[The_Stuff]

It lives!! got the propane safety done this Wensday!

had to drive it 2 hours to Regina for someone to do the safety and well .. it didnt actually pass but they let it go.
the shut off valve for the tank to the motor didn't shut off the fuel completely, but they didnt want to chang it out.

So, its been awhile since i drove this van. when i got to Regina, it was FREEZING INSIDE!! the coolant had gelled up,
and the fluid was -5C in the tank. So I had that changed while it was in the shop.

Also I forgot how basic this van is.... Am radio with 1 speaker ... thats all
It has rear defrost and rear wiper... no hatch popper.
I think the 2 major options were the propane and 3spd auto.
it has vinyl seats in it (5 pass) and they are FREAKING COLD ON THE BUTT!! -30 out and those are like ice cube trays!

So far options that have been added are a 'deflector' on the front, a inside plexy glass divider, and winter of 03 was
command start.

So I have a couple questions. what can I do for a better stereo? There is only the right front speaker, and only 1 side
of the stereo connections since it was basic radio.
Also is there any other options i can rob from other vans for inside? like consoles etc? I'm thinking of changing out
the 2 front seats for the 40/60 split front seat some vans have. In CLOTH!!

Also also the van has 209,800 kms on it, and it drives and runs like its still brand new. only way you can tell its age is
the drivers seat is wore out, and somehow the steering got knocked off center... it drives straight, but the wheel
dose not straighten out when your going straight. Any suggestions? Open to ideas.

 

[DaytonaBob]

First of all, congrats on the propane. On the matter of the radio, I changed out my radio that was an am/fm for an am/fm stereo, cassette out of a similar car in the junk yard. Fortunately my 93 Voyager had four speakers...two in the dash and two in the rear hatch and the wires plug plugged right in. Here in Florida the charge was just 20.00 usd.
As far as the seat, when I bought mine the drivers seat was quite worn so I had an auto upholstery shop put in an insert to match the color and texture. The seats are cloth. The shop can do vinyl as well if that is your desire. Your pic of your van shows a bug deflector and mine has one as well. Nice looking van, by the way. Looks like it has been well cared for.

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Good to hear it's alive again

As far as a stereo upgrade, I think I'd suggest aftermarket - at least for speakers. If your dash locations are both there, probably the easiest thing I could think of are a couple of good 5.25" coaxial aftermarkets in the dash and a single affordable subwoofer somewhere in the back. If you really want the rear speakers too, you'd probably need to do some wiring, but you could probably grab the liftgate trim with the speaker grilles from Buck's to allow for their installation. If you get really lucky you might find a factory CD player there, but that's never happened to me - they usually have some decent factory cassette decks there though - $23 each IIRC.

Buck's should also provide some decent seats too if you manage to get there on the right day... I often find myself wishing the Regina location was as well stocked as the Saskatoon one, but last time wasn't too bad. Except for the cold that is

 

[valiant67]

The steering wheel of center is the result of an improper alignment. Once the van is aligned, the steering hweel is centered by adjusting the tie rods (lenghten on one side, shorten on the other) to center thw wheel.

 

[The_Stuff]

DaytonaBob - Really i guess its only necessary for the drivers to be changed out. but i want to get rid of the vinyl.

OklahomaWolf - From my xp, the regina one has a better yard, atleast in 03 they did. For dash speakers, there is the right one there,
and the left one i assume can be put in the dash. since i have that plexyglass divider, i think i might put the speakers
under the bench to keep sound inside. I do have a sub/amp just sitting in the very back still.

Valiant67- The wierd thing with the steering is that when i parked it, it was DEAD on, couldnt get any more perfect if you tried. then
when i fired it up, got it out of the snow drift, it was off centered. the steering is still straight down the road, no pulling but
the wheel is slightly to the left, wich is starting to bug me. it faces about 10:30 when going straight.


to all - yes this van was well cared for. it also was a single driver van. the passenger seat and bench are like new condition, front pass
seat has some stains on it from previous years work that can come out. the carpet it still perfect in it. a bit came out from under
sliding door trim, and its still perfect green under there. no rust or dirt!! and the screws worked to take the trim off and put the
carpet back in place and screw back in. I found out it has a 100L tank, wich is fillable to 80L max. There was little to no paper
work included with van, so all i know is that it sat for 4 years before i bought it. the lady that used to own it was single and it
was her town jumper in MooseJaw. Then like 1 year after she got it saftied, she passed away (thats why it sat before i bought it)
I put new tires on it because they got sun rot. the tranny looks to be the original 3spd. I am going to attempt to take some pics
with my cell phone, but i dont know if the cable works. friends dog got ahold of it

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

OklahomaWolf - From my xp, the regina one has a better yard, atleast in 03 they did.

That's interesting... in September I went to the Saskatoon one, and went back to Regina in November. The Saskatoon yard was at least twice the size - they had rows upon rows of minivans alone. What I like about them is they had wheelbarrows - they were necessary that day since some of my parts were about a ten minute walk from the entrance. They also had newer stuff than I'm used to seeing at the Regina yard.

 

[The_Stuff]

when i was there it was mostly crap cars that looked like they all were parted out or parts were not worth the time/effort to remove.

here is some pics of the van:

The crappy drivers seat:

Cluster with km's as of hour ago

Stereo console and note the 1 plug for the stereo.

View from inside the van with the divider behind the bench atm (can go right to back to behind front seats.

This is what looks different under the hood

The one cancer patch that i WILL fix - Passenger rear wheel between wheel and sliding door. - very common area

Nifty logo:

Factory propane 2.5L info on underside of hood:

comments?

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Looks good for its mileage

The new seats will help a lot. My last trip to Buck's Regina produced a white first generation van with cloth seats in that color. Had a smashed windshield. Don't remember exactly what shape the seats were in though. The same van had rare EMIT tweeter Chrysler/Infinity speakers in the dash - I left them there as the amps had been bypassed and I wasn't sure the tweeters were any good. That van might still be there - it's only been a month and I've seen the Regina yard leave them out there longer than that. They had a fair number of first gen vans that day.

 

[fabinator]

Wow. That is so cool. B) I did a little propane experimenting with my car, but I couldn't get it to idle right... so I abandoned the idea.

Love tha pack of Player's over the radio... it would be kinda funny seeing a guy smoking in a propane vehicle, though it's no more hazardous than a gasoline powered vehicle.

 

[The_Stuff]

lol they wouldn't have put an ash tray in it if you couldn't smoke in it

those infinity speakers sound interesting. they are just the factory sized with a tweeter in the the middle?

for seats I'm thinking of trying to keep grey and going for the full comfort seats. heck ill even run a power line for a power seat need be. I got this weekend off so ill clean up the van and take some better shots. silly camera on the phone didn't seam to understand that tilting sideways meant that i wanted a landscape picture.

Also I keep forgetting, but I also plan to put in full gages. I want water temp, etc in gages, not dummy lights.

the steering seems to be straightening out little by little. I wonder if my father bumped it against something in the yard moving it around or something...

Also also... tonight on the way home... the brake light came on when i pressed the brake. made a hiss sound inside as i pump the brakes and they still work fine, so i assume now the brake booster is leaking or mabey a vacuum line. Suggestions?

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

those infinity speakers sound interesting. they are just the factory sized with a tweeter in the the middle?

Yep, with an amplifier mounted to the back that wraps around a small magnet. Here's one without the dust cover:

You can identify these easily by feeling for the telltale 4 screws in rectangular formation. Later versions didn't get the EMIT tweeter (it's extremely good sounding but very quiet) and got mylar cones or soft domes instead - these feel round beneath the dust cover. The mylar ones are most often found in 1990 or 1991 vehicles, while the dome tweeters can be seen as a small white circle through the dust cloth. After 1991, they no longer have amps on the back and have bass blockers instead to work with the door woofers in those vans.

The only issue with the speakers I left in that van is, they used an aftermarket deck with them and the amps clearly no longer worked as they were bypassed. The tweeters had been disconnected entirely - that's why I left them be despite them being the rare ones. Then again, I already have two sets of them. If you do grab them, wire the tweeters in parallel to the bypassed woofers - they probably do still work. It's harder to blow the EMIT than the mylar or dome tweeters.

 

[The_Stuff]

i am beginning to think a set of after market speakers would be best.

might just go with 2 in the dash to start. havent thought of where to put the rear 2 due to that divider.

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Yeah, aftermarket is easier if you're not an electronics tech... blown tweeters and amps are often problems I run into getting Chrysler/Infinity stuff from Buck's

 

[The_Stuff]

any other suggestions for replacement stuff? how easy is it to put those 2 console lights between the visors etc?

 

[FrankRaso]

Congratulations on getting your van on the road.

It looks as if you are using a conventional Impco-based propane system with a Model 100 mixer. It doesn't appear that you have a feedback system (fuel mixture control with an O2 sensor) on your van. You may find that you can get slightly better fuel economy with a lean gas valve, which is extremely easy to change. The PN for the lean gas valve on a Model 100 mixer is AV1-14-4.

 

[95acclaimV6]

am I seeing this or is it my imagination?? I've never ever seen a propane caravan/voyager in the mid 80's. Congratualtions on getting it on the road and hopefully it'll serve you for 3-4 yrs. I wonder how many of them were made?

 

[The_Stuff]

well i know for sure there was at least 5 of these identical in moose jaw Saskatchewan, Canada. I plan to fix the rust this summer along with maybe even a paint job. not sure yet.... All 5 were the green with detail on side. all 88 voyagers with factory propane, all with only rear wiper and defrost and am 1 speaker radio. My van had the deflector and the plexy-glass divider added to it. Not sure about the running boards, but i assume that was an add on when it was released to the public. Its assumed it was either CFB moose jaw or City of moose jaw that bought the mini-fleet. I have talked to one other guy that had an twin to mine, but that was in 03 or 04...

thanks for the propane link, but i have not a frigging clue what to do when it comes to the propane part. I'm greener then a neon-green haired punk.

I did end up putting in a sound system. I got end of year stock and put in a deck and some 5.25" 2-way dash speakers. I cant remember the brand off hand. All i know is that it plays my mp3 discs, it can have aux in on the front pannel and it sound decent. I slapped some 6x9's behind the front seats and thats the best sounding stereo thats ever been in there. cost me about 250 for everything. deck, speakers, mount kit, wire harness.

Also i don't know what it is, but in the last week everyone has it out for my van. just about got sandwiched by little old lady from Pasadena, and couple times guys tried to pull out in front of me. I am glad i got allot of tread on my motor master tires. The recent 6-8" of snow we got is a laugh for my van. It just crawls through it like its a awd. Its scary!!

Also today with the constant snow fall and the melt/freeze mood swings, i managed to strip BOTH wipers today.... Anyone have suggestions? I am guessing a pick-a-part place and get some spares while i am at it....

Also for the propane, Its weird. every time i fill it, it is a bit less and bit less every time. I went from 47 a tank 3 months ago to 37 a tank, and price went up 10 cents/liter.... hope that my gauge isn't going...

Comments? also the km's are now 213xxx on it and it still drives rock solid. tight as a nun on sunday as one friend described it.

 

[FrankRaso]

A propane carburetor is about as simple to understand and repair as it gets. The fuel mixture is controlled by a cone that moves up and down in the fuel port. The amount that the carburetor lifts the cone out of the port depends only upon air flow to the engine. The shape of cone is what controls the fuel mixture at any given air flow. The cone is designed to start off with a lean fuel mixture that progressively becomes richer. Although engines produce a bit less power on propane than on gasoline because gaseous fuel displaces some of the air reaching the cylinders (compared with atomized liquid gasoline), the main reason for a slow start is the fact the fuel mixture starts off at its leanest.

There are only two adjustments on an Impco propane carburetor: power mixture and idle mixture. The power mixture is set at full load (ideally using a chassis dynamometer) to around 2% CO for maximum power. However, lean mixtures are safer than rich mixtures with gaseous fuels (propane & natural gas) so it will run fine with pretty much any adjustment leaner than the maximum power setting. The only danger with excessively lean mixtures is a lean misfire but your engine will have very low power at this point. The idle mixture is whatever gives you the highest and smoothest idle speed.

As for your gas gauge, there is very little to go wrong with them. Sometimes the sender goes bad (very easy to fix) but I think you might be experiencing a variation in propane density with changing temperatures. You should have liquid level gauge (spit valve) to indicate that your tank is properly filled. Newer conversions use an overfill protection device (OPD or autostop fill valve) that works a lot like your toilet tank valve.

If have propane-related questions or want to learn more about propane systems, you should visit the propane forum.

 

[RoadWarrior]

Also today with the constant snow fall and the melt/freeze mood swings, i managed to strip BOTH wipers today.... Anyone have suggestions? I am guessing a pick-a-part place and get some spares while i am at it....

Yeah on my '88 the wipers kept loosening off all the time. I solved it with a lock washer and threadlock, been no trouble for 2 years now. Or did you mean the gears stripped in the motor? If so, they're fairly easy to replace, only caveat with them is to make sure you get a multispeed one if that's what you've got. Lot of motors seem fairly common, for instance, I noticed some GMs have almost identical ones.

I love how mine goes through snow, I've been spoiled, it's been off the road this winter though and I've been having to drive a Tempo, holy crap those things suck in the snow.

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

I've been having to drive a Tempo, holy crap those things suck in the snow.

I would argue that they tend to suck outside of the snow as well

My first car was almost a Tempo, except the car I looked at was a manual transmission and at 6' 6" I couldn't get myself in there to test drive it. I guess that's an exaggeration - I got in there, but couldn't work the pedals because my knees were around the steering wheel.