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Messages - KingBee

Pages: [1] 2 3
1
Event/Show/Campout news and reviews /
« on: November 04, 2013, 11:22:32 AM »
YES YES YES!!!
We missed this year (2013) as we sold our 86' Vanagon and bought our beloved old '71 back that very weekend!!

You can bet we are already looking forward to seeing the gang in 2014!!

2
Vanagon concerns /
« on: August 01, 2011, 10:31:08 AM »
I agree with Rich.  Really check out the lines.  Seems like such a little thing but it can really affect your engine.  

You can also try disconnecting 2 items, the Air Flow thinggy on the top of the engine that looks like a big pill sitting sideways in a larger-ish rubber mount (tape the end of the wire connector) and disconnect the throttle switch (tape that too).  A burnt out AirFlow Pill will make your engine rev and then slow then rev then slow etc.  If the throttle switch is toast you will have a problem similar to what you describe with cut out as it will send an incorrect signal to the "computer" of how wide open throttle is.  Disconnecting the throttle switch will only take off a little horse power ONLY when you have the pedal to the floor.   I currently have been running w/ out these items for about 1&1/2 years now and really it hasn't been a problem as long as I adjust the idel after doing so.  That is only a little screw on top of the throttle body.

One other thing to consider, your engine is old and has been running for years, sometimes wires get brittle and if you mess arounf they can loose a good connection by cracking within the wire itself and you won't see it.  try the old "wiggle the wire" test as well.  Pin point the starter wires going to the alternator and the wires going to the black box on the drivers side front of the engine compartment.
Please post back on your progress.

3
Where do you like to go Camping? /
« on: July 18, 2011, 08:59:48 PM »
Help ... I posted to the Galler folder by accident!  
 AHHHhhhhh ... I have some pictures that need to be in the WRW 2011 folder and I posted them to the main gallery as items.  

If anyone can contact the gallery administrator please feel free to delete the KingBee pics from the main gallery.  Please leave the ones in the WRW2011 folder.
Thanks

4
Where do you like to go Camping? /
« on: July 18, 2011, 11:55:59 AM »
Holy Guacamole what a fun time!  We didn’t want to leave!  We’re gonna come earlier next year!
Maybe this should be a weeklong event?
How about the regatta?  That seemed like the most participants ever.
Baron, could you post the “official’ count of how many bus’s showed up?
And one more, for Gus:
The question is … how many grateful Dead songs are about trains or have trains in them?  Per Wikipedia it’s 11
--------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_train_songs
List of train songs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A train song is a song referencing freight and passenger trains and/or railroads.   The following is a list of train songs organized in alphabetical order. The songs have appeared on commercially released albums and singles and are notable for either their composers or the artists who performed them. Songs with train or railroad in the title, but not about or inspired by trains, are deleted from the list .

"Big Railroad Blues"
"Casey Jones"
"Chinacat Sunflower"
"Dark Hollow"
"He's Gone"
"I Know You Rider"
"It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry"
"Jack Straw"
"Me and Bobby McGee"
"Promised Land"
"Tons of Steel"

--Just Jerry and Grisman--
"Freight Train" (Jerry Garcia & David Grisman)
"Nine Pound Hammer" (Jerry Garcia & David Grisman)

5
Event/Show/Campout news and reviews /
« on: July 18, 2011, 09:24:47 AM »
You have a great new family going and we were happy to help out!
Wish we knew about the headache, I could have provided multiple cure options too, haha!
I look forward to seeing Hazel toddling about next year!
Enjoy

6
Where do you like to go Camping? /
« on: July 13, 2011, 10:21:55 AM »
Thanks for the info on the raffel and tube drop off, Rich (a.k.a. the man with one red shoe)  
Baron Von Fillmore, thanks for the traffic update!

A guys pulled up to me in my bus (he was in a truck) and gave me that table that goes between the front seats in a Vanagon.  He was on the way to the dump to chuck it out.  How lucky is that?

I went to the Home Depot, and with a little creativity, a few spare parts hanging around in the garage and VW know how, I now have a table set up as close to the VW original as I could.

Das große Treffen der Busse ist auf uns!
Gnomes Vereinen!  

(copy and page this into: http://translate.google.com/# and translate from German into English to find out what it means)

------------------------------------------------
Finally ... the only Gnome joke in existence, I give to you ....

A gnome who joined a nudist colony only two
weeks ago was asked to leave because he kept poking his nose into other peoples business.

7
Where do you like to go Camping? /
« on: July 12, 2011, 08:12:04 AM »
The Pie Truck ... don't forget about the pie truck!!!!

To the 2 tone light blue/white blue splitty tube bus dude, when you go up the road to drop off the tubers, is there room for parking the bus while you tube down?  Then you go back?

Who is running the bucket raffel this year?  Anyone know?

8
Where do you like to go Camping? /
« on: July 11, 2011, 11:18:22 AM »
tubes -  check
kids - check
Pillows - Check
Bathing Suit - check
water shoes - check
raffle donation - check
couple bucks for raffel tickets - check
tire pressure - check
oil - check
collant - check
gearbox - well, still a little trouble getting into first, but no time to fix it, so CHECK
sundries - I'm not sure what a 'sundri' is, but I must be ok ... check
guitar - check

still need gas, hot dogs and smores ..... I'll get it on the way!

Anyone leaving from CT Friday morning?

9
Where do you like to go Camping? /
« on: June 13, 2011, 10:16:37 AM »
This is one of the best little secrets the bus community has kept!
WRW is awesome!

10
Vanagon concerns /
« on: May 03, 2011, 05:41:34 PM »
This year will be my 3rd or 4th WRW and we have loved it every year so far.  So, YES, you will see me!  You can look for me in the pics from the past 2 years.  Look for the tye-dye'd VW-SYF.

I assume you ment the Dinosaur State park.  They have a Dino St Park day during the summer.  If you have kids it's a great time to come.  The park itself is not a huge big deal, but is however pretty cool and you just won't see the tracks you can see there anywhere else on the east coast.
You can make plaster casts of 4 of the foot prints outside the big geodesic dome museum.  They will let you use the rings (they look like the rings you use to make cheesecake - any cooking show fans out there?) where you ring the foot prints and pour in the plaster.

I digress ... it's like $2-$3 per person to enter and kids are free if young.  You are looking at an hour or 2 if you go for the short "hike" through the woods.

After seeing the museum head to Eli Cannon's on main st in Middletown.  My favorite bar, not only on Earth, but in the entire Universe.  Great food, great beer selection and you will sit next to either a blue collar Joe or University Professor.

11
Vanagon concerns /
« on: May 02, 2011, 11:28:51 AM »
My Vanagon is my daily driver, so she see's a bunch of new parts whenever she want's them.  I'm on the road with some new coolant pipes, thermostate housing, thermostat and water pump.
FYI there is no way on Earth to catch every drop of coolant when doing any of these proceedures.

Also, thank you Busdepot!  I took a ride from CT to their little town to pick up the Add-A-Room tent and a new rear chrome bumper (thanks to all the guys who lost big to me during that poker game in April who made this all possible).
Both are great!  The bumper looks great and the Add-a-Room is awesome.  I look forwards to the next campout I can make so I can "show off" my new stuff!
It was also neat to meet the Busdepot crew!  Really great bunch!

Now a serious note (as if a complete flush and change of the coolant system's moving parts wasn't enough) .... I got a new cig lighter from the BusDepot to install.  My old one had a 3 prong input, the new one has a 2 prong.  So I finagled/created a wireing harnes of my own design.  Seemed to work fine untill I discovered my dash lights now stay on full time!!!!
I have since disconnected them from the harness, but am a little puzzled on how they ended up being wired into the cig lighter harness.  Back to the schematics and possibly making a relay from the ignition switch .....

As Roseann Roseanna Danna said: "It's always something!"

12
Vanagon concerns / Is it needed to run?
« on: April 12, 2011, 10:22:54 AM »
With any of our beloved old "ass's that bear us" ~John Muir~, be they a bus from the 1950's to Early 90's something will eventually wear out.
I hear you ... "Tell me something I don't know".
My latest particular head scratching questions is concerning the real need for the :
Throttle Switch
Idle Stabilizer Control Valve and the
Idle Stabilizer Control Unit.

If you know what I'm talking about .... you know what I'm talking about and can skip to the bottom of the post.  
If not here's a quick run down for the casual reader.

The throttle switch is under the throttle body and opens up when the gas pedal is fully depressed (cheer up little switch).  When it switches on it is supposed to tell the 'computer' to open the fuel injectors to full capacity (among other things) so you can get the most HP from your engine.  The thinking is you are trying to go up a hill or evade the Po-Po (Ha- Ha).

Both the Idle Stabilizer Valve (that rounded spark plug looking thing on the top of your 2.1 housed in a rubber mount) and the "Unit", located behind your passenger side tail light that looks like a large black plastic relay switch/box do just what they are named for.  Stabilize the idle.

Both my switch and valve are fried.  I think the "Unit" is ok.  I unplugged, timed and adjusted the idle last spring, and I don't seem to have a problem.
My '86 Weekender is my daily driver and get's way too much of my attention in her upkeep so she is driving well and strong.  (There are little intermittent hesitations at the top of second, but that's another post)
My question is how much better the bus and I will be doing if I replace the throttle switch (nearly impossible to find) and the Idle Stabilizer Valve (a $250 value).  FYI- the "Unit" runs about $400 new from BusDepot.

Right now I'm just in the thoughtful head scratching mode of what do I spend my next "change jar" purchase on?

Anyone ever do a replacement and lived to tell the tale?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

13
VW stuff Wanted /
« on: April 12, 2011, 09:57:41 AM »
check your belt tension as well.

14
Vanagon concerns /
« on: April 08, 2011, 08:53:10 AM »
From the other side of the fence, has anyone ever done a change from the old refrigerant to the new 134a refrigerant?
I have done much work to make my '86 nice and new and would love to use the A/C a couple of time during the summer (mainly due to my kids baking in the back seats).
It looks like the compressor works and the fan blows.
I've read thesamba articles, about evacuating the old gas and changing the compressor oil to mineral spirits.
Just wondering if anyone here has actually done it?

To comment on the original thread, be sure your old refrigerant is out before you begin removal otherwise you will release bad gas to the atmosphere.  Good Luck, seems like a pretty straight forward job.

Hmmm .... Would you consider selling the pulled parts, just incase I need to replace anything?

15
Event/Show/Campout news and reviews /
« on: February 23, 2011, 10:23:27 AM »
The one and only Red Baron said  "2011, July 15-17" on another forum located in Limbo.

Also, will the owners of "Daisy" the bus (R&L) please contact me.  You remember us, we all (R&L&J&M) weathered the thunderstorm last year, late at night under the EZup.

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