I noticed that the fuel filter was filled with nasty black sediment. Looking around at the 60mph winds and dust, I figured that a new fuel filter was in need! I replaced the filter, pulled the jet on the side of the carb and couldn't blow through it, so I cleared it out with a staple that was straightened out( like MacGuyver). I didn't trust the 009 Distributor that was on there, so I installed my 034 SVDA distributor that I brought armed with new points/condenser. I checked and adjusted the valves/timing, and finally got the bus to idle. Although the 34Pict3 Bocar Carb was still unresponsive to any adjustments, I decided to hit the road.
I planned to make it to Amarillo, TX the first night, but due to my late start I ended the first night in Tucumcari, New Mexico. We kept it old school and stayed at the “Buckaroo Motel” on old route 66. Not the nicest place, but $22 a night and a place to shower. I was once again let down when I stalled pulling into the parking lot. I was able to let the clutch out and keep it running, but once again I could not idle.
We woke up at 5am on Monday morning ready to make some headway. I got the bus started no problem in the morning and stopped a few blocks down at a Circle K to fill up. My dad suggested to keep it idling, and I should have listened because I couldn't get it restarted. We pushed it out of the way of the pumps and I got to work. I figured I may have fouled the plugs from possible flooding, so I replaced the plugs and still no luck. I then decided that the carb needed disassembled and cleaned. So after an hour and a half rt 66 roadside carb cleaning I was able to get her running again, but still no idle.
I then drove through Texas and Oklahoma with extreme winds of 60mph and Tornado watches. I was barley able to keep the fat girl on the road with all the wide open fields with no trees. We drove past the Cadillac Ranch where 10 Cadillacs were buried nose down in the dirt field, I wanted to stop and get some good pics but I was afraid to stop.(Thanks Fast Eddie!) We also drove past the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere, and the leaning water tower of Britten, TX. I really wish I could have stopped and explored the old Rt.66 towns more, but I didn't want to get stranded. I did however see my first Armadillo, and those tumble weeds just like the western movies.
More windy weather and dodging tornadoes in Oklahoma City but we were lucky to avoid the real nasty weather. By Monday night we made it to Okamah, Oklahoma home of Woody Guthrie and stayed at a Days Inn. We were getting between 25-28 mpg up to this point, but still couldn't idle! I decided that night to swap the distributor back to the 009 to see if I could work on the idle issue. I swapped it back and realized if I adjusted the mixture screw out enough I could get it to idle!!! Finally I felt like I was making progress, and I was on my way to Memphis the next day.
The following morning (Tuesday) was a good start since I was able to finally idle and feel confident. I drove thru the Ozarks of Arkansas with ease and ended up in Memphis, Tennessee by evening. I was a little concerned about my gas mileage though. I went from averaging 25-28 mpg to 16 to 18mpg with the swap back to the 009. With 700 miles to home, I definitely needed to swap back to the SVDA 034 distributor that I brought. I put the new points/condenser and rotor back in and still had good idle. We spent Tuesday night relaxing on Beale St. in Memphis and went to some good blues bars and tipped back a few beers. My upper body was beat to hell from trying to keep the bus on the road through all the high winds.
Wednesday morning we got an early start (5:00am) because I wanted to make it to Columbus to my dad's house for the night. We were delayed until 7:30 due to severe weather/winds/rain. Everything went smooth until just north of Knoxville I broke down. The bus just died and I coasted off the side of the road in the pouring rain. I found that the composite rider on the new Bosch points had broken. I had brought 4 sets of points so no big deal. However, once we started back on the road we saw a dead guy on the side of the road who had just been ejected from his vehicle in a nasty accident. I am sure that the points broke because I didn't have any grease on the distributor shaft, so the next truck stop I got a dab of axle grease to get me home. The good news was since I switched back to the 034 SVDA distributor, I was back up to 26-28mpg!
The rest of the trip was windy as hell with occasional rain, but no more engine problems or breakdowns. I made it to my dad's house in central ohio at 9:30 pm and my brain was tweaked from keeping the bus on the road through the high winds. In the morning (Thursday) I check the valves again (O.K.) and changed the oil and cleaned out the oil bath filter and refilled it. Still windy on the way to Cleveland but I was glad to be home safe.
Overall it was an amazing trip, a cross country trip behind the wheel of a VW bus! I also enjoyed the time with my father as I don't really get to see him much, and I doubt that we'll ever get to experience a trip like that again.
I averaged 25 mpg, kept it at 60mph the entire way. I used only 87octane regular gasoline, burned almost no oil, which was SAE 30. I spent over 24 hours on the road driving, and spent 16 hours on roadside repairs. I used my Coleman Sport Cat Catalytic converter heater only a few hours the first night while in the mountains of New Mexico, and it sure took the edge off. When I got home I went over everything again, and all was good! I picked up a really nice propane tank from a late model westy from the VW parts yard next to where I bought my bus. I bought the Atwood furnace on Ebay and plan on installing it in a day or two, and I'll post install pics of that too.
My final thought of the trip was: If I had bought this bus locally, I would be apprehensive to take it on long trips wondering how long I might be able go without mechinacal trouble. Knowing I drove this bus cross country and fixed issues along the way I feel confident to drive this bus anywhere. Sorry for the long post! Here are some pics of my trip.
This was when I first met the bus in Albuquerque
The Buckaroo Motel of RT. 66
Nothingness of Texas
The Cadillac Ranch from far away and the largest cross in the Western hemisphere
The leaning water tower of Britten, TX
A trip to Memphis isn't a trip without a stop at Graceland
Crossing the mighty Mississippi River
Beale St. Memphis, TN
Finally at my dad's house in Utica, OH
