Aircooled VW South Africa

We cant seem to get it bled. We pump like mad but it doesnt build up preassure.
Its got a golf master in and it worked well before.
Is there a special way to bleed a bus ?

did you ajust the brake shoes after you fitted them, you must set up the hand brake and the brake shoes before bleeding, else the air just mves back all the time.

also would have been easer if you filled the calipers with break fluid when you assembled it.

it should blead eventialy.

Herman

So another day of frustration... Struggled like mad to get it bled. Bought two new rear slave cylinders and they worked like a charm.
Adjusted the rear drums correct before starting the procedure but to little avail.

Found out eventually the small rubber pype at the left rear was blocked, so that fooked us around a bit. Bought a new one, after going through the whole box at Autozone (it was the nearest shop around) and luck behold I found a perfect match. Still, strugling to bleed, just doesnt want to build preasure in the front.

Thought the seals inside the master cylinder is shot, so I bough a new seal kit - in protest I might add, since I sommer wanted to buy a brand new master cylinder and done with it, but my good friend said he wants to save me money and he had replaced seals on master cylinders before and it worked - so I though ah well, its gonna save me lotsa money the kit is only like R30 or so.

BUT

IT DIDNT WORK !!!!!!!!!! (as I thought from the get go...)

So now, tommorrow I will go and buy A BRAND BLOODY NEW ONE and be done with it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What the "moeg" one looks like



So hopefully tommorrow is the last of the "pomp, trap vas" kakas !!!!

do yourself a favour... put a vise grip on each of the front brake rubber hoses and then pump the pedal. If the pedal goes hard, then the calipers or pistons in the front are shot.
I also once replaced a MS for nothing only to do this (above) and find out I lost a seal on a brake caliper

Thanks for the advice Tony. We finally managed to get the brakes right - bought a new master cylinder at Goldwagen, it is nogal an "ate" branded one, and all is good now.

But the front new thick brake pads need to bed in some more, before we adjust the rears some more, since it locks up the rears before the front wheels under hard braking. We measured both rear adjusters with a vernier and adusted the 2 adjusters equally on both sides, which makes all the difference.

She brakes so nice smooth now, in straight line, (as good as it gets for an old bus) the pedal still travels a bit far before you feel the brakes engage but this makes for a nice brake feel and not as sudden as it used to be - before, it would just lock up front with little warning under medium brake preasure which was scary at times.

Glad you came right - but after all your effort and expense, I would just replace all those rubber brake hoses anyway, peace of mind ........... happy cruising

Thanks Jolas

Checked the other brake rubber hoses and seems they have been replaced before by previous owner, so they good !

There is now just one thing that bugs me (no punn intended) about the bus. I get a rather irritating smell of petrol fumes inside the bus, but only when I am driving.

I have checked the top fuel tank seal, (Dirk cut me an access hole above the tank when he did my fuel guage float) and all the fuel pipes including the return that was installed at the neck of the petrol pipe, but cant seem to figure out what is causing the smell - there are NO leaks ?

Any help appreciated !

check all your hoses

I have, as far as I can see the hoses without having to take out the fuel tank, all clamps are secure, no leaks, but still the smell of petrol persists...

Just a radical thought, Has your fume/fuel separator stack in the air intake duct not broken, so that you vent the fumes into the heater intake, or you have a carb leak that runs down into the heater intake. Look at this post.... http://www.aircooledvwsa.co.za/viewtopi ... start=1122
Try to identify where the smell is entering the bus, as this will give a clear indication of what and where to look for it.
HIH
Herman

Retrovan, I saw that post of Coop where he took the tank out (after a "murse" battle) and I are confucious ! What are them those there funny pipes for? I dont have nearly enough mechanical skills to do what he did... Eish !

I don't fully understand why they are there either but apparantly something to do with a venting system.

Golfmad wrote:Retrovan, I saw that post of Coop where he took the tank out (after a "murse" battle) and I are confucious ! What are them those there funny pipes for? I dont have nearly enough mechanical skills to do what he did... Eish !

Those them there doodaas, are there to separate the petrol from the vapour.
When you go on a bumpy road, the petrol splashes around in the tank.
The momentum of the petrol hitting the vent, will make it squirt out like a water pistol if this doodaa was not there.
As the petrol is pushed up the pipe by the fumes, the petrol gets to the big bulb, and goes to the side, the fumes carry on up the pipe and out the outlet at the bottom, the petrol harmlessly drops down back to the tank when there is no more pressure.
So only the fumes go out, and not the petrol.
If you block or cut these, you land up with a petrol smell in the car.

OMO
Herman

So I have been meaning to do my bumpers, on the Bus....

I though, how hard can it be?

So I removed them and bought some of this stuff to get rid of the old paint...


Then, I realised, there are 38 years and 458 layers of paint.... eish !



So was busy for 2 days to try and get this paint off.

Eventually, I got "gatvol" and took the bumpers to a place in Silverton, to sandblast all the old junk off and sommer powdercoat them in satin black.

Got them back today, and I am pleased, allthough they not perfect, got some age marks like small dents and wrinkles, but all in all, worth every penny !!!



After fitting them



Now the white doenst dominate as much !!!

Now just a thourough clean, and Sunday hopefully Ill join you peeps at the POMC aircooled show, for some nice relaxin and checking out other people's awesome rides !