Itinerant Air-Cooled

[image]Yikes! Saw the dreaded oil drips on the asphalt as I parked this afternoon.
79,000 Original miles, no leaks as of 5 days ago.
Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway slow and easy from Charlotte to Fancy Gap without a hiccup. Today I hit the interstate, and the looooong uphill climbs in the slow lane with the semis. Pulling into Tamarack in Beckley WV, I saw the oil drips as I backed into a shady parking spot and felt nauseous! Checked the oil level and it is fine (a smidge over the top line...oh shit! Did I over fill it on Sunday?). OMG, What have I done!? Are there some relatively simple steps I can take to ascertain the problem?

Stacey

Not oil, but GAS leaking, and, only when the engine is running (Thanks to my 11 year old son for figuring this out!)
So, I’m figuring it’s a fuel line, fuel filter, or fuel pump issue. Time for me to to do a little more research!

Recommend you park your Westy RIGHT NOW and don't start her again until you get this sorted out. The most common advice to new owners of these vehicles is "change the fuel hoses", which applies equally well to owners of busses which haven't ever had this service done. Most common cause of VW bus engine fires is neglected fuel hoses.

Ratwell's Fuel Hose article is a great place to start your education.

Be safe.

Appreciate the serious tone of your reply!

So, it looks like the choices are:
1- Tow it 250 miles home (to the top notch local mechanic)
2- Find a qualified mechanic near Beckley, VW

The more I researched, the more I realized I’m in over my head.
I was much more confident in my repair skills 20-30 years ago, John Muir at my side, with my 1966 21-Window Deluxe Walk-Thru, and 1969 Bay.

Anyone know a good mechanic in West Virginia?

It's not as hard as I think you're making it in your mind to change those high pressure fuel lines. Use the Ratwell guide to purchase the correct, high pressure fuel hose. There are a lot of links on how to change this hose and inspect all the other fuel system related components for any other leaks. It's a fun project if you take your time and insure you use the correct hose and hose clamps. Have a good fire extengrisher near by that should be kept in the bus at all times too.

I commend your son; he may have saved your bus. Bus Depot as the correct 7mm pressure rated fuel hose, or you may find some locally. Don’t settle for non-metric hose. With the information available here, and elsewhere online, you can figure out how to do it yourself, and save an expensive tow home, if the circumstances permit. Get a bunch of clamps, too. I prefer the BD ones, but the screw clamps work well, also. Get some fuel line clamps to cut the flow while you’re working. Might as well change the fuel filter while you’re at it, and you will need a pesky short piece of 11mm line from the filter to the pump. Take your time. The knowledge that you have done it yourself, properly, provides great piece of mind.

Are you or your son able to narrow down where it is leaking from? could be a real simple fix.

Perhaps we ought to dive a bit deeper into your present situation before offering further advice.

I'm assuming that you aren't at home, but on an "adventure" with your Westy. It might help to think of this problem as part of the adventure, because it is certainly typical of the types of detours we have all had to take while enjoying our unique vehicles in the real world, and it is trials like this that make the best stories decades from now.

Given that you are an old hand with old VWs, this repair should certainly be within your capabilities, but present circumstances may prevent you from tearing into the fuel system armed with cutters, a screwdriver and a collection of hose and clamps. Campgrounds tend to frown on such activities, for instance. Colin may be able to get away with astounding feats of repair while parked behind an abandoned building somewhere, but most of us just don't have the confidence to do the same.

There would also be the issue of where to get anything you need shipped to, if you can't source it locally.

The Air-Cooled Rescue site only shows two people in West Virginia who have signed up, neither of whom is particularly close to Beckley. But maybe see if either one would be willing to host you in their driveway for a couple of days, or perhaps would know of a reliable mechanic if you really don't want to tackle the job yourself.

But if you are able and wiling to take on the job and can enlist your son's assistance, I bet it would be a memory that he would carry for the rest of his life of the time that you and he fixed your old camper while on the road.

Or you could wait for Colin to roll through the area in early August...
Best of luck.

Humor me and put your had up the drivers side in the engine compartment as you feel for this this "red" hose to see if it is nice and solid or a crumbled mass.

Here is the rest of the layout.

NewBeginningsAgain wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 15, 2018 10:05 pm

Anyone know a good mechanic in West Virginia?

Update us! The suspense is killing me.
Colin

This site is amazing!
Some newbie asks for help figuring something out, and recommendations, encouragement, ideas and schematics come back from one end of the country to the other!

I’ve been a lurker/wannabe on this site for quite some time, impressed with, and entertained by the community of technical support, camaraderie, and stories. But...I had no air-cooled vehicle.

I finally joined for reals earlier this year, as my search for a bus kicked into reality mode, hoping to get on Colin’s 2018 Itinerary (that didn’t happen, but my name will be on the list for 2019!). Last week, my 11 year old son and I embarked on our first adventure with our new 1978 Westy, driving it home to Ohio from North Carolina, spending many days camping along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We changed plans and headed for the interstate on Saturday to get home quicker (my son missed his dog), then hit a snag in Beckley, WV when we discovered we had a fuel leak. Actually my son discovered it was a fuel leak, observing that it only leaked when the engine was running. We headed for the nearest campground, and I posted my first post to IAC.

I thought my first post would be in Community Forums >> Type 2, along the lines of “Hi, I’m new here, this is my new Westy, I’ve owned other VWs etc.” Nope, my first post was in Technical Forums >> Troubleshooting / Diagnosis.

The quick response from SlowLane, and the additional suggestions, encouragement and schematics from everyone else...Wow! What a great feeling to experience what this site is all about. Even Colin checked in (the suspense is killing him).

Ultimately, I chose to tow the bus 225 miles (thank you AAA plus!) to a well vetted, local mechanic in Ohio, rather than try my first VW diagnosis/repair in years, at a campsite, with few tools, and no way to get parts, when my son just wanted to get home and spring his dog from “camp.” I was also disinclined to tow it to a local shop as I found no evidence of any air-cooled action (mechanics, groups,clubs) in the area.

So, we are all safely home (dog included).

I thank everyone who responded! You will hear from me again, once I get my Westy safely tucked in my garage! Maybe I’ll even properly introduce myself in Community Forums >> Type 2, and include a couple pictures of my (as of yet) unnamed bus I keep calling “Butter.” (Mexico Beige)

I’m very happy that you got it back home with no misadventure (fire). Although you chose to turn it over to a mechanic, I hope that you, and your attention paying son, will begin to start tackling some of the simple maintenance chores, and move on from there. I suggest that you have your mechanic show you what he did, and inspect the work closely, especially if he is a mechanic with little experience with these machines. Refer to the diagrams that Randy of Maine posted. Feel the rubber lines-hands on! The Itinerant site is a place of encouragement for all of us to work upon, and maintain our air cooled vehicles. My opinion is that there is no one who will do a better job on their own vehicle that a caring, well informed owner. I also own a ‘78 Westy, and I consider it a work in progress, and a work of art. These are beautiful, unique pieces of machinery, and they have a wisdom to impart to the discerning owner, a certain intangible zen. As you have noticed, there is a real sense of community here, and a desire to help new and old participants, alike. Welcome to the fold, and please begin assembling your metric wrenches and sockets soon. A working day, with Colin, will set you on a remarkable course, and I recommend that you set one up, when possible. Then, you will be properly introduced to your bus.

Echoing Jivermo's sentiment: Glad you all got home in one piece and dog and boy are re-united. I bet that was a joyful greeting.

You might want to ask your mechanic if he is using the correct metric 7.3 mm fuel-injection rated hose rather than 5/16" hose more commonly available in the USA. It might not seem like much of a difference (5/16" equals 7.9 mm), but the metric hose is definitely the preferred fit for these vehicles. Personally I have had problems getting 5/16" hose to seal leak-free, but have no such issues with the metric hose.

Jivermo wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:07 am

I hope that you, and your attention paying son, will begin to start tackling some of the simple maintenance chores, and move on from there.

We will indeed! It's all part of the plan! I want him to learn, hands on, the art, science and benefits of preventative maintenance, and feel the pride in making a repair.

Jivermo wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:07 am

please begin assembling your metric wrenches and sockets soon. A working day, with Colin, will set you on a remarkable course, and I recommend that you set one up

Absolutely! Still have my metrics, and hope to be first on the list for Colin's 2019 tour!