Club 80-90 Forums

i have a vwt25 transporter 1984 automatic ,im new to campers and have no mechanic inkling.since i got her she has died after starting and running for two minutes,took to garage few we leaks but nothing serious he said .got her running so i thought great .when i drive twenty miles or so she stalls when i break at a junction or come to a stop . i noticed she has a water leak and was dry when i got home would this be the problem?i really am losing faith and need to go camping soon but really dont trust the van to get me anywhere. has anyone any ideas ?

Welcome to the club!

mentioning what engine it is would probably help narrow it down.

and welcome in

thanks i did tell not mechanical minded she is a vw transporter 78ps petrol automatic 1915cc read that off tax book

When you stalled at the junction did the van restart ok?
A water leak wont cause you to stall, unless the engine was over heating.
There are lots of reasons for the engine to stall, poor electrics, badly adjusted choke(assuming carbs) or failed temp sender(injection) blocked fuel filter(s)
You need to find a good garage, who know older VW engines. tell us where you live and a member may be able to recommend someone.
These engines dont like running without coolant, it WILL do serious damage. If the coolant level in the tank (next to the LHS light cluster inside the engine bay) was low you may need to bleed the coolant system.
Have a read of our wiki https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Main_Page

T

thanks she started ok again but very slow running ready to die again .went out half an hour later and she kept dying if foot not on accelerator. next morning started fine. im in n ireland co tyrone if anyone knows of a good vw mechanic

I'm not a mechanical genius either but in order of priorities the lack of coolant issue is more pressing than the cutting out so you need to address that first. If you haven't already, get yourself a Haynes Manual (the blue one for petrol water cooled).

You have two water 'tanks', one is accessible by flipping down the number plate flap (expansion tank) and the other is to the left of this in the engine bay and has what is known as a 'Dalek' cap on it (header tank) and can only be accessed by removing the engine lid.

Follow this guide https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Co ... ing_system" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Once you have a full cooling system you can tackle the cutting out, but before you start mucking about with anything complicated, check the fuel filter which is just behind the petrol tank under the van on the driver's side. It looks like a small slightly conical transparent plastic cylinder with a yellow finned paper filter affair inside. About 2" long and 1 1/2" diameter, pipe going in one end and a pipe going out the other. If it doesn't look transparent then it's full of cr@p or if it is still transparent but you can see a load of cr@p then it won't be helping your fuelling; replacement is a good idea as a matter of routine maintenance anyway and is often overlooked. Relatively cheap, easy job and generally an 'off the shelf' item which may not solve your problem outright but could easily be a contributory factor.

There are a few members in Ireland and they may be able to point you in the direction of a t25 mechanic who knows these engines; perhaps a suitably titled post like 'T25 friendly mechanic in County Tyrone needed' would attract a couple of recommendations.