Things new Vw bay owners should know thread

The point of this thread is simply to point new owners in the right direction not confuse. Our vans are very straight forward if we are sticking to the basics. Engine in the back controls at the front. It is air and oil cooled. and it usually has a very basic points based ignition set up which is old technology these days hence you hear people say that you pay your local garage mechanic to learn when doing your vehicle, what this means is they do not generally have the knowledge to fix it these days. If you see a straight out of college mechanic working on your van he will be taking longer because he has no idea how the basic set up works. He is basically doing stuff you could in all probability do yourself and charging you to learn how to do it.

To make my point I will tell you of my own experience re fixing my van,

I left school to become an apprentice mechanic in a garage, after a while I decided it wasn't for me and left. In the meantime I had picked up the very basics of 70s mechanics.

Life then took another course and I went into a managerial career for the next eight years. I had a aircooled bay that was my respite from the stress but I never did the work myself, I used it and had it serviced at the local vw garage or at a mates who owned a vw beetle workshop. On the odd occasion I did break down I usually fixed it myself at the side of the road over a cup of tea and an Haynes manual, I only ever took the most basic tool kit a few spanners, screwdrivers and feeler gauge, I also carried the leftovers from the previous service, plugs lead, dizzy etc. It was usually something along those lines that went. The point being I was by no means an experienced mechanic but I could usually sort it out by the side of the road.

Our love of the aircooled bays continued until the very early 90s and then we gave up on them as we were holidaying in other ways and the van was getting no use.

Fast forward to 20o8/9 and we decided to go back to the aircooled holidays and bought a early t25 in need of tlc.

My pocket and self esteem didn't stretch to allowing me to take it in and get done and I had a little more time on my hands. with a little help from a good friend and a basic toolkit we/I got the project on the road without too many unexpected issue's, I found tuning and servicing the 2.0 aircooled lump a pleasant experience, she had not run for a good few years but after a very basic overhaul she was singing. You can't knock these engines they stand up to a fair bit of abuse, this one had been driven all the way back from Spain in a mad dash and dumped unceremoniously in an hedge and left for three years, but after a service and a tune up she was purring.

Very soon after getting her on the road we decided to sell this van after agreeing we preferred bays and we set out to buy a bay.

The bay I bought was a minger and I was uncertain as to whether I had the skills knowledge or tools to get her sorted and deliberated for a while as to what I should do.

Then I found this place and after lurking for a while decided that I was capable of taking on the mess that was my van. The tools were soon out, I referred constantly to tlb and my Haynes manual for help and soon found that these vans are very logical. Once you understand the ignition system and the principal of aircooled over water cooled it is all very straight forward. If I ignore the fact it was totally rotted out and concentrate on the mechanics then I have to say it was easy, the braking system is easy ( although I always like mine checked by competent mechanics as a safeguard against numptyness) the running gear is very straight forward, the engine and box are simple and easy enough to work on with basic tools and the bog standard factory steering is great.

It has been a good experience, I have made friends and found I am quite capable of doing things I had previously paid a lot of money to garages to do or not do as the case often was. I have shared the knowledge and helped others overcome basic problems. To be honest I have surpassed my expectations and enjoyed the past few years immensely. there are still things I don't know and that is when I ask or just listen but who does know it all?

The only problems were the bodges previous owners had done. once I put those right it was fine, and I cannot emphasise enough how asking the most simple questions on here helped unravel a lot of mystique.

Remember it is simple once you know. but if you don't ask you will never know. so don't be afraid to ask, only an idiot would make fun of you, and most people are only too willing to pass on their knowledge.

So back to the original point. A basic toolkit, an Haynes manual and asking plenty of questions will save you a lot of money and you will know your vehicle is done properly.

 

Everyone moans about pattern parts. Without them though, most old buses would have ceased to exist years ago.
(I do agree some are shockingly bad though!)

 

Sorry. Did it help though?

 

It did take from Dec 2012 until Sept 2013 to finish it

 

Just a footnote to clear up this ' aircooled' thing.

Aircooled like water cooled simply refers to a method of cooling the engine oil so as it remains at the right temperature to lubricate your engine. The vent at the rear take in air that is blown around the engine and over the oil cooler to cool the oil. It is vital there is the correct amount of oil in your engine to stop friction wear between the moving parts inside the engine.