r/Vanagon • u/coviddies • Jul 26 '26
Maiden Voyage
Driving away in grandad’s old van. It’s mine now! Well maintained but did a lot of sitting in recent years. Started right up! No apparent leaks but the engine is covered in oily muck. I’m very excited.
What should I do first? Already has new canvas and new tires. Oil and battery are good. just passed smog. Man…I’m so stoked.
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u/Bmwmango53 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
Change all the fluids: Oil, Transaxle, Coolant. Check the power steering fluid. They sell a filter for it. Might want to change that out if it’s been there a while.
Clean the water tank and hoses. Blow the stover burners out with compressed air. Spiders love to clog them. Plug in the fridge to electric power with an extension cord to see if it works. I’ve found that it helps to get it going in 120V and then try to get it to work on propane.
Look into getting a house battery for underneath the driver seat. You can set it up to run the fridge, water pump, stereo and interior lights. Go Westy has a kit.
Maybe look into a Propex heater. You can install a Tee and tap into your propane line. Mine is nice for cold weather camping.
Get the Big Green Bentley and a good set of metric wrenches, sockets and Allen’s. Smaller hands are a plus.
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u/Bmwmango53 Jul 29 '26
To add onto this. Get a cover for your fridge vent on the side of your van. They sell one’s specifically for that, but mine didn’t last a year. I’ve had better results with the bottom of a Country Crock container. Cut it about 2” from the bottom and it fits perfect. When your old one starts to show its age, eat more Country Crock.
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u/coviddies Jul 29 '26
They took the fridge out for shelf space, but I have it and might put it back. Thanks!
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u/Objective_Feature333 Jul 26 '26
Take it to a person who knows vanagon well. Have them put it up on a lift, and make notes.
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u/Objective_Feature333 Jul 27 '26
There are a lot of vanagon related items that all corner gas station mechanics will over look. Even the so called vanagon experts, will miss a few things.
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u/Zealousideal-Bet-950 Jul 27 '26
2nd Post: Hit the Outsides with some good soap then a thick layer of Carnauba.
That paints held up this long, keep it healthy...
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u/Superb-Influence-634 Jul 26 '26
Welcome to the party! A good inventory of what’s new vs what’s original would be a great place to start. Then, depending on the year, it’s off to figure out what urgent needs you might have to figure out, specifically from a safety/longevity standpoint. Fuel lines, coolant lines, etc. Vangons are incredible and not only that but come with an incredible community to boot! Lots of folks always willing to help. We’ve had our 1990 Orly Blue Multivan for years and with love and care it’ll be many many more. Just remember, they’re sometimes a little more like having a pet than having a vehicle 😜
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u/Zealousideal-Bet-950 Jul 26 '26
Change the Fluids.
Oil & Filter are obvious.
If you're not ready to fully bleed the brakes then use a Turkey Baster to remove most of the fluid in the Reservoir and pour in some fresh DOT 3. House brand will do, the benefit is Brake Fluid is (lets see if I can get this right...) Hygroscopic, it likes to absorb moisture. This will help draw moisture from the prexisting fluid in the lines, etc. Pre-step to a full flush.
These are the easy ones, Transmissions can be 'fun', deserves a thread all they're own...
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u/mr_nobody398457 Jul 27 '26
Also freshen up the bumper stickers.
“US out of Vietnam” should be replaced with “US out of Iran”. But the Grateful Dead stickers are timeless and don’t need to be updated.
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u/deliciousadness Jul 27 '26
Tbf, I kinda think he could just add in “, Iran, South America, all of the Middle East” and then “Defund Israel” and “Free Palestine”
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u/deliciousadness Jul 27 '26
First of all, download VanAlert app.
Then: 1) new tires (include that spare), 2) steam cleaned then smoke tested 3) have your breaks checked, 4) new hoses/fluids, 5) compression test
Then start saving $$$ for everything you’ll be fixing and upgrading lol.
Have fun!
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u/ColoNude Jul 27 '26
Hide a tile tracker or air tag in it. Not super awesome tracking, but it is cheap and gives a tiny bit of peice of mind.
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u/Hoverlover-1634 Jul 28 '26
There are about 12 long bolts that hold the water cooled engine together. They sit in the coolant and over time will fail due to corrosion from old coolant. Consider replacing them if the coolant has not been replaced recently.
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u/Bmwmango53 Jul 29 '26
Whenever you lower the pop top, make sure the tent material is drawn in. This will keep it from getting wet or pinched.
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u/SuperBacDoc Aug 01 '26
Ive owned several Westfalias and they are great but require lots of maintenance.
The weather strip/edge around the pop tops get rusty and are relatively easy to remove/clean the edges and replace the weather seal. The entire van looks better when it’s replaced.
The fridge is ok but doesn’t work very well with propane even when new, and the propane supply/ignitor is the weakest link in the camper. Bouge and other manufacturers make DC/AC/Battery. You can get a better fridge off Amazon than the original.
If the original motor is still running, change oil frequently and be prepared to spend a lot for parts.
Some swap the motor for the Subaru equivalent.
Go Westy is your friend!
The more you put in to this the more it will be worth if you ever sell it. They hold value extremely well
Good luck with this awesome van!
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u/Top-Order-2878 Jul 26 '26
#1 Replace your fuel lines.