And in conclusion! In my opinion, for me, its pretty easy to drive across Canada, randomly picking up waste veg oil from the back of Chinese or Japanese restaurants.
I've successfully picked up a lot of oil in lots of different places, and haven't been keeping track.
I've successfully always been stocked with veg oil -- never out, except when I was waiting for a shipment of filters (250mi) & also another 20 miles at one point in British Columbia. And that time, I was only out due to laziness...Then I found oil without a problem.
Also, at some point, perhaps I'll actually get a real number on how many MPG I get on veg.
I'm just not into keeping written records of this stuff...and then I don't access the internet often...so, I kind of paused the blog.
Going across the U.S. might be a bit different, maybe I'll have interesting posts other than: "Successfully, easily got oil here. Successfully, easily got oil there."
7th Veggie Score: Regina
22 June, Tuesday: I drive. I stop in Brandon to find oil. I was only down half a tank, but knew I wouldn't make it the rest of the way to Regina on half a tank & didn't know if there would be any other Chinese places on the map.
I used the GPS to take me to a few Chinese places. Their containers were empty. I didn't go in & ask the people inside.
I drove about 100mi on diesel.
Regina: I use the GPS to take me to an asian place. Their container is empty. Down the same alley, I saw some people coming out a back door & they were looking at me funny (because I'm creeping up the alley in my big van..) & I say "can I have any used veggie oil?" (I don't even know what establishment they are...)
They said "Sure," and they had 3 cubies of oil...
They were a BBQ place, but the oil looked okay...there were a bunch of people there & we were talking, I felt kind of pressured...and it looked okay...so I took it. I probably shouldn't have, because it will wear my filters. Oh well. Took 3 cubies, a bit more than a full tank.
I used the GPS to take me to a few Chinese places. Their containers were empty. I didn't go in & ask the people inside.
I drove about 100mi on diesel.
Regina: I use the GPS to take me to an asian place. Their container is empty. Down the same alley, I saw some people coming out a back door & they were looking at me funny (because I'm creeping up the alley in my big van..) & I say "can I have any used veggie oil?" (I don't even know what establishment they are...)
They said "Sure," and they had 3 cubies of oil...
They were a BBQ place, but the oil looked okay...there were a bunch of people there & we were talking, I felt kind of pressured...and it looked okay...so I took it. I probably shouldn't have, because it will wear my filters. Oh well. Took 3 cubies, a bit more than a full tank.
6th Veggie Score: Winnepeg, MB
21 June, Monday: On the main drag of Osborne Village in Winnepeg (Osborne St.), I drive through the alley to check out the oil situation. I see a man coming out of a back door near a couple of the green steel barrels, which should have grease (or be empty), from my experiences.
I point to the barrels and say "Can I have your oil?"
He looks at them and points to them and nods and smiles & gets in his car & leaves.
I know we are behind a noodle place.
The barrel is pretty much full, I use my medicine dropper, and its pretty dark (in comparison to other stuff, but not "don't take this stuff!"-dark).
I only had room to take half a tank, so I did, then started driving to Regina.
I point to the barrels and say "Can I have your oil?"
He looks at them and points to them and nods and smiles & gets in his car & leaves.
I know we are behind a noodle place.
The barrel is pretty much full, I use my medicine dropper, and its pretty dark (in comparison to other stuff, but not "don't take this stuff!"-dark).
I only had room to take half a tank, so I did, then started driving to Regina.
Oil Chnage, Rear Brake Shoes & Rear Brake Wheel Cylinders
monday, 21 june:
get oil change & 45-pt inspection, road test etc. ($100)
time to replace the rear brake shoes, which were contaminated with brake fluid. dr. dave in asheville, NC told me i'd need this done. ($180)
both rear brake wheel cylinders need replacing. the right rear is leaking. ($200)
other things ive been notified about, but i will not attend to at this time:
the front & rear bearings have SLIGHT play. an "advisement" was to repack the front wheel bearings & replace the rear wheel bearings. they say it doesn't need to be done, though. so...i'm going to skip it.
get oil change & 45-pt inspection, road test etc. ($100)
time to replace the rear brake shoes, which were contaminated with brake fluid. dr. dave in asheville, NC told me i'd need this done. ($180)
both rear brake wheel cylinders need replacing. the right rear is leaking. ($200)
other things ive been notified about, but i will not attend to at this time:
the front & rear bearings have SLIGHT play. an "advisement" was to repack the front wheel bearings & replace the rear wheel bearings. they say it doesn't need to be done, though. so...i'm going to skip it.
Veggie System Turning Itself Off
Friday, June 18: I was driving away from Blue Lake Provincial Park (heading to Winnipeg), the veggie kicked on ... I was eyeing the gauges & all was well...then maybe 30 minutes into driving on veg, I noticed that the system had turned itself off. The switch was still in the "Veg On" position, but the light was not on, the pressure gauge was at the normal diesel level & the fuel temp was at a lower, diesel level. When I switched to "Purge", the light did not come on. It won't let me purge.
I thought, "Hmm." I texted Gregg (my veggie guy).
I pulled into a random auto parts place on the road to get a case of oil. (I had asked the park ranger where I could buy a case of motor oil at a cheaper price, and she recommended Walmart. Blech, no thank you.) Over 2600 miles, I used a whole case minus 1 quart I still have. I add oil every day.
I got a case of oil & checked the engine out, to being solving the veggie problem.
The reserve coolant tank was below "min". Okay! This makes sense & is something I can fix! :) I texted Gregg. Bought coolant, added coolant, got text from Gregg saying "The coolant is probably the issue... won't allow the safety auto switch to engage (180 degrees Farenheit).
I start driving, veg kicks on. Very good.
15 minutes-ish later, same deal -- veg system turned itself off & won't let me purge.
I text Gregg, he texts me: "You can bypass the temp safety auto switch by putting a fuse into that orange & black fuse-holder on the lefthand drivers side of the firewall as you face the engine...Use a 20 amp fuse or higher BUT BE CAREFUL TO MONITOR YOUR FUEL TEMP ON VEG SO IT IS OVER 150 DEG FARENHEIT!!!"
But hmm, do I really want to bypass the safety switch? Is it not allowing me to run on veg for a good reason? Haven't talked to Gregg about it yet.
But then I think, oh crap: I've gone through a case of oil, I've driven 2600mi (now that I come to calculate it), Patience really deserves an oil change & tune-up.
I pull over to "Canadian Tire", a huge chain: huge store & shop, they do everything. But! They don't usually do diesels & the man at the counter is scared of my van. Very well, because I then found internet & took the time to make a 9AM appointment on Monday with Vanagon lover guys, Continental Car Services, in Winnipeg. I found them from www.roadhaus.com. Also on Monday, I believe my package will come in. Possibly Tuesday. In the meantime: Hello, Winnipeg!
I plan to hold off on driving on veg until after the filter changes & tune-up. If it still doesn't work after that, maybe I will try to bypass the temp safety switch, but I'll talk to Gregg more first...
I thought, "Hmm." I texted Gregg (my veggie guy).
I pulled into a random auto parts place on the road to get a case of oil. (I had asked the park ranger where I could buy a case of motor oil at a cheaper price, and she recommended Walmart. Blech, no thank you.) Over 2600 miles, I used a whole case minus 1 quart I still have. I add oil every day.
I got a case of oil & checked the engine out, to being solving the veggie problem.
The reserve coolant tank was below "min". Okay! This makes sense & is something I can fix! :) I texted Gregg. Bought coolant, added coolant, got text from Gregg saying "The coolant is probably the issue... won't allow the safety auto switch to engage (180 degrees Farenheit).
I start driving, veg kicks on. Very good.
15 minutes-ish later, same deal -- veg system turned itself off & won't let me purge.
I text Gregg, he texts me: "You can bypass the temp safety auto switch by putting a fuse into that orange & black fuse-holder on the lefthand drivers side of the firewall as you face the engine...Use a 20 amp fuse or higher BUT BE CAREFUL TO MONITOR YOUR FUEL TEMP ON VEG SO IT IS OVER 150 DEG FARENHEIT!!!"
But hmm, do I really want to bypass the safety switch? Is it not allowing me to run on veg for a good reason? Haven't talked to Gregg about it yet.
But then I think, oh crap: I've gone through a case of oil, I've driven 2600mi (now that I come to calculate it), Patience really deserves an oil change & tune-up.
I pull over to "Canadian Tire", a huge chain: huge store & shop, they do everything. But! They don't usually do diesels & the man at the counter is scared of my van. Very well, because I then found internet & took the time to make a 9AM appointment on Monday with Vanagon lover guys, Continental Car Services, in Winnipeg. I found them from www.roadhaus.com. Also on Monday, I believe my package will come in. Possibly Tuesday. In the meantime: Hello, Winnipeg!
I plan to hold off on driving on veg until after the filter changes & tune-up. If it still doesn't work after that, maybe I will try to bypass the temp safety switch, but I'll talk to Gregg more first...
5th Veggie Score: Thunder Bay, ON
17 June: I am on my way from Sleeping Giant Provincial Park (though I spent the day at the largest Amethyst Quarry in North America -- so the claim goes..Holy amethyst! I have a crapload.) to Blue Lake Provincial Park. (I was planning on going there next anyway -- but when the gemologist I was chatting with knew I was heading west, he told me I must stop there.)
I went behind around 6 Chinese/Thai/Japanese places in Thunder Bay. They all had a dumpster from the same company (a waste removal services company). I didn't bother going in & asking for it, as the lids are usually on really tight -- I don't know how I would get it anyway. (..The containers are engineered so that people like me can't take it.)
Well, I MAY have eventually gone in to ask for it, after finding a dumpster where the lid was messed up, and the restaurant may have given me permission to take it, and I may have taken it, and it may have been as gold as the Morrisville score...Or maybe that was a dream.
I went behind around 6 Chinese/Thai/Japanese places in Thunder Bay. They all had a dumpster from the same company (a waste removal services company). I didn't bother going in & asking for it, as the lids are usually on really tight -- I don't know how I would get it anyway. (..The containers are engineered so that people like me can't take it.)
Well, I MAY have eventually gone in to ask for it, after finding a dumpster where the lid was messed up, and the restaurant may have given me permission to take it, and I may have taken it, and it may have been as gold as the Morrisville score...Or maybe that was a dream.
4th Veggie Score: Ottawa, ON
13 June: Left Montreal in the morning for Chutes Provincial Park. Driving on veggie but running low. I consider refilling from what I have inside the van (the golden score from Morrisville, VT) but I say "No no!", that I should solicit restaurants as much as possible until I really neeeeed that reserve.
Conveniently enough, as I'm having this strategic debate, there is a sign for the Chinatown & Little Italy of Ottawa -- like 30mi before Ottawa. Perfecto.
I park the van & stalk the alleys behind the places, now with my baster/ big medicine dropper (to suck up the oil to have a look). 1 place had crappy oil, 1 place had 3 empty cubies of oil, 1 place had a dumpster that seemed to be owned by some kind of "recycling" company, and then I saw a place with an unmarked barrel. I went & asked them (Pho's), they said to go around back & do whatever I wanted. I checked it first with my medicine dropper, it seemed pretty good, pulled the van around & filled up: got 3/4 of a tank. Good.
Conveniently enough, as I'm having this strategic debate, there is a sign for the Chinatown & Little Italy of Ottawa -- like 30mi before Ottawa. Perfecto.
I park the van & stalk the alleys behind the places, now with my baster/ big medicine dropper (to suck up the oil to have a look). 1 place had crappy oil, 1 place had 3 empty cubies of oil, 1 place had a dumpster that seemed to be owned by some kind of "recycling" company, and then I saw a place with an unmarked barrel. I went & asked them (Pho's), they said to go around back & do whatever I wanted. I checked it first with my medicine dropper, it seemed pretty good, pulled the van around & filled up: got 3/4 of a tank. Good.
Need Filter Change
13 June, a quick post: Heading from Montreal to Chutes Provincial Park, Massey, ON, I noticed the pressure gauge slipping...It should normally be at 4, and this morning I noticed it at 3. I kept an eye on it for a couple hours, then stopped keeping an eye on it, then it was at -1. I called Gregg, and he said as long as it didn't slip below where the gauge is normally when I'm driving on diesel (-4), I would be fine. The filter shouldn't need to be changed yet, but apparently does. It is the Donaldson P551001, the "hot head" filter.
Later on, the gauge is around -8. I purge & switch to diesel, call Gregg, will drive on diesel during the last 2 hours of a 9.5ish hour drive & get filters overnighted to me. Filters will be sent tomorrow, when I give him an address. I'm hoping that the the park office will let me have them sent there. If not, I'll try talking to some local business/person. So, I'll probably stay in Chutes 2 nights, meaning I'll arrive & sleep tonight, & have a full day there tomorrow, and leave on Tuesday whenever the things come. After Chutes, heading to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.
15 June, Tuesday: I leave Chutes without filters (Gregg is having problems getting the filters in). I leave Chutes to continue West. I get a message & a call during the drive that I can & should go ahead & use the other filter I have & that it should work fine. We discuss the logistics of changing the filter. I lay on my back under the van, takes a while to get the wrench to work how I want it to, it is all changed in half an hour. With the key turned so that electricity is on in the van, I switch to "veg on" to prime the system, for 10 minutes. (Work air bubbles out.) I switch it off, start the van, drive on diesel for 10 minutes. Then I switch to purge (to work air bubbles out further) & go straight to veg. Gregg said at this point, if the engine was "chattering", to go back to purge. The engine wasn't chattering so much, but we were totally losing speed. Speed was plummeting, and we were going downhill. So I immediately switched to purge, but we were only purging for a few seconds when the van was beginning to head up a hill & had very, very little speed. So, we stalled there, on the Trans-Canada highway. I immediately tried to start it again, but, fail. I put the car in neutral & try to reverse off the highway, but we weren't up the hill enough. Luckily, the only others out on the highway are moose...seriously...so, no one passed by during this, at all. But still - my heart is panicking...After a quick rest, the van started up, and we continued on diesel.
10 minutes later? Try veg again. I'm thinking: Was I supposed to fill that filter with veg oil? I was, wasn't I. ..Was I? Well, NOW there is probably veg in that filter, so maybe it will work this time. But -- I make sure to try when I'm the top of a biiiig hill, so that there will be time to purge & get back on diesel before the van stalls. Well, I fail again, but like I planned, the van kept moving & didn't stall.
16 June: I'm driving, its a beautiful day...Let's try to Veg On again! Result? Great success! Make it the rest of the way to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park...
Should be picking up a shipment of filters in Winnipeg, though I've been out of contact with Gregg because there has been no phone service. Hopefully he is reading my mind...
18 June, Friday: Gregg did ship to Winnipeg, they should arrive on Monday/Tuesday. I just arrived in Winnipeg & will hang for the weekend. Also have a tune-up/oil change appointment with enthusiastic, experienced Vanagon guys I found from roadhaus.com. Have driven 2,600mi since my last oil change.
22 June, Tuesday: Through a miraculous act of kindness from Jack, Canadian Post Office Man, I got my package of filters. At the 7/11 in Regina, I changed all 3 filters: the 2 filters of the Road Tote (Donaldson P551000) & the hot head veg oil filter (Donaldson P551001) of the engine. I probably could have kept the Road Tote filters on longer, if I wanted. I have to do the math, but I've pumped more than 100gal through them, and they are good for 100-300gal, depending on quality, and I'm trying to play things conservatively.
I texted with Gregg about changing filters...as the engine had failed on the highway twice on 15 June after my first filter change.
It is determined that the last time I tried to prime the filter, (with the key turned so that electricity is on, flipping the "veg on" button, which begins to prime the system--gets the air out) the coolant system was cooled down too much, (took me like 25min to get the filter off because I was crappy at using the special wrench the first time) so no priming happened. (I didn't see any action in any of the hoses.)
So, after I change the filters (I am still kind of crappy at using the wrench, but its not the wrench's fault) & clean-up & do some housekeeping, it had been a while, so I drove to heat the engine in order to then be able to prime the filter. Then I pulled over, shut the motor off, and flipped "veg on", and could hear pump action in the back. Very good. I have been parked ever since & haven't tried driving on the veg yet...but it should be good.
Later on, the gauge is around -8. I purge & switch to diesel, call Gregg, will drive on diesel during the last 2 hours of a 9.5ish hour drive & get filters overnighted to me. Filters will be sent tomorrow, when I give him an address. I'm hoping that the the park office will let me have them sent there. If not, I'll try talking to some local business/person. So, I'll probably stay in Chutes 2 nights, meaning I'll arrive & sleep tonight, & have a full day there tomorrow, and leave on Tuesday whenever the things come. After Chutes, heading to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.
15 June, Tuesday: I leave Chutes without filters (Gregg is having problems getting the filters in). I leave Chutes to continue West. I get a message & a call during the drive that I can & should go ahead & use the other filter I have & that it should work fine. We discuss the logistics of changing the filter. I lay on my back under the van, takes a while to get the wrench to work how I want it to, it is all changed in half an hour. With the key turned so that electricity is on in the van, I switch to "veg on" to prime the system, for 10 minutes. (Work air bubbles out.) I switch it off, start the van, drive on diesel for 10 minutes. Then I switch to purge (to work air bubbles out further) & go straight to veg. Gregg said at this point, if the engine was "chattering", to go back to purge. The engine wasn't chattering so much, but we were totally losing speed. Speed was plummeting, and we were going downhill. So I immediately switched to purge, but we were only purging for a few seconds when the van was beginning to head up a hill & had very, very little speed. So, we stalled there, on the Trans-Canada highway. I immediately tried to start it again, but, fail. I put the car in neutral & try to reverse off the highway, but we weren't up the hill enough. Luckily, the only others out on the highway are moose...seriously...so, no one passed by during this, at all. But still - my heart is panicking...After a quick rest, the van started up, and we continued on diesel.
10 minutes later? Try veg again. I'm thinking: Was I supposed to fill that filter with veg oil? I was, wasn't I. ..Was I? Well, NOW there is probably veg in that filter, so maybe it will work this time. But -- I make sure to try when I'm the top of a biiiig hill, so that there will be time to purge & get back on diesel before the van stalls. Well, I fail again, but like I planned, the van kept moving & didn't stall.
16 June: I'm driving, its a beautiful day...Let's try to Veg On again! Result? Great success! Make it the rest of the way to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park...
Should be picking up a shipment of filters in Winnipeg, though I've been out of contact with Gregg because there has been no phone service. Hopefully he is reading my mind...
18 June, Friday: Gregg did ship to Winnipeg, they should arrive on Monday/Tuesday. I just arrived in Winnipeg & will hang for the weekend. Also have a tune-up/oil change appointment with enthusiastic, experienced Vanagon guys I found from roadhaus.com. Have driven 2,600mi since my last oil change.
22 June, Tuesday: Through a miraculous act of kindness from Jack, Canadian Post Office Man, I got my package of filters. At the 7/11 in Regina, I changed all 3 filters: the 2 filters of the Road Tote (Donaldson P551000) & the hot head veg oil filter (Donaldson P551001) of the engine. I probably could have kept the Road Tote filters on longer, if I wanted. I have to do the math, but I've pumped more than 100gal through them, and they are good for 100-300gal, depending on quality, and I'm trying to play things conservatively.
I texted with Gregg about changing filters...as the engine had failed on the highway twice on 15 June after my first filter change.
It is determined that the last time I tried to prime the filter, (with the key turned so that electricity is on, flipping the "veg on" button, which begins to prime the system--gets the air out) the coolant system was cooled down too much, (took me like 25min to get the filter off because I was crappy at using the special wrench the first time) so no priming happened. (I didn't see any action in any of the hoses.)
So, after I change the filters (I am still kind of crappy at using the wrench, but its not the wrench's fault) & clean-up & do some housekeeping, it had been a while, so I drove to heat the engine in order to then be able to prime the filter. Then I pulled over, shut the motor off, and flipped "veg on", and could hear pump action in the back. Very good. I have been parked ever since & haven't tried driving on the veg yet...but it should be good.
Van Won't Start! (Has a happy ending)
Thursday, 10 June: We are intending to drive Patience to the Magic Hat Brewery, Burlington, VT. Patience won't start! I tried to start her while she was in reverse, without my foot on the clutch, which resulted in a sad sound. I put her in neutral & try to start, she sounds happy, but the engine won't turn over..I am not VERY worried...Maybe she needs a rest, I think...We take Sarah's car for the day.
6 hours later, I try Patience again. Same deal. I call Will, and he talks me through things, and I then notice that the glow plug light wasn't coming on. He thinks maybe a glow plug has died. And/or maybe I flooded the engine. He tells me to plug the engine block in overnight & call him in the morning.
Friday, 11 June: Wake up, call Will, we try to start the van. Glow plug light didn't come on, but the van DID start. I keep Patience idling, Will does some research & I first go to a very nearby mechanic who doesn't normally work on diesels, while waiting to hear back from better mechanics. We take out the factory repair manual, run some tests & determine that the glow plug relay is bad & that there has been oxidation around the glow plug relay & the fuse. We go to Craig in Colchester, VT, about an hour away. He ordered glow plugs & a relay which will get there by the time we do.
He is very nice, worked on VWs for 30+ years, had a homey waiting room with lots of photos & articles..He did an 8mi swim across Lake Champlain not long ago, as a fundraiser.
Fixed: New glow plug relay, new fuse, new temperature sender. He showed me how to jump the glow plugs, in the event that the temp sender or glow plug relay ever fail in the future. (Goes along the general understanding of how the glow plugs work.)
He tells me to feel free to call him if I ever need.
$150, we are on the road & feeling great -- sun is now shining, we got into Montreal (all on veggie) well before sundown. I still have cubies of that golden oil from Morrisville, VT.
6 hours later, I try Patience again. Same deal. I call Will, and he talks me through things, and I then notice that the glow plug light wasn't coming on. He thinks maybe a glow plug has died. And/or maybe I flooded the engine. He tells me to plug the engine block in overnight & call him in the morning.
Friday, 11 June: Wake up, call Will, we try to start the van. Glow plug light didn't come on, but the van DID start. I keep Patience idling, Will does some research & I first go to a very nearby mechanic who doesn't normally work on diesels, while waiting to hear back from better mechanics. We take out the factory repair manual, run some tests & determine that the glow plug relay is bad & that there has been oxidation around the glow plug relay & the fuse. We go to Craig in Colchester, VT, about an hour away. He ordered glow plugs & a relay which will get there by the time we do.
He is very nice, worked on VWs for 30+ years, had a homey waiting room with lots of photos & articles..He did an 8mi swim across Lake Champlain not long ago, as a fundraiser.
Fixed: New glow plug relay, new fuse, new temperature sender. He showed me how to jump the glow plugs, in the event that the temp sender or glow plug relay ever fail in the future. (Goes along the general understanding of how the glow plugs work.)
He tells me to feel free to call him if I ever need.
$150, we are on the road & feeling great -- sun is now shining, we got into Montreal (all on veggie) well before sundown. I still have cubies of that golden oil from Morrisville, VT.
3rd Veggie Score: Morrisville, VT
Wednesday, 9 June: We are planning on leaving VT on Friday morning. We know that Thursday it is going to rain. So, we decide to stock up on veggie on Wednesday. Sarah tells us of a Sushi/Thai place, The Red Basil, which is like 10min from her house in Stowe, VT. (A ski town.) We pull around back, park, and on my way to the front I (admittedly) nosily walk past the row of cubies I see sitting against the wall, and just give them a poke to see if they are full. The head of a chef appears in the window & he asks if he can help me.
I simply say, "Can I have this soy bean oil?"
He replies, "That we already used?"
I say, "Yes."
He says, "Sure, go ahead."
And he disappears from the window.
I get a plastic cup & fill it up.
GOLD! GOLD! HOLY CRAP GOLD! I was gitty. I ran over to Amanda, closed one eye and looked through the cup with my other one eye & told Amanda to hold up fingers. I could count them. I took around 8 cubies.
These are the cubies -- they squarish plastic containers with a handle & a cap, enclosed in a cardboard box that identifies it. In this picture, the green rubbermaid container to the right is the RoadTote, which is the motor pump & filtration system I use to pump & filter the oil into the car.
I simply say, "Can I have this soy bean oil?"
He replies, "That we already used?"
I say, "Yes."
He says, "Sure, go ahead."
And he disappears from the window.
I get a plastic cup & fill it up.
GOLD! GOLD! HOLY CRAP GOLD! I was gitty. I ran over to Amanda, closed one eye and looked through the cup with my other one eye & told Amanda to hold up fingers. I could count them. I took around 8 cubies.
These are the cubies -- they squarish plastic containers with a handle & a cap, enclosed in a cardboard box that identifies it. In this picture, the green rubbermaid container to the right is the RoadTote, which is the motor pump & filtration system I use to pump & filter the oil into the car.
Cleaning The Wand Filter for the 1st Time
Tuesday, 8 June: We leave Hemlock Lake (Finger Lakes, NY) for Morrisville, VT. GMaps says it should be a 7.5hr drive, I figure it will be something over 9 hours. We drive on the veggie for around 4 hours, and pull over in the Adirondacks (around Lake Pleasant, perhaps?) to clean the 70micron wand filter for the first time, with the Brakleen.
To get to the wand, you need to unscrew a white plastic piece that holds the suctioning tube to the wand...It was on VERY tight, and I somehow incorrectly applied the science of "lefty loosy, righty tighty", which resulted in us actually tightening it more. Then it was really stuck. After about 30 minutes messing around with the thing, I figure we should drive & pull over at the next bar or what-have-you and solicit some burly men.
We pull over at a gas station, as I'm low on diesel & it is a good idea to be full on diesel.
The place right next to the gas station had a big banner up: "WELCOME BIKERS". Wonderful! Here are the burly men we so sought. I pull up, take out the road tote, hold up the wand piece & a wrench and ask 3 leather-clad men from a distance: "Excuse me, could any of you guys give me a hand in trying to get this piece off?" Two walk over, and begin trying to wrench it off. Not doin'. They try & try & eventually give up with a shrug of: "It's really on there." Now it has become a Sword In The Stone matter (a handy psychological situation), and more men came over to see how they could prove to be the best & strongest. A grey pony-tailed man succeeded in getting the thing off, to which I exclaimed "Hooraaay!". It wasn't until this point that someone asked what the thing WAS. Previously, everyone was just working to undo the thing, no questions asked. So, now, with swimming goggles on my head & bandana covering my mouth, I'm spraying the wand with Brakleen (which easily & effectively cleaned it) and explaining the vegification to the bikers, who are now ready to sit back and see what this is all about. I fill up, using up the 2 containers, which gave me 7/8 of a tank, and took us to Sarah's in Morrisville, VT.
To get to the wand, you need to unscrew a white plastic piece that holds the suctioning tube to the wand...It was on VERY tight, and I somehow incorrectly applied the science of "lefty loosy, righty tighty", which resulted in us actually tightening it more. Then it was really stuck. After about 30 minutes messing around with the thing, I figure we should drive & pull over at the next bar or what-have-you and solicit some burly men.
We pull over at a gas station, as I'm low on diesel & it is a good idea to be full on diesel.
The place right next to the gas station had a big banner up: "WELCOME BIKERS". Wonderful! Here are the burly men we so sought. I pull up, take out the road tote, hold up the wand piece & a wrench and ask 3 leather-clad men from a distance: "Excuse me, could any of you guys give me a hand in trying to get this piece off?" Two walk over, and begin trying to wrench it off. Not doin'. They try & try & eventually give up with a shrug of: "It's really on there." Now it has become a Sword In The Stone matter (a handy psychological situation), and more men came over to see how they could prove to be the best & strongest. A grey pony-tailed man succeeded in getting the thing off, to which I exclaimed "Hooraaay!". It wasn't until this point that someone asked what the thing WAS. Previously, everyone was just working to undo the thing, no questions asked. So, now, with swimming goggles on my head & bandana covering my mouth, I'm spraying the wand with Brakleen (which easily & effectively cleaned it) and explaining the vegification to the bikers, who are now ready to sit back and see what this is all about. I fill up, using up the 2 containers, which gave me 7/8 of a tank, and took us to Sarah's in Morrisville, VT.
2nd Veggie Score: Dansville, NY
Monday, June 7th: In the midst of running errands, we stop into Wong's Kitchen, which is a Chinese place on the small Main St of Dansville, NY. We go in, I ask if we can have their used oil, the lady was very friendly & pleasant & smily & interested that my van could run on it, and she very quickly (without more than 2 questions) went to ask the people in the back. She came back out & told us, smiling & excitedly, that we could go around back and take whatever we wanted. We pull around, and there are a bunch of "cubies". I pour some into a broken plastic container I found laying around, and it looks okay. There is a video here. I take out the Road Tote, suck the oil from 1, then 2...then as I was taking from the 3rd, the oil stopped being sucked up. I turned off the motor, and reckoned that the 1st 70micron wand was clogged. I didn't have any Brakleen yet -- Will was going to pick some up for me on this day, while we were out. So, we took put some extra cubies in Patience, and head home. We had 3/4 of a veggie tank.
1st Score, Leaving Baltimore
Sat, June 5, Yonkers, NY: I wake up early & go with my Dad to Harpo's (mechanic) in Tuckahoe, NY. Him & his son know & love Vanagons. We went to ask them if they had some extenders for the tire air valves, because my Dad says that it isn't easy to put air into the tires, given the size of the tire walls & the way the hubcaps are. We went there instead of an autopart store because my Dad had been talking to them a bunch, so thought he would go see if they had them, give them some business.
They don't have extra extenders, but my Dad noticed that a brakelight had gone out right as we were pulling in. Got a new brake light. Also got an oil change, because I needed it. Then, drove to Baltimore.
Drove on veggie the whole way, and run out about 20min before Balto. That was a 4 hour trip. So, it drove for 5 hours on veggie -- except Gregg had test driven it on veggie for about an hour before I got it, so...It drives over 5hrs on a tank of straight veggie. (Not waste.)
In Balto, I do some things...At one point, I stop at someone's job to give them a hug goodbye. Walking out, I look around and say to myself, "Let's get some oil." I try a Nepalese/Indian place, and the bartender didn't really speak
--I was just typing a lot, and lost it all.........so, here is a curt continuation, for now!:
Bartender didn't really speak English, I seemed to make him nervous, so I left after trying to talk with him.
Went to another Indian place within sight. There were no customers there. There was a guy behind the bar doing paperwork and a guy sitting at the bar with whom I chat with for 25 minutes. He asked me what I wanted it for, and I told him. "Won't it smoke?", he first asked. He soon after said, "How much you pay me for it." I smiled & said "Noooo, you give it to me for free!". I didn't know if I was talking to someone who could actually have any say/authority in granting me their oil. Bossman kind of "yelled" at him a couple of times, I guess for talking to me & sitting at the bar & not doing his job. He explained that people take their oil, 'we do not pay them, they do not pay us, but there is an arrangement'. But, for this one time, he said I could take oil, because he liked what I was doing. He was given a bag of food to deliver, and he walked me around back to the barrel. It felt empty, I took the top off and there was a low level. He said it was recently emptied. I picked up a plastic take-out container from the ground, scooped some up. It was a light brown and you could see through it. I thought, "Excellent!". I asked Gregg (who converted Patience) what I should be looking for. He said if you had a baster & took a sample, you would want to be able to see through it. You don't want it murky -- cloudy. Well, this wasn't murky...You could see through it. The guy took his delivery & told me to do whatever. So, I unpacked everything Kylara had nicely packed in my trunk for me, in order to access the battery, where I would clip the Road Tote's power clips to. I got a small bungee cord & bungeed the dispenser pump handle tight, and stuck it in the veggie fuel hole. Then I held the suctioning end, removed the cap, flipped the motor switch on, lowered the suction end into the oil, and then turned a red switch on my end which controls intake -- on, or off. I switched that to open the line, and the oil started to move through the hose at a good speed. I knew that my tank could hold 15gal, and that there was nowhere near 15gal in the barrel I was sucking from, so I wasn't concerned about knowing when to stop. I did stop when I felt I was too close to the bottom...Don't want that bottom crud. I "stopped" by shutting the red switch valve off, then lifting the curlicued hose up so that all the oil would pass through the filter, then shut the motor off. This was, I don't know, a bit over 1 minute.
I packed the van back up, started the car, drove away on diesel, excitedly watching the fuel gauge...Half a tank! (7.5ish gallons) I was very pleased with this first solo score.
I used it for a bit while driving downtown, but then purged & ran on diesel til we hit the highway for the night. We drove for 2.5 hours on the highway. :) Thanks, all contributors.
(I didn't seek out more oil because we were way late. This first leg of the trip is really the only time where I feel time is important, for a few reasons. Going across Canada, time does not matter.)
I'm done blogging for the night, but today, 6/7, was my 2nd score, on the 1st try since my last procurement. And very successful! My veggie tank is 7/8 full, and I have 2 more cubies in the car of more oil. It isn't as good as the first oil, but I believe it is good enough.
And, I'm really going to keep this about mechanics....but yesterday we saw one of a pair of Fisher Cats bound across the road, and tonight, Lisa taught me how to make sushi. Also, we thought it was a bobcat, or something, but we described the creature to Bill Castle at Pollywogg yesterday, he informed us: "You're not going to believe it, but they're called Fisher Cats."
They don't have extra extenders, but my Dad noticed that a brakelight had gone out right as we were pulling in. Got a new brake light. Also got an oil change, because I needed it. Then, drove to Baltimore.
Drove on veggie the whole way, and run out about 20min before Balto. That was a 4 hour trip. So, it drove for 5 hours on veggie -- except Gregg had test driven it on veggie for about an hour before I got it, so...It drives over 5hrs on a tank of straight veggie. (Not waste.)
In Balto, I do some things...At one point, I stop at someone's job to give them a hug goodbye. Walking out, I look around and say to myself, "Let's get some oil." I try a Nepalese/Indian place, and the bartender didn't really speak
--I was just typing a lot, and lost it all.........so, here is a curt continuation, for now!:
Bartender didn't really speak English, I seemed to make him nervous, so I left after trying to talk with him.
Went to another Indian place within sight. There were no customers there. There was a guy behind the bar doing paperwork and a guy sitting at the bar with whom I chat with for 25 minutes. He asked me what I wanted it for, and I told him. "Won't it smoke?", he first asked. He soon after said, "How much you pay me for it." I smiled & said "Noooo, you give it to me for free!". I didn't know if I was talking to someone who could actually have any say/authority in granting me their oil. Bossman kind of "yelled" at him a couple of times, I guess for talking to me & sitting at the bar & not doing his job. He explained that people take their oil, 'we do not pay them, they do not pay us, but there is an arrangement'. But, for this one time, he said I could take oil, because he liked what I was doing. He was given a bag of food to deliver, and he walked me around back to the barrel. It felt empty, I took the top off and there was a low level. He said it was recently emptied. I picked up a plastic take-out container from the ground, scooped some up. It was a light brown and you could see through it. I thought, "Excellent!". I asked Gregg (who converted Patience) what I should be looking for. He said if you had a baster & took a sample, you would want to be able to see through it. You don't want it murky -- cloudy. Well, this wasn't murky...You could see through it. The guy took his delivery & told me to do whatever. So, I unpacked everything Kylara had nicely packed in my trunk for me, in order to access the battery, where I would clip the Road Tote's power clips to. I got a small bungee cord & bungeed the dispenser pump handle tight, and stuck it in the veggie fuel hole. Then I held the suctioning end, removed the cap, flipped the motor switch on, lowered the suction end into the oil, and then turned a red switch on my end which controls intake -- on, or off. I switched that to open the line, and the oil started to move through the hose at a good speed. I knew that my tank could hold 15gal, and that there was nowhere near 15gal in the barrel I was sucking from, so I wasn't concerned about knowing when to stop. I did stop when I felt I was too close to the bottom...Don't want that bottom crud. I "stopped" by shutting the red switch valve off, then lifting the curlicued hose up so that all the oil would pass through the filter, then shut the motor off. This was, I don't know, a bit over 1 minute.
I packed the van back up, started the car, drove away on diesel, excitedly watching the fuel gauge...Half a tank! (7.5ish gallons) I was very pleased with this first solo score.
I used it for a bit while driving downtown, but then purged & ran on diesel til we hit the highway for the night. We drove for 2.5 hours on the highway. :) Thanks, all contributors.
(I didn't seek out more oil because we were way late. This first leg of the trip is really the only time where I feel time is important, for a few reasons. Going across Canada, time does not matter.)
I'm done blogging for the night, but today, 6/7, was my 2nd score, on the 1st try since my last procurement. And very successful! My veggie tank is 7/8 full, and I have 2 more cubies in the car of more oil. It isn't as good as the first oil, but I believe it is good enough.
And, I'm really going to keep this about mechanics....but yesterday we saw one of a pair of Fisher Cats bound across the road, and tonight, Lisa taught me how to make sushi. Also, we thought it was a bobcat, or something, but we described the creature to Bill Castle at Pollywogg yesterday, he informed us: "You're not going to believe it, but they're called Fisher Cats."
Conversion Complete
A heated 15gal tank was installed under the rear passenger bench. It is heated by the "Hot Fox" brand in-tank heater, which utilizes a flow of coolant to heat the tank. There is a gauge on the dashboard to measure the temperature of the coolant, which should be between 120-150Farenheit when running veg.
A hole was drilled into the exterior side of the van & a nice fuel cap installed, & there is a wide hose connecting this exterior fuel hole to the tank, so I can fill up the tank from outside the car. (...Certain people install a tank in their trunk & fill it by pouring directly into the tank in the trunk and theres bound to be spills..)
From the veg tank, there are fuel supply & return lines, which are controlled by the new veg supply & return valves.
The veg system has its own fuel pump, which is pretty basic. It was mounted right next to the oil fuel filter in the engine's compartment. When I click "veg on", the fuel pump is turned on & I can hear a little "click, click, click" with each pump, each second.
The fuel filter is the Donaldson P551001--3 micron nominal/10 micron absolute rated fuel filter/water separator with patented water blocking *Synteq* filter media and bottom twist drain. It is screwed into a "Hot Head heated filter manifold, green anodized aluminum, specifically designed for use with vegetable oil fuels." Here is a photo of the filter screwed into its own heated component:
There are 3 gauges + 1 switch added to my dashboard:
1. temp gauge (previously mentioned)
2. pressure gauge: measures the pressure in the fuel lines. When I press "veg on", the gauge will go up to +4 when there is a new clean filter installed. Over time, as the filter gets dirtied, the pressure will start to slip, and I will change the filter when pressure reads "0".
3. fuel gauge: for the veg tank, which holds just under 15gal).
4. There is a switch on my dashboard which has 3 positions: veggie on, off & purge.
If there is veg oil in my tank & I get in the van& start the van & drive for a few minutes so the engine & thing that the veg fuel filter screws into can heat up. Then, I press "veg on" & the following happens: the veg supply & return valves kick on, so fuel is now being supplied by the veg tank, and fuel returns to the veg tank. I notice my pressure gauge start to climb to +4, and the temp gauge starts to climb to 150Farenheit.
Veg fuel likes best to be moving. If I'm sitting, stuck in dead traffic, I would switch off of veggie because there isn't enough flow of fuel.
Switching off of veggie: I turn the switch to "purge" which is a "rinse cycle"... Diesel supply & return valves are turned on, which is important to get diesel through the fuel injectors to "rinse" the veg oil out, so that when I turn the car off, there is no veg oil sitting there to congeal & cause a big problem the next time I try to start the car with fuel injectors that are gunked up. ALSO, when "purge" is on, the veg return valve is also on, causing so the veg pump to pump all veg oil in the veg fuel lines back to the veg tank. The purge button would be left on for 20-25 seconds (I count), because that is how long it takes to return the veg fuel to the veg tank, and then I switch to "off". At that point, I can park the car & turn it off.
My Dad also got me super tires. Major hiking boots.
The van had a full tank of veggie & I drove it home, which was an hour trip.
MPGs
MILEAGE:
After I picked up Patience from Desmond's (mechanic) on Friday, 4/23, I filled her with Diesel because the Baltimore Biodiesel Co-Op was out for "the next week or so."
After I picked up Patience from Desmond's (mechanic) on Friday, 4/23, I filled her with Diesel because the Baltimore Biodiesel Co-Op was out for "the next week or so."
I fill Patience up when her fuel gauge shows at 1/4, because her fuel gauge "reads high, but consistently high", so we're always supposed to fill at 1/4 tank, to be safe.
A little under 10gal went into her, and I decided I should now keep track of my mileage to get a real number.
I filled Patience up on 5/1, when the fuel gauge was around the 1/4 mark. When I do the math, she got 33mpg, combined city & highway!!
Veggie Conversion
Patience currently can run on biodiesel or regular diesel. The Baltimore Biodiesel Cooperative is 1.5mi from my house, I registered with them & will pay "non-member" rates which are $0.75 more per gallon. If I paid $100 for a one-year membership, I'd pay regular price, which is currently $3.25 for B99.9, which is 99.9% biodiesel, 0.1% regular diesel.
My friend Will recommended some guys to do my veggie conversion: vegpower.com, who used to be used in Ithaca, and now they are mainly in Northern NJ, outside of NYC.
My friend Will recommended some guys to do my veggie conversion: vegpower.com, who used to be used in Ithaca, and now they are mainly in Northern NJ, outside of NYC.
I gave them the specs on Patience & requested a conversion quote before I bought her. Gregg Wicken at vegpower spoke to Emily (who then still owned Patience) & he spoke to me, confirmed that the van could be converted & he was working on the quote. I got the quote the following Tuesday, 3/16. The quote is $3,461.62 & I will describe in my own terms. In short: It is a fancy conversion with bells, whistles, safeguards.
My Understanding of How Veggie Conversion Works:
Your standard diesel tank remains. A second tank, for veggie oil (in this case, 15-gal) is put inside the car. A new fuel "hole" is added to the car's exterior, to pump into. You start driving on diesel, which warms up the veggie tank: The veggie oil kind gels/gunkifies in cool weather, and you do NOT want that going through your engine. Think of after you fry bacon, you sit & eat breakfast, and then you go back to the pan and the grease has hardened. But if you were to turn the pan on, it would liquify. Ok? Well, my veggie tank will have heating coils in it. When I start driving on diesel & the coils heat up the veggie oil. In a few minutes, the temperature of the veggie oil is high enough for me to press a button on the dashboard to switch to veggie oil. I'll have a temp gauge for the veggie oil tank on the dashboard, which tells me when I can switch over. Before I stop driving, I'll need to switch back over to diesel/biodiesel, so that the diesel/biodiesel fluid can flush out all the veggie oil from the engine, etc. -- you don't want that veggie oil sitting around & getting gunky when you turn the car off.
Wait, What Do I Mean By "veggie oil"?
I'd be using waste veggie oil (WVO), which would be oil already used by restaurants in their fryers. When restaurants empty their fryers of this veggie oil, it usually goes in a dumpster out back, which may be owned by & emptied by a removal/disposal company. The restaurant probably has a contract with a company who they pay to take this grease away. This company might own the dumpster out back, and the company charges based on how much oil they remove from the dumpster. So, if you are taking from this dumpster, you are stealing from the removal company & they are not happy. The restaurant may tell you that you can take the oil from the dumpster, but once the oil goes in that dumpster, it really doesn't belong to the restaurant anymore, so the restaurant doesn't have legal authority to tell you to take it. So, you can ask the restaurant to give you the oil after they empty it from their fryer, instead of putting it in the dumpster. You taking their oil saves them money. (Removal usually costs them money.)
Or, perhaps the restaurant owns the dumpster, and can legally give you permission.
Or, perhaps the restaurant actually sells their oil, for cheap, to, say, a biodiesel manufacturer. (Because this oil can be processed into biodiesel). In which case, they might not want to give me their oil. But, maybe they will, just this once, if I am nice. ;)
So, it takes some talking & visiting many restaurants to fill up. I can get free fuel, but the cost is time & inconvenience. It will be a challenge. Benefits: recycling, not supporting douchebag oil companies, foreign oil independence, decreased exhaust emissions: no sulfur dioxide or sulfate emissions (those are the major contributors to acid rain), carbon monoxide emissions decreased by 40-60%, carcinogens decreased by 90%, hydrocarbons decreased by 50%, soot decreased by 50%. (Citation Reference)
I could go into the supermarket & get any kind of veggie oil & put it in the van, but this is expensive & not a recycled product.
I could go into the supermarket & get any kind of veggie oil & put it in the van, but this is expensive & not a recycled product.
Pumping & Filtering
My conversion comes with a super-awesome filtration pump system (the RoadTote) that allows me to pump (6gal per minute, powered by the car battery) straight from dumpsters, with the peace of mind that the quality of the oil isn't going to screw up the van. Any oil coming out of the dispensing handle will be properly suited for fuel. (Filtered to 3 microns.) The initial filter in the pump/RoadTote is a wand that is washable/cleanable, then the other filter needs to be changed every 100-300gal, and they are $17. I can also pump into spare containers.
Many people filter the oil themself: they test the oil's quality before deciding they want to pump it (you want it to be nonhydrogenated, no/low animal fat content, no/barely any water, not overused), then they pump it & & perhaps first let it sit in a drum to allow for a simple gravity settle (over 2days minimally to 2wks ideally), then ciphoning from the top of THAT drum into a neighboring drum, passing the oil through a "sock" filter (often a 5 micron filter) before it enters the next drum. Then, perhaps "sock-filtering" it again through another 5-micrn filter. After that, it still may be crappy & screw your car up.
Dashboard:
The dashboard will get:
-fuel gauge for the veggie tank, to know when its time to fill 'er up.
-filter gauge for the veggie tank, know when its time to change the fuel filter (different from the pump filters.)
-temp gauge for the veggie oil tank, so I know when the veggie oil is heated enough to start using as fuel.
-a button to switch between diesel/biodiesel & veggie oil
-temp gauge for the veggie oil tank, so I know when the veggie oil is heated enough to start using as fuel.
-a button to switch between diesel/biodiesel & veggie oil
These are some basics.
I am dropping the van off & discussing the conversion on the morning of Sunday, May 23rd.
2nd Mechanic: Desmond's, Parkville, MD
Eventually, there came a day where Patience wouldn't start. Also, a couple of times while pulling away, there was a squealing sound, associated with the belts I imagined. I still hadn't gotten the water pump belt done like Dr. Dave told me. Or the coolant flush. Tsk tsk tsk!!
I decided to bring Patience to Desmond's, as recommended by my friend Jason who is a mechanic. Desmond's was also listed favorably on some of the websites of Vanagon mechanics I listed previously. They're expensive but great, so I hear & read. It took a week & a half to get an "appointment". I dropped her off for a 4/7 "appointment", and am picking her up this evening on 4/23. We talked about the work being in the range of $1,000 & the final pricetag was $1,140.
Work done on her by Desmond's:
(image from Wikipedia)
-My mechanic at Desmond's (Doug) thinks my starting problem is me not starting the van correctly. *blush* I hadn't been waiting for glow plugs to warm up. Unlike in a in a gasoline-engine car, the doesn't simply turn the key to the "start" position & have the engine immediately start. Instead, driver turns the key to the "on" position; the glowplug relay switches the glowplugs on, and a light on the instrument cluster illuminates. I've read & been told this is "warming up" the van. I thought "warming up" the van was letting it run idly for a few minutes before taking off. I thought this glow plug procedure was only for cold weather. Not so! Anyway, this is good news for me, because it means it is not Patience's fault.-The valve cover gasket was leaking onto the water pump belt & timing belt. The valve cover gasket was replaced, and the belts replaced.
-The head gasket is leaking a little, it is okay, not environmentally friendly. The head gasket was done not too long ago, and he believes it is a good job, and if he tried to torque the head gaskets, it could ruin them all together requiring a full replacement. He recommended it stay as is, because it is okay, as long as it isn't leaking onto the belts.
-The filler neck is also leaking. The filler neck on Patience is not the van's original filler neck (must have been changed at some time), and they do not make the originals anymore & they are hard to find online. The leak isn't bad, but good to fix. He consulted with Desmond about how to handle this (bending/welding..) & their plan was to do some welding to seal the leak.
1st Mechanic: VW Joe, Severna Park, MD
STARTING PROBLEMS,
BATTERY TERMINAL REPLACEMENT,
ODOMETER FIXED
I didn't write things down, but about a few days later, she wouldn't start without a jump from the jump-starter. I started her a few times with the jump-starter. I decided to bring her to VW Joe, Severna Park, MD. I found him on TheSamba.com, here. Other websites where I shopped for Vanagon mechanics are here: 1 2 or 3. Patience started for him fine, three days in a row. He really didn't try to diagnose the problem since the problem wasn't presenting itself, as a lot of time can be wasted in trying to do so. He did mention the sketchy wiring that Dr. Dave in Asheville had showed me, and offered to replace the terminal for $80. I said sure. I also asked him to fix the odometer, and he said $200, and I said sure. I decided to have this be the only work he does on it, because I didn't like him too much. I liked him better in person than on the phone, but he was still expensive & I still wasn't crazy about him.. Felt I didn't truly trust that he cared about Patience. That may be sensitive, but I went with my gut..
Odometer: A new bit was broken, which he replaced. Then there was a gear that had been super-glued back together in a previous repair under Emily's ownership, and came apart when he was working. He glued it back together.
NEWS! May 1st: I notice the odometer is going too fast! Estimate: It moves about 10 miles for 1 actual mile. I need to bring it back to VW Joe. *sigh*. In the meantime, the odometer is catching up to its actual mileage.
NEWS! May 1st: I notice the odometer is going too fast! Estimate: It moves about 10 miles for 1 actual mile. I need to bring it back to VW Joe. *sigh*. In the meantime, the odometer is catching up to its actual mileage.
Drive From Asheville, NC --> Baltimore, MD
THE DRIVE FROM ASHEVILLE, NC TO BALTIMORE
NEED JUMP START, THEN SMOOTH SAILING.
The next morning, I was up around 3:30am due to cat allergies, can't get back to sleep, and I'm facing a 12 hour drive. But its too exciting a day to be tired!
We attempt to leave around 9am, but the van won't start. (We'll find out why, here.) I try a few times. I call Emily, she thinks perhaps it needs a jump because she has had to jump it a few times because it was sitting in the cold. Or, she thinks maybe the battery cells need more distilled water -- something they had meant to check, but hadn't. Natasha didn't have jumper cables, so she drives me to a store & I buy jump-starter, which I like to have. (Previous one lost in stolen car.) On the drive back to Natasha's, we come from the other side of Beaucatcher Mountain, and she points to a Haunted Bridge, which is near her house.
Last year, I visited Asheville in October with Feivel. We woke up around dawn Saturday morning, and went to "hunt the sunrise". We drove, ending up on Beaucatcher Mountain, and we ended up on the Haunted Bridge Natasha had just pointed out. I just googled Beaucatcher Mountain to make a hyperlink, and part of the common paranormal activity of Helen's Bridge is car trouble near the bridge, or after visiting. Hmm...
The jumper wouldn't start the van, Emily called, I updated her, she said she would come jump me, and I also still owed her like $1,500.
We lit the hookah (strawberry shisha) & walked to a bridge (not the haunted one) and blew hookah smoke-filled-bubbles, which drift off forever in irridescent smokiness until they go *smokePOOF*.
Emily arrives, van is jumped, she drives us in Patience to the nearest ATM (so I wouldn't stall & kill the battery again. She was happy to give Patience one last drive), her Matthrew drives her car, I get & give her money. She says if I am ever going to sell Patience, to call her. This day, she also gave me osha root tincture she made herself for my wheezing, which was spurred by Natasha's cats, because I didn't have an inhaler. Add 1-2 drops to water, or take directly. It opens the bronchioles. I've appreciated it.
I was hoping I could get to the highway without stalling - even though the car had now been running for about half an hour, I didn't want to stall & not be able to start the car again. Pulling out of the gas station, I immediately stalled. Kylara & I immediately looked at each other. I turned the key..car starts! :) We are on our way. Patience had been filled the day before, by Emily, with B20, which is 20% biodiesel, 80% diesel (plain old diesel.)
I didn't write down how much diesel I figured we used, but I figured it cost $60 in diesel, diesel being about $3.20ish?
Including many stops, some rather leisurely, it was a 12 hour drive, which is what we were figuring, considering she is slow. The fastest she ever hit was 70mph, when having speed going into a downhill & rolling in neutral gear. She may have gone as slow as 35mph a FEW times, on a steep incline, which I didn't have proper speed going into. (I had previously only driven stick on a highway very briefly, in a tiny car.) I'm getting the hang of it & it shouldn't be normal for her to slow down to 35mph in the future. I'd say average speed of 55mph.
Picking Up Patience
PICKING UP PATIENCE:
INSPECTION & DRIVING AWAY
Next morning, 3/13: Kylara, Allison & I drop the rental car off, Emily picks us up off the side of the road in Patience, and we go to a mechanic, Dr. Dave, in Asheville, NC. I found this mechanic by posting a message to the Asheville Couchsurfing group, and he was EXCELLENT -- I will give you his info if you need a Vanagon mechanic in Asheville. Inspecting the car, test driving it, paperwork, etc. took around 4 hours? I felt very good about it. Work done on her: Dr. Dave put in a new (used) temperature gauge, as the other one burned out when Emily had Patience in Death Valley. He put on a new water pump belt because it was loose & missing teeth. He wasn't satisfied with the tension--he told me that when I get back to Baltimore, I was to get a belt 1/4in-1/2in smaller & have mechanic put it on. He said there was an oil leak - "not terrible, not good". I would want it checked out. He said he believed there was only about 110K miles on it. He changed the fuel filter (there were 2 sitting around in the car, so, "why not?") & showed me how, it is easy. He pointed out some sketchy wiring at the battery terminal that would be good to fix up. He said the coolant looked milky - had some oil in it. Needs a coolant flush. He test drove it on the highway & side roads.
I drive the car away from the mechanic, to the foot of a VERY steep uphill which leads to the road. Kylara offers to drive up it, I say sure, might as well not have me kill the car so fast. We switch seats, and Kylara's attempts are failing. We (at least I), sit in calm, confident silence. Fail. Fail. Allison suggests we get a mechanic to get Patience up the hill. We sit in calm silence, thinking.
Me: "Can I try?"
Kylara: "Sure"
Me: "Maybe there will be some magic."
Kylara: "That would be good."
Annnnnd she goes right on up the hill on the first try!!! Glory be ours!! (The problem when Kylara was trying was that the stick wasn't actually in 1st. It can be tricky to really know what gear it is in, until you get used to it.)
We stopped to get beer (which involved reversing for my first time in Patience, more great success) and continued to Natasha & Gavin's. They live on top of Beaucatcher Mountain, and their driveway is practically vertical. We made it up with ease, glory still be ours. :) We made delicious, triumphant dinner, drank wine, talked about life & things, went to sleep early cause we were beat! (From lack of sleep previous night.)
The Beginning: Meet Patience
MEET PATIENCE
Basically, a friend once casually suggested "We should get a van & convert it to run on veggie oil." My reaction was, "YES!" I started reading about veggie oil conversions. I started emailing with friends & friends of friends who have done it for years, and still do it. I started searching Craigslist, Carmax & E-bay. I would simply query "diesel truck" or "diesel van", and look at EVERYTHING. I was liking the space in the long Chevy Suburban, or some Toyota vans. I wasn't thinking about VWs, until I saw Patience on E-bay, 5am on Tuesday, March 9th. Bidding was closing that day. For the next 8+ hours, before bidding ended, I was reading about Vanagons, the 82 Diesel Vanagon Westy and how well veggie conversions went with them. Eventually, my gut told me to go for it. I put a first bid in, and then learned about "reserve" prices. The "reserve" price is a hidden minimum that the seller will sell the vehicle for. When bidding ends, if the highest bid is lower than that hidden "reserve" price, the vehicle doesn't sell. When you make a bid, you are told whether you have met the reserve price yet. I never made it, after making around 11 bids, starting at $3,500 and ending at $8,000. "WHAT IS THE RESERVE PRICE?!?!?" I was yelling in my head all day, in my cubicle. When I still hadn't met the reserve at 8K, I messaged her to call me, because I was interested.
At work, I see an incoming call on my cell, it is a Maryland number. Her name is Emily, she is the van owner, I am surprised & happy. We agree on the phone to $8K, I tell her I feel pretty sure about this, and figure that I will go down there that weekend to get it, after looking at it.
I find the girl on couchsurfing.org, and learn that the van's name is Patience from her photo album. I've gladly kept the name.
The next day, Kylara taught me how to drive stick in Ridgely's Delight, my old Baltimore neighborhood. She was a very calm, patient, awesome teacher. At first I was okay..then, not so much...then we took a break, and I was better...then, not so much. At the end, I drove from Kylara's in Edmonson Village to Hampden, which is a 20+ min trip. I considered the day a fair success.
Friday, I withdrew as much cash as I can to pay for the car, because I don't have a bank in Maryland. Kylara withdraws her savings (she is THE BEST) & I write her a check. Allison, Kylara, Tomko & I go in a rental car to Asheville, NC get there very late, stay with Natasha & Gavin (Bonaventure friends). We had a little wine & caught up with each other, went to bed too late (4:30am?).
Meet Patience:
-Sleeps 2 people below & 2 up top in the loft. You see a picture of a hatch which you push to open up the pop-top, which creates a loft enclosed by tent canvas. There is a tent canvas zipper window up there, whcih you can open, and has screening to keep bugs out, like a tent.
-2 burner stove (propane)
-fridge (propane)
-sink (isn't working)
-the front seats swivel to face each other & a table can come out. Or the front seats turn all the way around to face the back.
-many storage compartments
-CD player, with an i-pod/mp3 player jack
-2 room tent built for the Vanagon Westfalia, it attaches to the doorway, as shown.
vg!~~_3.jpg)
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