I told him not to do that anymore.) I asked him if he has the Idiot Book. Yep. I asked him where he's headed. Over the Beartooth Highway to Billings (that road climbs up to just short of 12,000 feet). I could barely suppress my "yikes" in front of him; my eyes reflexively got wide, and I'm pretty sure he noticed.

Having a family of my own who had to be back home sometime that night (and it was raining besides), I told him to take it easy and let it cool down as often as he could. I gave him the IAC address and told him to look for "amskeptic". Hell, what else can you do for a guy?

No, really, what else could I have done?

Realistically? Go to the closest pressure washer and blast everything off... Sadly there really isn't one in Yellowstone.

Otherwise, pray?

What a bummer this is! With what you are telling us, it's certain that he did not change the rubber gas lines. If you got his email address, you ought to advise him of the importance of doing that post haste. Won't help to adjust the valves in a burned up bus.

Jivermo wrote:What a bummer this is! With what you are telling us, it's certain that he did not change the rubber gas lines. If you got his email address, you ought to advise him of the importance of doing that post haste. Won't help to adjust the valves in a burned up bus.

I hope he gets in touch with us. I hate to see these cars get wounded unnecessarily.
Colin

The voice of the Pilgrim that just bought a bus and heads out for a multi-thousand mile trip: "My pappy/uncle/neighbor told me these here old Vee Dubs just ran and ran and ran. Never had to do a thing to them."
That is how we end up with more dead buses and horribly frustrated owners.

whc03grady wrote:No, really, what else could I have done?

I wonder if the high altitude has made the air/fuel mixture overly rich? Perhaps the gas is old or the gas tank was rusty and now has clogged the fuel filter. Hell, the air filter could be clogged with a mouse nest!

Hopefully this guy finds the IAC and is willing to learn about his new car with the realization he is going to have to get involved in the health and maintenance of it.

Seriously, I would guess that this bus should be able to make it up the Beartooth Highway, but only if the vehicle is well tuned, lubricated, and had a few short trips under its belt.

Say, whc03grady, did you get this guys contact info? It's worth the effort to get in touch with him, and offer some guidance as well as clue him in to this site.

My family was recovering from a 6 year-old's very recent meltdown, so I was kind of twitterpated. So no, I didn't get his contact info nor did I give him mine, I just gave him this site's address and the cryptic advice to "find amskeptic". I f*ked up in that regard for sure.

whc03grady wrote:My family was recovering from a 6 year-old's very recent meltdown, so I was kind of twitterpated. So no, I didn't get his contact info nor did I give him mine, I just gave him this site's address and the cryptic advice to "find amskeptic". I f*ked up in that regard for sure.

If this six year-old is the six year-old I am thinking of, a meltdown of said six year-old would have to be a higher priority than getting contact info. No f-up, just triage.
Colinwhat'sitlikegettingtwitterpated?

Did anyone ever hear from this intrepid soul?

Jivermo wrote:Did anyone ever hear from this intrepid soul?

Wheyelp . . . bin sed that on dark nights yew cud heyear a howl comin' down from that pass, sumthin' like "I shudda listind."

I, of course, have never slept since.
Colin

It's kind of sad, actually. It's these "new" VW owners who are not familiar with 40+ year old buses (or mechanics) that then break down on their maiden voyage. They are the folks that fuel and feed the myth that these old VW's are horrifically "unreliable".. How many VW's have burned to the ground over someone not being familiar with these cars or doing any preventative maintenance or invest in getting their new acquisition inspected, serviced or repaired by someone familiar with them.

There's a current thread on TS about VW bugs reliability. The owner was too scared to drive it more than 5 miles from his house. Gee, I wonder if said owner has heard all about how "unreliable" these old VW's are from new owners like the one mentioned in this thread?

I know I'm not the most adventurous person nor am I a rocket scientist. However, I wouldn't even consider driving a brand new to me 40+ year old bus that I know nothing about that far w/out having a qualified mechanic (since this owner clearly is not a mechanic) giving it a thumbs up first.

Sorry if I'm being cranky.. lol