How To Service Your Type 2 Bay Window Bus!
Servicing your VW Bay Window bus can see like a bit of chore in the excitement of the new spring season all ready upon us. Often there seems too much to do in terms of Volkswagen Camper meets events and the inevitable road tips that are planned for the summer to think about getting ones hands dirty serving your cherished Volkswagon bus. Some or even most of us will take our cherished bus to a non Volkswagen garage to have it serviced get charged through the nose for what’s essentially no more than a regular car service. Even Volkswagen appointed garages will only undertake a standard vehicle service and not consider the unique requirements of a 30 year old aircooled Volkswagen Bus.
It is also too easy to forget that VW Bay Window Campers need frequent servicing; in fact some servicing tasks will require your attention at a frequency of as little as 2000 miles! It is incredible to think that most modern cars have service intervals of 10000 miles or more. The high operating temperatures of Aircooled Volkswagens’ for instance require oil changes every 3000 miles to protect vital engine components from heat and wear related damage.
Take my word for it! I am no mechanic so I have written this article not as a definitive DIY servicing article but more as a simple 20 step guide that you can either use yourself or help your local mechanic to ensure your bus remains on the road for years to come! I have scavenged I lot of the material from the web and rehashed it to suit Class Campers. And I have subsequently referenced at the end of this article all the sites and printed material that I used.
Step 1
Changing engine oil
Engine oils should be changed at 3000 mile intervals to ensure that your engine doesn’t suffer from undue wear and tear. Some folks even suggest that it should be changed every 2000 miles. If this seems a little extreme just think about how much it will cost to replace your engine should you have a catastrophic failure due to excessive engine wear! The actual oil change interval is up to you but I wouldn’t recommend that you go more than 3000 miles.
Step 2
Tire pressures
It is important to your tires are inflated to the right pressure. Your buses ride will be better and its road handling will be much improved which also means that it will be safer. Check your tire pressures at least every two weeks and always before a long journey. Make sure you know the correct tire pressures for your model of VW Bus. I will be adding standard tire pressures to Class Campers technical section soon but probably after the publish date of this article.
Step 3
Windscreen Washer bottle
The most peculiar set up I have ever seen! The washer bottle on a VW Bus is located behind the front kick panel to the left of the steering column. The peculiar part of the set up is the fact that it needs compressed air to force the water from the bottle to the windscreen. You can attach a normal air line at your local garage and pressurize to 40psi. Warning do not pressurize it and more than 40psi because you run the risk of blowing the pipes of the washer nozzles. It’s a lot of work to put them back on!
Step 4
Gearbox Oil
Although the gear box should only be changed every 30000 miles it may need topping up from time to time. The fill plug is located on the side of the gear box near to the clutch cable. The official documentation suggests you will need a 17mm Hex spanner but mines seems to be 18mm! Use Hypiod EP80/90 gear oil and fill so the oil is level with the bottom of the hole. It is essential that locate your bus on a flat surface when you perform this task.
Step 5
Spark plugs
Cleaning your spark plugs should be undertaken every 5000 miles or so. The electrode gap should be 0.7mm or 0.028in. You can clean the electrode with a little piece of emery cloth or a fine wet and dry. Personally I prefer to completely change my spark plugs every 10000 miles and check them every 5000 miles or so.
Step 6
Distributer Cap
When you replace or check your spark plugs it is necessary to inspect the condition of the distributer electrodes because they can become corroded. If so they can be cleaned or replaced depending on the level of corrosion.
Step 7
Roter arm
The roter arm inside the distributer should be checked cleaned or replaced every 5000 miles or when you check the condition of your spark plugs. They are not expensive so I prefer to replace new for old on every service.
Step 8
Ignition points
The Ignition points should be checked every time you undertake the general electrical servicing outline above. The points gap should be 0.4mm or 0.016in and should be clean. If they are pitted or corroded in any way they will need replacing.
Step 9
Fan Belt
Check every time you look in the engine bay! Its easy. 10 15mm play is fine anymore and you should adjust. There are some small shims that can removed if the fan belt is to loose.
Step 10
Air filter
The air filter will need to be cleaned and the oil replaced every 5000 miles. Drain the old oil clean and fill up with new engine oil. Make sure you dispose of your engine oil properly. Your local council will have an oil disposal unit.
Step 11
Fuel lines and hoses
Check the condition of your fuel lines every time you follow this service check list. If they are chapped in anyway replace them. Remember no smoking! You can get very high quality steel lines if you prefer. Whilst you are doing this you can check the heater pipes for holes or badly fitting joints and repair if necessary. Having wholes or bad joints will reduce your buses chance of keeping you warm.
Step 12
Brake fluid
Brake fluid should be checked and topped up periodically. The brake fluid reservoir can be found behind the front kick panel.
Step 13
Brake Pads
The brake pads can be checked very easily on a bus although you will need to remove the wheels. To do this jack up the vehicle and remember to always use axle stands. You will be able to see if your pads need replacing they should be at least 7mm thick.
Step 14
Axle
The axle will need to be greased every 57000 miles. There are multiple points that need greasing. These are the steering idler that is located in the middle of the axle and the four trailing arm bushes at the ends. So a grease gun will be a great buy!
Step 15
Front Rear Drums
The front and rear drums of your VW bus will require adjusting at lease every 6000 miles. To do this you should insert a screwdriver in to the drum adjustment whole under the hub cap of your bus. More to follow
Step 16
Handbrake
The handbrakes on VW buses are notoriously bad and often hardly work at all. This is usually because they haven’t been adjusted for years. This isn’t a difficult task more
Step 17
Wheel Bearings
Your wheel bearings will to be checked every 10000 miles or once a year which ever comes first. You should regrease them every 2030000 miles or two three years. To check them jack up your bus don’t forget to use axle stands and grasp the top and bottom of your wheel and push the top and pull the bottom of the wheel. If there is any play they will need to be replaced. If there is any grinding when you spin the wheel then it is likely that the bearing will need replacing.
Step 18
Clutch
Your clutch should be checked for play periodically and should have around 20mm play at the foot peddle. You should also grease the clutch cable periodically to help its ability to work efficiently and to stop it breaking because it gets stuck.
Step 19
I cant think of any more but if anyone has any other tips please let me know.
Thanks
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Paul James Gadsdon works at the University of Wales Lampeter as an eLearning Technologist. He has also worked as a web developer and an eCommerce consultant.
He is the owner of several websites including www.classcampers.com www.worldscheapesthomes.co.uk www.beebiplayer.co.uk and www.internetinsurancequotes.co.uk
How To Restore A Classic Car
Restoring a classic car can be tricky business especially if you have never done it before. You have lots to think about from where you can get the parts from to how it’s going to affect your classic car insurance.
The first thing to do when restoring your car is to make sure that you have enough room to do this. The best place for this is usually a garage because you are out the way not taking up valuable space in the house and not making a mess of the house. To save space you can store parts like the engine gear box doors and bonnet in a basement or shed while you are working on the car.
You need to be prepared that some aspects of restoring your classic car are going to be more involved that what you anticipate. For example you may not be able to find the parts you need get matching colours to existing parts and getting classic car insurance may take longer than you think. The reason why this can be difficult is because if you want to increase the value of your classic car then it is better to use as much original equipment as you can. If you are not sure about some of the work then it is best to go to a professional as it will save time and money in the long run.
Once people have restored their classic cars they tend to either sell them on or keep them for personal use. If you are keeping it for yourself then all you need to do is find somewhere safe to store it and get classic car insurance. However if you are planning on selling it there a few tips which can help you get more money for your car.
Basic tips for attracting people to your car are to ensure its sparkling clean and change the oil. Another great tip is to service the car. This is because there is a lot to organise with a new car such as classic car insurance so if it doesn’t need servicing straight away then people will be more inclined to purchase the car.
Choose where you are going to advertise you car carefully in order to ensure that you get the maximum offer for your car. People who are devoted to classic cars are more likely to pay more money so it’s important to target them. A good place to start is classic car magazines as you wouldn’t buy these publications if you weren’t interested in cars. This is also helpful to people as they can find a car parts for it and classic car insurance all in one place.
Taking your car to a car show or museum is bound to get it noticed if you are trying to sell it. Placing it near the venue’s entrance or exit is ideal as people are bound to see it. Restoring a classic car is great fun for car fanatics regardless of whether you are keeping it or selling it on. However follow these tips and make sure you are careful so you don’t cause any damage to your pride and joy.
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How To Facilitate The Best Gas Mileage Of Suv
It would be important to face the fact that many sport utility vehicles are gas gazzlers but if as the buyer you choose carefully you can find a compact or midsize SUV that gets you a good gas mileage. A car will not consume as much as an SUV but most people will readily trade of their valued car with an SUV. The SUV are commonly regarded as the flamboyant vehicles that consume lots of fuel. The rise in SUV drivers has been instrumental in increasing the cost of fuels. These sport utility vehicles uses large amounts of gas as fuel. We can categorize them as the trucks; though they do appear to be passenger cars. SUVs have always been high maintenance vehicles. You should follow some tips to get the best gas mileage from your SUV.
If we look towards the estimates given by the SUV gas mileage then we will observe the impact of gas mileage of SUV on the market. Making the automobile industries reconsider the designs of this luxury vehicle to facilitate best gas mileage in an SUV.
In the year of 2007 the best gas mileage of SUV was from Ford Escape. This best mileage Sport Utility Vehicle is the front wheel drive version of the Ford Escape which runs around 31 cities and the mileage is 29 highway miles per gallon. Where as four wheel drive version gives result for 28 cities and around 27 highways.
Another version of Escape that is The Mariner Mercury’s version will give same mileage. All Ford and Mercury hybrid SUVs have four cylinder engines of around 2.3 liters and are accompanied with CVT automatic transmission. This is a good start for the Ford as it is always searching to counterbalance estimates that are produced by the V8s that are offered in journey and voyager.
Other vehicles that are tagging along with Ford are Lexus and Toyota. These two vehicle brands have a very high MPG pair of hybrid cousin. Lexus RX 400h with its twowheel drive version and the version Toyota Highlander Hybrid both are having 3.3 liters of six cylinders engine to CVT automation will give result for 28 cities and 25 highway miles. Another version which is 4WD of RX 400hand the highlander Hybrid is little less than this and claims to give the satisfaction of going around 27 cities and 25 highways using very little fuel.
All above mentioned estimates are of the Sports Utility Vehicles but some cars like Saturn Vue Hybrid shows these entire features in the general vehicles or motors which gives us a ride of about 23 cities and 29 highways. If we look towards the GMs history along with EV1 electric we can expect lot more things in very short span of time. These all sport utilities vehicles described above are the best gas mileage sport utilities vehicles. These are made such as to consume less gas as fuel and hence they will give the high mileage. Best gas mileage you can get from an SUV will depend entirely on its manufacturer.
About the writer: Muna wa Wanjiru Has Been Researching and Reporting on Gas Mileage for Years. For More Information on Best Gas Mileage Of Suv Visit His Site at BEST GAS MILEAGE OF SUV
