Club 80-90 Forums

Hello!

My van is new to me- 1982 T25 Aircooled. i'm still getting used to what's normal,

i took him into a local garage (there was some other campers in there so presumed ok) in Sydenham the guy fixed my electrical probs Horn/washers. but then said "the engine is a bit loud and the breaks feel spongey" I drove a coupla other vans before i bought this one and these brakes felt less 'spongey' than those- i presumed its an old vehicle thang? since then i have noticed a clunking sound as i turn off the engine (sometimes)? there is a slight smell of oil in the bus (again sometimes) and if i have been driving stop for 5 mins he struggles a bit to get going again?

wondering if anyone can help? Or if anyone knows a good mechanic in LONDON (pref SE)- i didn't feel comfortable with this fella in sydenham- i want to learn about the van at a garage- not feel patronised. i'm pretty mechanically minded i just need to learn- just coz i'm a gal i ain't a thicko!

What you want is another mechanically minded owner to test drive it for you or come out for a ride. And I agree, patronising doesn't help.

The brakes probably haven't been attended to in ages, at least a fluid change is a wise move. The oily smell is a feature of aircool ownership that varies only by degree, and the clunk when you switch the motor off is the oil filler pipe bumping the crossmember 'cos the engine mounts at the back are knackered. This may be due to the oily-ness around the motor as engine oil causes rubber to rot.

Try Riverside Garage in Charlton - linky link. there's a few VW nuts in there and an interesting monster HP Bug at the back.

Way to go Footprint. Succinctly put!

Thanks so much...

That makes sense to me and thanks for the garage recommendation.

Strangely enough it didn't mention on the advert when bought the van of the 'oily smell feature' with Aircooled! hehe. good to know though, its kind of worse when the heaters are blowing but obviously the heat has to come from the back and if there is oil anywhere its going to carry that scent with it? mmm its how to know what's normal though!?

The reason it smells oily is the heat exchangers are probably covered in grime/oil (look underneath just behind the rear wheels). If you get them pressure washed with a de-greasant and fit new rocker cover gaskets, the problem will vanish - unless they have holes in and are sucking in general engine smells. Common problem if engine has been neglected and easily fixed.

Aircooled engines need at least an annual clean under there and a check to make sure the flaps in the front of the exchangers are free to move and not corroded up.

And there is always VW elite in Basildon....and they don't patronise, and will answer all your questions....and I asked some pretty basic ones when I had my Aircooled.

They did a complete check for me - compression, etc etc, and gave me a run down of what was usually, needed looking at, and needed doing urgently! They pointed out all the bodges (there were a few) but didn't make me feel stupid for buying it. They did all this without knowing they were getting the work...in fact, I drove it away after the check, for which they charged me a minimal fee.

Em
xx

CovKid wrote:The reason it smells oily is the heat exchangers are probably covered in grime/oil (look underneath just behind the rear wheels). If you get them pressure washed with a de-greasant and fit new rocker cover gaskets, the problem will vanish.

All the above = true.

Adding only that a check of the pushrod tubes, (seals and tubes themselves for corrosion), and the oil pressure switch for leaks as well would be a wise move.

Thanks very much all!

I got underneath and had a look and there is actually an oil leak coming from the oil container i think - small ish container? (technical name is???) when i looked on the road i can see there are small patches all along where i would have parked...?

could this all be related to smell/clunk?

Has anyone heard of the guy in Brixton on cold harbour lane? thanks em for the basildon recommendation- maybe worth the trip huh!

nik x

Yep that would cause the stink for sure. Even if its not settling on heat exchangers, as the engine gets hot, the fumes could be pulled into the interior. You want a nice clean engine for stink-free heating, particularly if heat exchangers are old.