MECHANICAL MISHAPS

Issue: Rear Diff lock

Location: France and Andorra

What Happened: The electronic Diff Lock is operated by pressing a button which illuminates when engaged.  Whilst finding a campsite in the foothills of the Pyrenees I had to engage the diff lock on a forest track. Once I had negotiated the track, I thought I had disengaged the diff lock (and the light went out), but I couldn’t be sure so drove on gingerly so as not to do any damage.  It transpires the Diff Lock had not disengaged as I had thought and a loud clunking noise made me suspect that I had done some damage.  I headed immediately to VW in Carcassonne who kindly checked the vehicle for me but could not identify the fault.  I therefore drove on even more gingerly to Andorra.  I wanted to check in to VW in Andorra but it was a Saturday and the workshop wasn’t open so I booked in to a campsite for the weekend.  By good fortune there was one other camper, an English fellow called Derek, who was a motorbike mechanic and was very happy to assist me in inspecting the Diff.  Initial inspection revealed nothing but, on further investigation and removing a bolt, oil began to leak which was a very bad sign.  With the help of Mohammed who had recently had a repair workshop it was apparent that the Diff was knackered and needed to be replaced. 

Solution: A new (second-hand) Diff was sourced from Holland and shipped to Andorra for a total cost of c.£1,000. It was easy to fit the new Diff, which Mohammed did for free, and I was then on my way again. Overall a two week delay.

Issue: First of many bent wheel rims.

Location:  Guinea Bissau

What Happened: Potholes are prevalent and the biggest problem to overland travel in Africa.  Guinea Bissau has more than its fair share and one such pothole was ‘sharp edged’ enough to bend the edge of the wheel without damaging the tyre.  I had fitted steel wheels for this very reason - so they would not shatter but could be bent back into place by me in the event of damage.

Solution: Straight forward bashing of the wheel rim with a hammer until the dent was removed. Throughout the trip I was to suffer five or six similar incidents with the same solution.

Issue:  Rear Suspension

Location: Morocco

What Happened: The rear suspension, made by Siekel  and provided by Voltstrek, was suitable for most conditions. However the wagon was heavily laden and had to endure the worst conditions so the springs were compressed more than they should have been.

Solution: Voltstrek provided heavier duty springs which were shipped out during the COVID lockdown period and fitted prior to stage two of the trip. 

Issue: Suspension

Location: Liberia

What Happened: The front suspension was starting to make strange noises and by the time I had reached the Liberia/Ivory Coast Border it was becoming worrying.  In fact, the front shock absorber had collapsed which was not obvious until it was removed later.

Solution: This was one problem that almost had no solution.  There were no VW heavy duty shock absorbers to be found in Abidjan.  Eventually a second hand set of regular duty shock absorbers were found and fitted leaving the van slightly low at the front but capable of motoring.  The shock absorbers were fitted by the excellent Pape’s Garage who was also going to solve the next problem. 

Issue: Clutch

Location: Ivory Coast

What Happened: Whilst travelling with ease down the motorway from Abidjan for no apparent reason the clutch suddenly failed.  The pedal lost all resistance and there was no drive. I hoped it might be the clutch pedal that had disconnected somehow.  I was towed into the centre of Abidjan by a French couple I had met the night before who happened to drive past and they took me to Pape’s Garage who were brilliant and could not have been better or more helpful.

Solution: Over a period of three weeks a new clutch was sourced from the UK (provided by Voltstrek )and hand-delivered to Abidjan by my old friend Hank Jansen who caried it in hand luggage.  The garage was quick to get the new clutch fitted and I was on my way again.

Issue: Prop Shaft

Location: Ivory Coast

What Happened: A seemingly unimportant but significant failure was the prop shaft retaining U bolt which had cracked.  This allowed small vibrations to occur  which in turn did worse damage later on. These are even more difficult to source than shock absorbers.  This was discovered during final checks having fitted the clutch.

Solution: Local repair and welding… and hope for the best! But it did not survive and became a problem later on.

Issue: Clutch

Location: Nigerian/Cameroon Border

What Happened: There is no road open between Nigeria and Cameroon so it’s necessary to take a very rough track over the hills between Gemba and Banyo. This track is driven only by locals in Pinzgauers and Landover series threes. It is muddy, steep, rutted and slippery and no other vehicles go on this route.  Whilst I was attempting to drive up a hill between the two countries the clutch failed again.

Solution: At considerable expense, a ‘recovery’ Pinzgauer towed me across the border to Banyo where I arranged for another ‘recovery’ truck (which was in fact a cattle truck) to carry my vehicle down to Yaoundé. Volkstrek then sent out a replacement clutch (again using someone who was travelling out to Cameroon). This was fitted by the garage recommended by the High Commission.

Issue: Suspension

Location: Gabon

What Happened: On a road from the Border to Libreville where there are almost no potholes and good speeds can be achieved, I managed to find a pothole that was so big I practically disappeared inside it!  The result was a bent suspension strut and linkages and the inability to move at all.

Solution: With the help of two passers-by, I got the vehicle into a moveable state and limped to the next bush mechanic from where the vehicle was eventually transported down to Libreville. Spares were then sourced again from Volkstrek in the UK and carried out by my son Wilfred. The vehicle was reassembled by a local mechanic and I was set to continue.

Issue: Propshaft

Location: Congo

What Happened: On leaving Gabon via the The Republic of Congo and The Democratic Republic of Congo, and heading towards Angola, I detected a very quiet knocking noise.  I could not determine where it was coming from but as I became more concerned about the vehicle and determined to do something about it as soon as I could.  Neither Congos are particularly suited to dealing with VWs so I had little choice but to carry on to Angola.  I crossed the border with the vehicle making extraordinary noises and started looking for another recovery truck to take me to the capital, Luanda.  There I took the vehicle to a garage which quickly identified that the prop shaft (which had been welded before) had a damaged CV joint. 

Solution: While the garage had a spare, it didn’t fit. And with a friend flying out to join me, I contacted Voltstrek to source another.  As it turns out this part did not fit (and it’s worth noting that although a relatively small and simple piece it is not for sale other than with a complete prop shaft). In the end, we removed the prop shaft altogether and put it on the roof rack, thereafter using two-wheel drive only.  Eventually a second-hand prop shaft was provided by VW in Windhoek.

Issue: Bent wheel station.

Location: Namibia

What Happened: While travelling along a gravel track at a moderate speed the wagon started to slip towards the edge.  Rather than risk going over the edge sideways and rolling the van, I decided to steer into it and go over the edge.  This resulted in a bent shock absorber and steering rods, a frayed tyre and bent rim, etc. But the wagon did stay upright!

Solution: I repaired the vehicle myself as best I could and limped to the nearest garage.  Namibia was the first country since Morocco to be familiar with VWs and the transporter 4motion.  Every town we went to in Namibia had a VW garage and did something helpful for free.  The most notable being to provide a second-hand prop shaft, acquired by ingenious means, to get me back on the road and running smoothly.