I was reminded the other day that being one with your Vanagon helps reduce the need to call for the tow truck. A couple of weeks ago I notices that the gas pedal seemed to have more side to side play than what I considered to be normal. At the time I recall telling myself to take the time to get a closer look at the pedal and associated linkage. Well, I did not do that…and the pedal came completely loose. The good news is the gas pedal failed just a few blocks from home. With a little care in how I placed and moved my foot, I was able to nurse the Vanagon home to her garage.
Now in the garage I took that closer look I should have done earlier. I learned that the gas pedal is held in place by a couple of rivets. These rivets fail over time. The extra play I had noticed earlier in the pedal was probably because one of the rivets had failed, allowing the pedal to move more side to side.
So under the Vanagon I went to drop the spare tire. From there it was easy to spot and remove what was left of the rivets. I took a close look at the pedal and I found no reason not to use the existing pedal. Rather than using rivets again, I decided on stainless steel machine screws and lock nuts. If the pedal does need to be replaced in the future, there will be no need to drill out the rivets.
With the gas pedal firmly in place and functioning as it should, I pledged to myself to use my senses of touch (feel those vibrations or loose pedals), smell (smell that coolant leak before it drains the coolant system), sight (look for stuff that is pooling up or beginning to fall off) and hearing (listen to what your engine, transmission, wheel bearings or CV joints are telling you about their condition) to be one with my 35 year old van. Hopefully, I will avoid having to call for the tow truck!
