hi all. we are considering restoring this thing. it has 90K original, all original ruber, interior, and engine parts. anysuggestions on where to start. we have lots of money and are considering acomplete restore.
we were going to start with suspension then move intot he engine and tranny. she runs great now. we run her 1500 minle in a few weeks every summer and have been putting 15k on her since aquzition 3 years ago.
help out with any type of information you may have in improve our chances of creating a cool van.
we have baby in tow, and are quite excited about travelling with her!
Post pics somewhere (but not here of course!) Hard to suggest what to do when one doesn't know what needs doing! What's wrong with the suspension? Is it clunking, shuddering, squeeking, collapsing? Does it appear to have sagged a bit in the rear? It should. You might end up turning the torsion bars a notch and adding some new gas shocks, but other than replacing rubber bushings (not necessarily necessary.) Any other suspension changes will just lessen the overall versatility of the vehicle, but perhaps you wish to fine-tune it for the appearance you seek and aren't concerned about longevity or handling versatility.
Tell us what you WANT to do or NEED to do and we're all here to tell you how we did it, why it worked well or didn't work so well, how we'd do it differently if we did it again - all that kind of stuff.
If your posts for assistance are as respectful and forthright as this first post, you'll get lots of help.
I assume it is a U.S. spec '78? If so, it's about due for it's first dropped valve seat in #3 cylinder! One thing very important in that model is keeping the oil cooler clear of debris so the cooling air can get through it unrestricted. When they sit for months, little critters pack all kinds of stuff in there if it isn't already blocked from pine needles and various "stuff" sucked in by the fan. The lack of cooling on #3 cylinder (left front) eventually causes it to run too hot and actual damage occurs. It's a bit of a chore to get to the oil cooler, but it's pretty much a do-once item. Probably higher in priority than suspension (unless something's not behaving properly!)
-- Dave "Busahaulic" Pearson Fall City, Washington Remove obvious from addy to e-mail
thanks for the answers. the number 3 valve does seem to be pinging a bit.
the front right end clucnks on hard turns. i also need to do the cv boots all around. i was told that there are complete axels, with boots, available. somewhrere
the dropped valve seat, what do I do? i am leaking a bit under running out of the push rod tubes, and was planning on replacing them, i guess ill do a valve job? i thought the valves were self adjusting.
i imagine ill pull the engine soon. i also have a bit of seepage around the oil breather...i should replace the gasket
things we'd like to fix in order of importance
1) front right is clucnking during turns
2) pinging on 3, as you've said
3) seepage from tranny...seal? it aint bad, we are living with it, just a bunch of gunk around it
thanks for the help. we are researching as we speak.
You didn't answer about it being U.S. spec or not! I am assuming it is a 2 liter with hydraulic lifters. Before jumping to any conclusions on pinging (so many sounds, not enough descriptions!) do a compression test. If you're at all unsure about how to go about it, I'll give you step-by-step. After the compression test you can plot your course!
CV boots shot just means a lot of abrasive material has gotten into the CV joints and all the grease has gotten out. Check with Aircooled.net and see what John has. I have a local company that specializes in drivetrain components and sells complete assembly rebuilt with new CV joints, used axle, new boots for less than I was buying the CV joints for. You can also disassemble and clean, inspect foir wear and if not too bad, re-grease, install new boots - PITA, but I've done 'em a dozen times or so.
Prolly time for ball joints, but go to a "reputable" front end shop where they have employees over 30 years old (preferably close to retirement age) and have it checked. Sorry youngsters, but you aint been around!
Seeping from tranny - where? Oh, by the way - on these engines, oil gets slung everywhere when you have a leak. Wipe a good smudge of that oil off the tranny and step away from the vehicle a few yards then take a good whiff of that smudge. If it has that smell that puckers your nostrils it's tranny lube - otherwise it's motoroil that has worked its way forward. I assume it's a manual transmission. The plug is on the forward left side of the transmission. Pull the plug and stick a pencil in there to see how low the level is. It will probably come running out as soon as you pull the plug and you'll have a helluva time getting it back in cuz yer trying too hard! At least you'll know what that smell I mentioned is.
If it is indeed a 2-liter '78 model, it has hydraulic lifters and they are "self adjusting." The pushrod tube seals are a special O-ring that withstands heat better than regular rubber. Not tough to change, but the first couple times is a real learning experience. Getting the valve cover gasket back on and sealed is a "learning experience" too! There are tricks - lots of tricks. Anyway, it is common for the pushrod tube seals to need replacing. The valve cover gaskets - once sealed - should stay put forever on that engine. They seldom leak unless disturbed or installed improperly - there are several different thicknesses available, too. The seapage around the oil breather is probably due to getting close to needing a topend job. If it's a 2-liter, and has had the oil changed regularly and no teenaged driver types, you can be pretty certain the crank and rods are in good shape. They are nearly indestructible - it took me a lot of effort to do mine in! Topend job means new barrels and pistons, head rebuild.
Dropped valve seat - the heads are aluminum. The valve seat is an insert made of material that can withstand the pressure of the valve heads "slamming" down on them as well as the extreme temperatures. When things get too bad, the seats get loose and get hammered into the aluminum head. Typical of a pretty badly shot head is the engine will start cold, but not hot. It will idle rougher as it gets hotter but runs pretty smooth at high speeds. When it gets really bad, you leave the engine running when you get gas or go to a restaurant - fast idling - cuz the only way you'll ever get it started again is compression start at pretty good speed or let it cool off for 3-4 hours! FWIW - valve heads don't "slam" down which I expect someone to point out to me, but if it were your front door and you're 14 years old, you wouldn't be sittin' down for awhile!
Other CLUNKS that are common are just plain loose parts like bad shocks or loose shock mounts - very common. If it does not wander (not referring to wind-induced wandering) and steers smoothly you may be in fine shape for awhile longer. Get 'em checked for your own peace of mind. These vehicles have different suspension from anything else out there. You need to find an older guy who has been around them. When I put new ball joints in I had a local chain store (but a "good" one) do the alignment. There wasn't twenty years of experience in the entire shop combined (about 8 mechanics.) There was a guarantee. I brought it to another store in the chain and another young guy, but enthusiastic and open minded worked on it under the supervision of 55 year old "Hans." It still wasn't right and after a week of trials, I took it back and Hans worked on it for a couple hours until it really was right. The big problem is that after a head-on collision and "stuff" over the years, you throw the book away and go by gut instinct based on experience. I was able to drive a couple miles, come back and tell him what it did and he tweaked it to compensate. I hope he's still there next time I need him - but the kid was learning a lot...
Other oil leak is the oil pressure sending unit, BTW. Buy a dozen - one might be good. If the one that's in there isn't leaking, don't touch it!
Tell me if it is in fact a U.S. 2L and stock fuel injection?
i recently, this past summer, replaced tranny fluid. it needed it bad, something I will begin to do more frequently since we tend to do country dirt roads in new england during summer jaunts.
i was told that there are cv joints available already built, on axels, and it would be much easier to replace instead of rebuild, by replacing booties.
i have never done a compression test on this vehicle, but I am aware of how to do it, essentially crank the engine with the gauge inserted...and plug wires removed.. right?
i dont think the top end is going to need a rebuild, as the engine is quite strong. we moved a range the other day going up hill with 3 adults, accelerating!
yes, the lifters are self adjusting on this model.
the bus doesn't wander, just the clunck. it runs straight, and this spring we'll be looking into that front end...
new question mr. b-ahaulic
we have the roof that goes up, not vaulted...the front , above the driver and passenger seat, the roof is rusint. Is there a way to remove the fiberglass luggage roof section to get at the metal roof underneath? some kind of solvent to break the barrier of whatever that strong stuff is holding it down? we have a rusted rain gutter on the passenger side, and underneath the roof, we believe there may be a hole. we have some leakage of rainwater during deluges.
hey, many thanks over and over again. we just got dsl and i am enjoying learning from this awesome group.
i will take a look at the site you've mentioned and order a part or 2 shortly.
judging from your email address, is that your last name or do you own a pearson sailboat?
Yes exchange rebuilt axles are available, as I said. I'm in Seattle and would buy mine from Drivelines Northwest. See if John C. has them at aircooled.net.
Compression check: 1) Remove all 4 sparkplugs before beginning test. (2) Ground coil high tension lead or disconnect positive wire from coil so it isn't "hot" (3) Throttle wide open (4) insert compression gauge in hole #1 and crank engine over to get highest reading. (5) Write it down (6...) Same for #2, #3, #4
If one has a significantly lower reading than the others, squirt a couple squirts (maybe equal to 2 teaspoonsful?) of motor oil in that hole and turn engine over 4-5 turns, then test the compression on it again. If significantly higher, probably bad rings / loose piston type scenario. If it stays the same it's probably a valve problem.
If they're all within 15psi of each other, and over say,
110-120 you're prolly in good shape.
No help on the top removal. Try a new post so you get noticed!
...................Good information there Dave. As an aside, I've seen compression numbers as high as 70 psi that resulted in a dead miss while under load. Anything under the 110 number that you mentioned is a bad sign of things to come though.
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