Does this thing have 4lo?
Does this thing have 4lo?
This van has the 4-lo and the 5-speed. It is a keeper just for that reason.Can be lifted 1 1/2 inches or so and put on some larger tires.
The weekend as well as this evening was about working out "bugs" rather than making any major headway or mods. Replaced 2 burnt out front parking lights this evening. Replaced 2 rear ones over the weekend. Luckily there are 4 front and 4 rear. Also got the passenger power window working after tracking down a poor ground INSIDE the driver door switch that was keeping the power window from working all together.
Kewl project Jeff, ive been looking for a VW vanagon Synchro to play with.
Hence why I went with Toyota. I also wanted water cooled and I think these have more power than the Synchro. Also unsure if the Syncro has 4-lo. That was a must.
Passed its sniff test this afternoon with flying colors.
The news is predicting a low below 10 this week, so tonight saw a mad scramble in the 30 degree darkness to change the antifreeze. I went around testing all the cars, and this one wouldn't even register at +20F on the freeze gauge. Checked it over and it was REALLY gross. 3 hours later, and it is all clean and should be good to well below 0. One more thing to cross off the list...
So the bad news is that after doing the antifreeze change a couple days ago, now the water pump started leaking really good. Took that off today and also pulled out the thermostat. Tested it and it isn't opening right. Get it all replaced and done right. Frustrating to more or less be doing an antifreeze change again after all the work the other night!
Today saw the install of the new water pump, new thermostat, gaskets, all 3 new belts, and topped off coolant. Took 3 different parts stores to get everything I wanted, but did it right. New Stant brand thermostat (180 degrees which is stock, and it is made in USA). Also had to go to 2 different places for the right fan belts. Also bought a brand new water pump at Autozone rather than a rebuild.
Next on the list is new brakes. Pads come in tomorrow at O'Reilly. Then it is replacing the auto-hubs with manual AISIN hubs. Slowly but surely...
So the brake job was a COMPLETE NIGHTMARE. I ordered the pads from O'Reilly. They never came in. I ordered them on Amazon. Wrong parts twice in the right box. Other local places didn't even carry them. FINALLY got a set from a guy on Ebay for 1/2 the price of anyone else. They are the right ones, which was obviously the most important. This guy knows his sh#t about the vans. I also got a brand new set of Brembo (like I care) rotors for cheap enough. The wheel bearing seals were a complete disaster as well. O'Reilly ordered them 4 times before they came in. 1st one was wrong item in the box. Then the order got lost, and then it got lost again. I finally got them in Friday. I had also ordered a pair from Amazon. Right parts the first try and it would have been all done, but I damaged one putting it in.
So the story wraps up after 3 WEEKS of sitting in my driveway waiting on parts that I finally got it all done yesterday. New pads, new rotors, wheel bearings cleaned/packed, new bearing seals. Only thing not replaced was calipers as they didn't show any need. I also ditched the auto-hubs and put a manual hub on one side. I had a 4Runner drive-flange for the other side as I rebuild the 2nd manual hub to put on hopefully in a few weeks. The 4x4 should work like a charm now! I think a hub failure kept it from working before.
After completing the brake job, I decided to take out the van for a test drive today. Got in, turned the key, engine turned over a couple times but didn't start. Turned key again, and just click, click, click. After doing a bit of testing, determined it was the starter. I had snagged a nearly new starter for cheap a couple weeks ago. Swapped it out today. Old one was pretty darn ugly and had seen many better days. Started up on first try after the swap. Runs and drives great!
Today was the install of the stereo (with MP3 input) and CB radio with weather band. The old stereo didn't work, so cruising without tunes was getting old. Sounds pretty good for the original speakers and setup! The old stereo was HUGE, so the new stereo and CB fit just perfect into that area. Like it was made for it.
Pics of stereo/cb
I took the van over a parking lot last night and tested out the 4wd. Worked good. Drove it to work this morning in 4x4 and it kicked butt. This thing is super cool! Did just as well as my truck or better.
Yeah, I had thought about it, but the pregnant wife isn't feeling so well. Spending a lot of time on the couch these days.
Good reason to stay home.
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