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.