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Fuel Injection/System Cleaning & Spark Plugs/Wires
Eckhard Rolz
Erich Fickel wrote:
My '93 EV MV now has 75K miles, 25K driven by my family and I.Erich, My friend, a mechanic, swears by the Chevron Fuel Injector Cleaner. He thinks it is more concentrated than others. Another friend used the Slick50 treatment on an old Jetta and it seemed to improve idle. I have read a number of articles on the topic and it is apparently debatable if these additives even work. The CarTalk guys said they increase your octane rating and you think the car is running better, but they are not cleaning very well. There is a procedure that Goodyear, Jiffy Lube and others do for around $80. They spray some stuff in the intake manifold, add some cleaner to the gas and then they run a bottle of cleaner through one of your vacuum lines. You can buy some intake cleaner for a few $. I did that and i got a lot of gunk out. My friend does injector cleaning on the side. His Ford Windstar had idling problems and this fixed it. The funny thing is, he buys the treatment for $11 (eleven) and sells the service for $80. Quite a profit margin for 15 min of work. I haven't tried it on mine, yet. Replacing injectors might not be a problem but the price is. A new one is over $100 at Autozone. I would clean them first. I recommend the original Champion plugs which I bought at Europarts over the internet ($5? a plug). I used to use single electrode plugs and my EV had problems with them. My friend put the new Bosch Platinum4 in his truck and he loves them. They will be my next plugs. I bought the Bosch wires for $80 for the set. They are the correct length and they have a lifetime warranty. (Make sure you save the receipt). And remember, vibration and shaking while idling can be caused by a bad transmission mount. If you have over 80 000 miles your mount might be in need of replacement. Hope this helps, good luck Eckhard |
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Fuel Injection/System Cleaning & Spark Plugs/Wires
Erich Fickel
My '93 EV MV now has 75K miles, 25K driven by my family and I.
I have poured a few bottles of the fuel injector/fuel system cleaners into the gas tank over the last year, but I am wondering what brand of cleaner, if any, this group swears by. This seems to be one of those items that is hard to verify (did it do anything or not). Also, what kind of job would be to just replace the injectors. They can't be expensive, but what kind of labor is required. Also, I am going to change the plugs/wires. What plugs and wires should I buy and from where? This seems like a rather straight forward task--anything that will cause problems? -Erich ---------------------------------------------------------------- The Rev. Erich R. Fickel e-mail: efickel@... 108 N. McNeil Box 157 Phone: 1-217-387-2381 Thawville, IL 60968-0157 Fax: 1-217-387-2381 (call first) ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Re: Worst Car of the Millenium Contest
Michael G. McCarthy
I voted for the Vega, mainly because you NEVER see old Vegas around. Every
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single one of them ever made was sitting on a milk crate by 1982. It's a fact; you can look it up. Personally, I *liked* the Pinto (and you still see some of them, rusted but running, even today). I had one in high school and it had a pretty decent little I-4, and a crisp shifting 4-speed. True, it wasn't a 2002, but, on the other hand, brand spanking new, it only cost $2002 in 1972. Also, another undeserved whipping boy on the CarTalk list is the Gremlin. Some of those things had pretty good size inline SIXES, not to mention a huge rear hatch door. True it had all the crummy suspension pieces and interior "appointments" of your typical crap American car of the 70's, but let's give it some credit. It was slightly ahead of it's time having the basic econbox layout that ruled for the next 20 years. It's biggest sin was that it spawned the Pacer! LOL. Mike ---------- From: RBIEGEL@... Chuck, |
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Re: Worst Car of the Millenium Contest
William Killian - Zen and the Art of Ferrets
On Sat, 12 Feb 2000 RBIEGEL@... wrote:
Chuck,Being the owner of Things I agree. What it sure sounds like is people nominated the first car they had right out of school that was already old and that they'd paid $500 for. Or cars that were specifically designed cheap. Well how do you make a car cheap? Cut corners. So its silly to me. But then its Car Talk which is usually silly. -- bill and diane killian zen and the art of ferrets mailto:killian@... |
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Re: 97 EVC For Sale
Donald Gibbons
I don't know, this is alot of money. I just bought a 96 Rialta for well
under 30k. New tires and water pump but 46k miles. Now, sure, it does not have the VR6 but it does have so much more room, all the equipment the EV-C has plus a toilet and a shower and generator and roof AC and seating for 8. |
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Re: What's the average age?
Mike Reyher
Patty and I bought our '99 EVC in Dec. '99. We were both 37 at the
time and getting married about the same time. (both for the second time) We got her a New Beetle the next Jan. My VW history goes like this. '67 Beetle (first car... paid $200 for it) '80 Rabbit '86 GTI '86 Jetta '93 EV CL (lost in divorce) '95 Passat GLX '99 ECV My father has a Turbo Beetle and a '96 Passat GLX |
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Re: Alaska Air (off topic sort of)
Norman Leong
There's one difference that I've found between the lists I'm on vs. the population in general; list members are much more keenly aware of the object of their affections (or derision), and tend to pay much more attention than the average person when it comes to any kind of maintenance. They may not actually do the maintenance, but they're aware of what they're supposed to do and why.
Can you imagine if there was an MD-8x list? They'd probably be sitting around saying "I told you so..." right about now. I'm not trying to make fun of a bad situation, only to point out that certain groups of folks (on the Internet) undoubtedly find out about product concerns well before the public (and possibly even the manufacturer...YIKES!). Norman ______________________________________________________ |
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Re: Eurovan, 1999, Test Drive
To Donald Newman,
I concur with your evaluation. Perhaps the originator of the Test Drive article would benefit if you forwarded it to him (less the last paragraph). Bob In a message dated 02/12/2000 5:30:15 PM Eastern Standard Time, donaldnewman@... writes: From my point of view the VW Eurovan is the only minivan capable of |
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Worst Car of the Millenium Contest
Charles Bragg
I'm only drawing this to your attention because the VW Bus is one of the
finalists. EVs are not in contention, but all you DeadHeads and flower children might want to go to the URL and vote for something else. I voted for the Ford Excursion and was surprised to see it leads the pack so far. -- Chuck (99 EVC) ======== Chuck Bragg, Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society cgbragg@... fax: 209-671-6396 ======== |
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Re: Alaska Air (off topic sort of)
Michael G. McCarthy
Well said Cyndi, but it's not only bad news that travels fast, it's good
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news too. I'm relieved to know that others have piston slap and that the engine will run strong for a long time thereafter nonetheless. Of course, that's no guarantee, but let me just say I've put my research regarding engine swaps on hold, Mike ---------- From: ELODEA@... I know this is not an EV topic per se but with all that's been going on with |
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Fortune City Review of the EuroVan
Re: Your review of the EuroVan in the Fortune City Website
I guess I am one of the angry EuroVan owners you expected to write. I agree with only one of your statements in your review namely that you don't get it. Our family of five have owned a 1993 VW EuroVan for six years and it has been an enjoyable, reliable and unique vehicle. We have the MV model with the clever center table that our kids love to use on long trips. Our EuroVan is also the most popular carpool van in our neighborhood since all the kids like the layout in the back. In your article you state that "the seats are uncomfortable". We find all seats to be very comfortable. Perhaps your preference is the soft flabby cushions found in typical minivans but we prefer the EuroVan's supportive seats with high backs and functional headrests. Regarding your comments about them being a menace in parking lots, I would point out that the Eurovan has one of the tightest turning circles and we find it easy to park. You say "I couldn't figure out how to open the one sliding door from the inside". We find the handle is easy to reach and the door slides nicely compared to other vans we have tried. I think stop there. In summary, I disagree totally with your one star "substandard" rating and would encourage more people to test drive the EuroVan. Ron Biegel |
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Re: Worst Car of the Millenium Contest
Chuck,
Thanks for the heads-up. Amusing comments. I voted for the Excursion. Any vehicle as excessive as that deserves the title. Looks like most agree since it is leading the pack with the Vega 2nd and the Yugo 3rd. Hopefully the VW Bus and Thing will be spared since I think neither deserve this title. Ron (obviously biased) '93 EV MV (my wife's car) '90 Golf GL Wolfsburg Edition (my car) '82 Rabbit L Black Tie Edition (sold) '75 Rabbit Custom (rusted away and junked) '75 Rabbit Deluxe (sold) |
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Eurovan, 1999, Test Drive
This is A test drive report from Fortune City website to which Dirk van Ulden
referred us. The report is quoted below and is also published at QUOTE The 1999 Volkswagen EuroVan Base Price Range: $31,300 - 32,800 * (One Star -- Substandard.) If the new Beetle has made you fall in love with Volkswagen, the EuroVan will make you want a divorce! Volkswagen will only sell 1400 of the EuroVan¡¯s in the U.S. this year, and that¡¯s good. Because if they sold any more, it may be considered an act of war. I thought the whole purpose of a minivan was to have the utility of a van, in a vehicle that drives like a car. The EuroVan has few amenities. You sit high, with cupholders on the floor that are almost out of my reach--and I¡¯m 6¡¯4¡±. The drive is very trucklike. The seats are uncomfortable. I couldn¡¯t figure out how to open the one sliding door from the inside. And, despite the additional room, the basic EuroVan only seats seven, just like your average minivan. Controls are pretty basic, with one exception, the gear shift lever. It sits on the floor, and has no light, so you have to guess which gear you are in at night. I never did get comfortable in the EuroVan. Because of the wheel well¡¯s location, there¡¯s really no place to put your left foot. The seats just weren¡¯t comfortable. The EuroVan has a slight resemblance to the early Chrysler minivans. It¡¯s very boxy, but a little higher and a little skinnier, which makes it feel unstable in corners. The steering and the brakes were very rough. The engine was adequate. I know Volkswagen¡¯s have a nice following, and I know I¡¯m going to get angry e-mails from EuroVan owners saying I don¡¯t understand. You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t understand. I don¡¯t understand why people would pay 32,000 dollars for a vehicle that rides rough, is a menace in parking lots, and has uncomfortable cloth seats. There are a lot of good things happening at Volkswagen. The new Beetle is a runaway hit. The Jetta is cute. The Passat is practical. The EuroVan needs to be re-done, into a 21st century version of a Microbus. That would work. This vehicle doesn¡¯t, with one exception. There are customized versions of the EuroVan that are said to be very nice, especially the limited edition camping version. If you camp a lot, you may want to check out the EuroVan. But for all of the other uses that people find for minivans these days, the EuroVan comes up short. About that price...it¡¯s not a misprint. I did a survey with other reporters who cover the auto industry who hadn¡¯t driven a EuroVan. I asked them to guess the price. They fainted when they saw the sticker. Thirty-two thousand dollars would buy a lot of comfort in a competitors minivan. You can get the EuroVan is three trims, GLS, MV and Camper. Standard equipment includes air conditioning, cruise control, rear window defroster, etc. The MV gives you some extras like a folding table, florescent light over the rear seat, and seats that fold down into beds. The camper adds a refrigerator, a gas stove, sink countertop, screened windows, furnace and a pop up roof with an overhead full-size bed. While the camper sounds pretty neat, I drove the basic EuroVan, with a 32 thousand dollar sticker price. It was far from adequate, and nowhere close to the competition. Let¡¯s pray for the return of the Microbus, and give the EuroVan a 1 on our 1 to 5 scale. END QUOTE |
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Re: Eurovan Cartoon
1McCulloch
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýGood one on Chrysler trannys - I replaced 3 of them
in a Dodge. But at least Kempler didn't have to worry about the air conditioner
or replace the exhaust for a grand. Faults aside, the EV is by far
superior.
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Re: Eurovan Cartoon
Mark Stephenson
As an owner of a 99 EVC, I wouldn't throw stones at Chrysler about
transimssions. I'm on my third with 5,000 miles. tim kirwan <tim.kirwa-@...> wrote: original article: Having owned a '96 Caravan, I think Kempler probably bought a Caravanand two transmissions!the old VW bus ads that used to have the opposite message. Things havechanged over the years! It's the only Eurovan cartoon I've seen:communications |
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Alaska Air (off topic sort of)
I know this is not an EV topic per se but with all that's been going on with
the airline industry and the across the board troubles with horizontal stabilizers - I couldn't help but think about our discussions and discoveries concerning fuel line leaks on this list. My first thought after hearing about the jack screw was that I bet there's plenty more planes that'll be discovered to have the same problem. It's been amazing to realize how much we all gain from the ability of the internet to bring EV owners together and afford us the opportunity to compare notes. It's been fasincating to see one by one how we each began to have the SAME problems as our EVs reached the same age. And then how many potentially tragic fires were prevented (including my own EV). I'd be interested in a study to see how many other vehicle lists have similar findings with regards to their problems. Revealing design flaws and patterns. Sure enough, after having something so catastrophic, providing the airlines with a specific problem to look into, I am not at all surprised that they are finding more and more planes with the same issue. It seems like the communication between people via the internet greatly speeds up the process by which we all can become aware of potential problems BEFORE they hit. It would be great to find for the airline industry (and others) to tap into using the same kind of communication between pilots possibly, or mechanics, to fine tune their troubleshooting and maintenance checks. Just my .02 Cyndi |
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Re: What's the average age?
Steven Wertheim
My wife and I bought our new 1999 EVC last year, when we both were 44. No
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kids. 2 dogs. No previous campers. A couple of previous VW Rabbits (1975 and 1981). Steve '99 EVC (in Germany) ----- Original Message -----
From: Scott Douglas <sdouglas@...> To: EV list <ev_update@...> Sent: Monday, February 07, 2000 3:14 AM Subject: [ev_update] What's the average age? I was wondering what the average age of a EVC owner was? I know that theyyoungest and the oldest that we have on this list. I was 38 when my wife and I |
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Re: New Fuel Leaker
Dean,
Once you take care of the leak (most important), please fill out a report with the NHTSA. Here is the addess that gets you to the complaint form. The more people that fill this out the better our chances of a government forced recall. My personal opinion is that VW will not recall these vans for this defect unless forced to do so. Ron '93 EV MV (recent leaker) |
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