Greetings Fellow Travelers!

I come before our senior circle of EVC sages with a what-would-you-do question. Here's the backstory. A month ago, I was heading home from camping along the Lower Columbia and was north of Sunnyside when I saw smoke started billowing in my rear view mirror. I quickly pulled over, armed myself with my never-used fire extinguisher and tentatively popped the hood. Acrid smoke, not fire poured out. I saw that coolest had sprayed all over the compartment. Fearing the worst I called for a tow back to Wenatchee and spent the rest of day getting Angel to my mechanic's lot.?He called Monday morning to report that Angel had blown an O-ring but it was now fixed and was waiting to be picked up. A great ending, right?

Yes, I was eleated by the outcome, but the episode spurred me to visit with Eric about what preventative work might be done to keep a?soon-to-turn-190,000K EVC running well? Eric says he sees manifold leaks and suggested removing and resealing the manifold covers as a possible next step.

My question to you who are interested is, "What work would you invest in to minimize breakdown risk?" All the regular maintenance, and then some, has been done.?

Thanks, Glen

Ever notice how your appliance broke down right after the warranty expired?? That's because the way any given part fails is known as the bathtub curve. There will be more failures at the beginning of the service life and at the end of the service life with relatively few failures in the middle period for any given reliable thing.
There is a measurement known as Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and by measuring that during testing a company can set the bathtub curve to start rising at the end of the warranty period by altering their manufacturing process and materials. The actual math is known as the Weibull equations set.
Fortunately for us Volkswagen were diligent during manufacture and went for a slightly higher bar, but still there is the problem of components literally wearing out. Some thoughts:

1. Always purchase OEM parts only. Third party replacements will almost certainly contain lower quality ball bearings and materials.

2. It should not be too tough to go through our bills and note replacement items and mileage. In database form we could see an average failure rate on a component level if everybody contributed.

3. As parts supplies dwindle, we could get together as a group and arrange our own small quantity parts manufacturing - there is an emergent low volume manufacturing facility emerging on Etsy.com for 3D printed parts and it won't be long before that expands to radiator hoses and other small parts. Purchasing as a group rather than one-off will keep the prices down.

4. Premium AAA membership is a good thing!

Jonathan? 1999 EVC 150K miles

We have a 97EVC. During our last 2 trips from WA to CA (not Canada) we had issues. Since then I have had the radiator, thermostat sensor, and injectors replaced. We also had the head worked on which I take the blame for.?

The thermostat sensor still gives me a P118 code on the trusty ScanGuage.? Never have figured out why due to 2 shops giving me 2 answers but willing to sell me another part.

Chandler in Pullman WA

?The most likely things to fail, in some particular order are:
1) rubber seals and orings
Replace these early, either at the first sign of weeping or on a scheduled systems approach, all coolant seals at the same time, all oil seals under belts at the same time, etc. belts can be included in this group, replace on a maintenance sched, not when they fail. Save old ones and keep on board as back ups.?

2) plastic exposed to heat cycles, ie basically anything plastic in the engine bay or in the coolant loop. Fittings, housings, etc. plastic gets fatigued from heat cycles and in time will get brittle and fail ?replace w OEM when possible, metal when an option, or the best aftermarket part if that’s the only option. IMO everyone on this list with a VR6 eng and half a wit should be running a metal version of the plastic “crack pipe” ?

3) anything that rotates?
pulleys, tensioners, and oh yes wheel bearings. These are big sealed units but they don’t last forever. When is the last time you did yours?? ;-) buy the best OE parts you can find—it makes a difference.?

4) back up plans:
AAA plus or extended whatever they call it gets you 200mi free towing—don’t leave home with out it. Approx $130/yr last I checked. Pays for itself very quickly.?

3/4”x3/4” barb to barb BRASS fitting so you can bypass your heater core if it fails on the road?

basic tool kit

spare parts kit
think about the few parts that will leave you stranded if they fail and are hard to find when in a pinch. Belts etc are great but I’m talking about the ?ECU and TCU, air sensor, etc. squirrel these away in one of your many under utilized cubbyholes for peace of mind. Sell them when you’re ready to move on to another platform.?

And don’t despair! 200k is just middle age depending on your perspective :-)


justin?
2000 EVW 481k
1.9TDI 5-spd Syncro?

Depends: If you do your own work.
If you know any thing.
A few tools will get you by quite well.

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Glen
Not to offend, but perhaps I missed it, but the first thing needed is to give the year of your EV, as well as what actual maintenance you have done and how long ago. ?I am not referring to oil changes, brakes, tires, spark plugs, fuel filter, N-80, (use a NAPA #3002 in line gas filter-fits nicely on the vacuum line to filter out charcoal debris before the N80]air filter, suspension parts, (ball joints, tie rods, shocks, etc.). ?A vehicle needs maintenance throughout it’s life, not at 200 k. Also, what is your philosophy on repairs- preventative maintenance, or you don’t mind emergency repairs. There is a laundry list of things not given more info. ?How many years and what milage are you trying for? ?How has the record for your van been? ?Frequency of oil changes and type oil- Dino or full synthetic? ?Keep in mind, the newest of these is 2003 -so at built at least 18-19 years ago.
1, all coolant hoses replaced, as well as heater coil, thermostat and housing (I went to a metal one like Grueven)?o-rings on all sensors that have them, crack pipe and o-rings on it, (I recommend a Grueven metal one),?
2. brake fluid, and coolant, all plastic coolant hose connectors, flush the power steering fluid
3. Tensioner bearing
4. serpentine belt
5. Rust issues
6. Check engine compression - not a necessity, especially if plugs seem similar when replaced and engine is still well powered- hints at viability?
7. Check Auxiliary air pump, secondary coolant pump, fans checked, fan resistors,?
8. Pre AXK engines need coil, hall sensors plug wires- get good ones
9. If you learn to work on your vehicle you will get to know it better
10. always have an emergency kit and tools including a water pump- their life is between 20kmi and 120 kmi typically, and can go unexpectedly- a major critical weak link in VWs. Also keep a 3/4 x 3/4 elbow for a bypass of the heater coil- a lifesaver when it goes- my last only went 120 kmi.
11. Always keep a scanguage- mine is in the lower left corner of the dash/windshield/A-pillar intersection- easy to glance at while driving
12. replace your door jamb wires with spliced in 18g fine stranded silicone insulated wires - easy access if you pull the dash for heater coil/ and foam?
13. ?Replace all vacuum lines with 3 mm silicone lines ( size may depend on year)
14. ?Keep sensor/vacuum line in rear of horseshoe intake manifold clean - great care since expensive and not available (AXK)
15. ?Clean the MAF and throttle control?
16. ?Make sure you are on tires 6 or less years old, including the spare.
17. buy OEM when you can, and as to the oil sensor- get one from the dealer-notorious for problematic false readings and failure-
18. change the trans fluid and filter regularly and add the dipstick-I find Valvoline Maxlife just fine and cheaper, IMHO, I also recommend using a external cooler-much controversy, but I believe overheating is the worst problem the trans have.
19. Change the engine mounts and timing chain-often ignored.
Enjoy the ride

That’s all I can think of for now but there’s more I’m sure.
Phil B. ?2003 EV WE AXK 286kmi

Nice phil that’s a good list. No affiliation but here’s a ?couple metal crackpipe listings:

OEM p/n:?021121050C

google is your friend, and so are more technical forums like VW Vortex and expanding your results by looking at ubiquitous VR6 Jetta platforms.?

this a coolant distribution pipe located by the trans/starter and euphemistically is referred to as the crack pipe for a variety of reasons.?

justin
2000 EVW 481k
1.9TDI 5-spd Syncro?

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Connects between the thermostat housing and the back of the water pump. ?Runs along front of engine?

Glen, may I make a suggestion regarding tranny overheat.? My 2000 Rialta has 180K mikes on the ODO.? Am the original owner.

Overheat had been a constant nag.? Now! Without a cooler, I no longer overheat the tranny on any type grade.

IMHO the tranny design has flaw.? On a grade, and in order to maintain RPM an electric clutch is allowed to slip cycles (Apply/release.)? That's where the heat is generated.
On each apply, a moment of friction heat is generated.? (The clutch is submerged in the Fluid.)

The trick is to stay in solid lock overdrive mode as much as possible. On a long grade if your tranny is running hot, just slow down and MANUALLY downshift.?
if the grade is very long just get behind the 18 wheeler and drive in D2. Its Ok even at 40 MPH, at the cost of a little wasted gas.) That keeps the engine unloaded leaving tyranny mostly in the solid lock mode.? If it's a shallow but very long grade (EG: Interstates Highway, D3 will work too.)

A must is the tranny dipstick mod.? Every other year I hand pump out the old fluid thru the dip tube and replace with Havoline ATF the same amount. No need to drop the pan.? Easy and fast. Burnt fluid gets gummy and wrecks the valve body.?

Burt 2000 rialta HD
?

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Phil and all Caretaking Elder responders,

I’m the second owner of my 2000 EVW and bought it meticulously maintained with 395k miles on the odo. The eng was still original and the trans had been replaced under warranty around 65k iirc. It came with an inches thick stack of records and makes for a good case study of how to keep your Eurovan on the road over 200k miles.... I replaced the original VR6 eng shortly after purchase at 395k with the 1.9TDI eng and did the 5-spd 02B conv ?at the same time (the conv to Syncro/awd came later).?

?

a couple interesting notes:
According to the records the heater core was done shortly before I bought it at in 2010 w/ approximately 375k for the first time. ?

This past winter at the well worn age of 481k miles I replaced the original radiator which had developed a small leak along the end cap union. ?

justin?
2000 EVW 481k
1.9TDI 5-spd Syncro?