Itinerant Air-Cooled Here In Montana

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Here In Montana

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Jul 06, 2019 7:44 pm

Such a fine car. Poor thing is now at 103,007 miles. That makes:
103,007
- 99,570
3,437 miles on these Len Hoffman heads in just the past 30 days as of today.
Did my 3,000 mile maintenance yesterday. Lost an hour to an hour and a half on each exhaust valve, that is in the "recession" direction. I am keeping an eye on this. Maybe Spanish aluminium is not so dense and rugged as German aluminium at sustained highway speeds ...

What a friggen sweetheart though, hour after hour of smooth highway driving punctuated by gas stops to stretch and wobble around, then back in the saddle for another two hours, multiply by four or five times per day, without missing a beat, rain blasting down, sun blasting out, more rain, pick-up trucks veering, waving couples in Chevy Silverados towing boats, a steady purr from the engine and a steady thump from the 73,243 expansion joints since Minnesota.

https://vimeo.com/346637323

I have been fooling with the air flow meter. Right when I am about to rewrite the AFM article because I have a new insight, some thing or another blows me off the path. I have tried this matrix:

A) Weak Cog Spring ................ Lean Wiper
B) Strong Cog Spring ............... Rich Wiper

A) Better Fuel Economy and cooler DD readings, but only to a point, 17 mpg 410* but too lean skyrockets the CHTs to 430+.
B) Better Power Worse Fuel Economy and certifiably cooler DD readings at 12 mpg.

Thought about some new tires, seeing as the entire continental US is too soggy to scamper off the pavement very far:

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I calculate engine rpms at 346 @ 90 mph:

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North Dakota fields are as soggy as Minnesota's fields:

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Any time you step out of your car, you will be accosted by gnats and fleas. Nighttime driving coats the windshield with all number of bugs. I really looked forward to getting out of the Atlantic/Pacific moisture merge ...

At the gas station, this driver had nothing to say about anything. Fine. It is our country to lose with this sort of apathy and refusal to converse about topics of the day with species or beliefs that may be different than yours:

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After nine relentless hours of 65 mph, NaranjaWesty is "so, ready to get going?"

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North Dakota sunset at 65:

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Did I mention that sunset was at 10:00PM on the western boundary of the Central Time Zone?

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(more to come ... after I process more photographs)
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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whc03grady
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Here In Montana

Post by whc03grady » Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:02 pm

Montana visit summary coming soon.
Ludwig--1974 Westfalia, 2.0L (GD035193), Solex 34PDSIT-2/3 carburetors.
Gertie--1971 Squareback, 1600cc with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection from a '72 (E brain).
Read about their adventures:
http://www.ludwigandgertie.blogspot.com

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Here In Montana

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:50 pm

whc03grady wrote:
Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:02 pm
Montana visit summary coming soon.
Yes! I got my splendid photos of you and your pint-sized assistant!
ColinInSpokane
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 Here In Montana

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Jul 09, 2019 10:55 am

Amskeptic wrote:
Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:50 pm
whc03grady wrote:
Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:02 pm
Montana visit summary coming soon.
Yes! I got my splendid photos of you and your pint-sized assistant!
ColinInSpokane

Was driving across North Dakota and spied this luxuriant tree that has everything it needs, RAIN, soil, and even sun, without having to compete with other trees:

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Alas, we come to this. We have to, so don't take it personally. It is in our Design. Don't hide it, or from it:

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North Dakota where it gets hilly:

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North Dakota where it isn't hilly:

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NaranjaWesty gave me a brilliant traverse of the country at 102,000 miles plus, it was just a car, a functional quiet dependable car with curtains and a sink! hour after hour, lovely muted purr, 403* average CHT, 16 MPG, no oil consumed:

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I weighed NaranjaWesty in Oregon July 2016
Total 4150
Rear 2300
Front 1850

Well, it is 2019. I blame the weight gain in the front mostly on me (I am now 173), and some dumb stuff in the rear like an entire LUK pressure plate that is just riding around:
Total Image

Rear
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Front
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When these snow-capped mountains appeared, I knew I was getting close to whc03grady:

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... but I had to stop by my old haunt off Springtime Road where I did Chloe's tailpipe reconditioning in 2017:

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This year, it was a thorough waxing on NaranjaWesty's dinged nose:

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Of course, the clouds found me, and I had to scramble back to macadam.
So, how many shortsighted shaggy sheep shamelessly shit shambled across the road to the shrubbery?
This many:

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The orange plaid, dry interior, and good heat, helped me tolerate this infernal moisture machine that is now coming from the Pacific without let-up:

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Whc03grady appointment - next.
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 Here In Montana

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Jul 10, 2019 6:16 pm

Yeah, good ol' humanity doin' humanity ... :

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I love Mitch and Melissa. That is all there is to it. Such a gorgeous and demented conversation at the kitchen table. Let's just say that I needed a little brush-up on chicken anatomy. And the Universe time/space continuum is cool but that doesn't mean anything, and the EPA is getting themselves a visit and you best not step in their way. And when the little one said that she wanted to help Mitch and me, there was no sticky sweet, "oh honey, thanks so much, sweetie, but ..."
Hail no. Melissa said, "change your clothes."
Oh My God, it was like so you know like .... real.

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After Mitch had removed the old leaky master cylinder, she tightened the reservoir hose clamp and helped to ensure torque on the master cylinder-to-booster nuts and the brake lines, All of her might comes in at about 18 ft/lbs. Good thing she changed her clothes.

And we just kept going. Mitch said, "I have some old ball joint boots somewhere," and I said, "let's do it." The left side went well enough.

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The right side pulled a fast one on us and refused to relinquish the stupid eccentric off the ball joint stud. My poor poor AutoZone puller. We had a torque multiplier on the 13mm wrench and a stout screwdriver as a back wrench. PB Blaster. Some good and not so good hits on the eccentric flats. Every time we had a patonk! tool slip, we'd have to undo all the nuts and bolts on the puller arms, re-position everything, and hold it fast while all six nut/bolt pairs were re-tightened.
"Sometime it's 10,000 hits and the 10,001st is the one to let it release."
Finally, I conceded defeat, and explained to Mitch about removing the whole torsion arm.
While Melissa went off to get a neighbors multiple puller pack, we tightened up the puller again, PB Blasted it, tapped it and tapped it, and then just sort of sat back.
It dropped to the floor all by itself.
We called off Melissa, and got the car back together again by 8.

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By quarter til 9, I had been through a 3rd gear hill climb and stupid rain storm:

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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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whc03grady
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Location: Livingston Montana
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Here In Montana

Post by whc03grady » Mon Jul 29, 2019 5:44 pm

It was our 12th time at bat, and seems like forever/not forever ago that our eldest was a 0.5 year-old watching a stranger curse at her father as it snowed in June:
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But now the eldest chose to stay inside and read--perhaps worn out from helping with the windshield installation a couple years ago--and this time the youngest helped out:
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Melissa's shot of the 5.5 year-old's assistance

But I'm ahead of myself.

By the time Colin arrived, I didn't really have a plan other than knowing Ludwig's master cylinder had been leaking since 1991 or so.

With relief at the lack of judgement of my lack of a plan, Colin suggested we replace the master cylinder with what he judged was the best of the three (!) I had on hand. We hoped the OG reservoir would agree to another 45 years of service but alas as carefully as I tried to free it, one of the stems nonetheless snapped. Adieux, OG brake fluid reservoir...adieux. The Bus Depot replacement seemed to be okay and the rest of that job went off smoothly, thanks to the 5.5 year-old's help.

"Now what?" I thought to myself, nervously. Oh yeah, I guess the ball joint boots are shot. Don't I have some around here? Apparently so. That job went off as Colin described above. There's a long-standing hot start, and now every start, issue as well. Some contacts were cleaned, some wires jiggled, and still Ludwig just click click clicks sometimes. Dealing with that was my homework.

All in all, an excellent day.

The visit came on the heels/healing of one of the worst years our family has faced. I've been out of sorts for a year or so, let's put it that way. I wasn't sure how things would go because of my own brain and the fact that I had no plan. As it was, Colin's visit was a good return to baseline...a familiar and normal touchstone. It was much appreciated, and I am in your debt.
Ludwig--1974 Westfalia, 2.0L (GD035193), Solex 34PDSIT-2/3 carburetors.
Gertie--1971 Squareback, 1600cc with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection from a '72 (E brain).
Read about their adventures:
http://www.ludwigandgertie.blogspot.com

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whc03grady
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Here In Montana

Post by whc03grady » Mon Jul 29, 2019 5:49 pm

whc03grady wrote:
Mon Jul 29, 2019 5:44 pm
Some contacts were cleaned, some wires jiggled, and still Ludwig just click click clicks sometimes. Dealing with that was my homework.
The charger charged the battery overnight, on the low setting. The next morning, still nothing but click. I have the charger on it now, and if its display can be believed, the battery has 12.1 volts and is at ~45% capacity. Can we trust the readouts on those things? This seems to me to indicate it's time for a new battery. But a related question:

For awhile, the alternator bolt was loose...the hinge end, not the adjustment end. Could that have disallowed the alternator to fully/constantly charge the battery--which isn't particularly old--ruining it? Then again, it sits all Winter in the unheated garage.

If it's recommended I buy a new one, I'll be sure to keep it in the basement on the trickle charge as described. And I'll clean all the grounds and contact points too.
Ludwig--1974 Westfalia, 2.0L (GD035193), Solex 34PDSIT-2/3 carburetors.
Gertie--1971 Squareback, 1600cc with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection from a '72 (E brain).
Read about their adventures:
http://www.ludwigandgertie.blogspot.com

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Amskeptic
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Here In Montana

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:57 am

whc03grady wrote:
Mon Jul 29, 2019 5:49 pm
For awhile, the alternator hinge bolt was loose.
Could that have disallowed the alternator to fully/constantly charge the battery--which isn't particularly old--ruining it? Then again, it sits all Winter in the unheated garage.
If your current battery has ever fully discharged dead to the world, it leaves a deposit layer on the plates that prevents it from ever holding a full full charge again. A deep charge (12-24 hrs @ 2 amps) is about the best you can do for it.

So, yes, a new battery from AutoZone or wherever will tell you at first start if your starter is back to happy.
If it starts with verve, it is then your new assignment to keep it very very happy.
a) drive frequently for long periods
b) pull negative cable if it is going to sit for a week or longer
c) bring it into the laundry room over the winter off the floor, trickle charge once a month
d) do not allow it to discharge fully
e) etc, etc, etc,

Our alternators do not charge modern batteries enough in this classic car sit around phase of their lives, your bus is luckier than most, in that regard, except in the winter.

Say hello to flatlander, I have been following her bush-whacking journey through the bureacratic thickets.
Colin
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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SlowLane
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Here In Montana

Post by SlowLane » Tue Jul 30, 2019 1:08 pm

whc03grady wrote:
Mon Jul 29, 2019 5:49 pm
The charger charged the battery overnight, on the low setting. The next morning, still nothing but click. I have the charger on it now, and if its display can be believed, the battery has 12.1 volts and is at ~45% capacity. Can we trust the readouts on those things? This seems to me to indicate it's time for a new battery. But a related question:
Hey Mitch, consider investing in a CTEK charger. They are designed to keep batteries happily trickle-charged for months. Some models even offer a "de-sulphating" mode to recover batteries which you might have given up for dead.

For what little it's worth, Jay Leno has invested in a couple hundred of CTEK chargers to keep his enormous stable of vehicles fully charged.
'81 Canadian Westfalia (2.0L, manual), now Californiated

"They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance."
- Terry Pratchett

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whc03grady
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Here In Montana

Post by whc03grady » Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:32 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:57 am
A new battery from AutoZone or wherever will tell you at first start if your starter is back to happy.
It was CarQuest, it did, and it is. Batteries spend Winter in the basement from now on.
Ludwig--1974 Westfalia, 2.0L (GD035193), Solex 34PDSIT-2/3 carburetors.
Gertie--1971 Squareback, 1600cc with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection from a '72 (E brain).
Read about their adventures:
http://www.ludwigandgertie.blogspot.com

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Amskeptic
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Here In Montana

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Aug 06, 2019 7:34 pm

whc03grady wrote:
Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:32 pm
Amskeptic wrote:
Tue Jul 30, 2019 9:57 am
A new battery from AutoZone or wherever will tell you at first start if your starter is back to happy.
It was CarQuest, it did, and it is. Batteries spend Winter in the basement from now on.

It was? It did? It is! They shall.
Colin
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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