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Although I am neither a fan nor an expert on lowering Vanagons, I do have some observations to pass along. The lowest stock Vanagon production springs were on the Carat models, so some Vanagon owners seek used Carat springs to lower their vehicles. As a rule, Vanagons are 30+ years old and often with 150k or more miles, so you can't expect to find springs that aren't suffering from fatigue. This leaves us with H&R springs and Weitec springs. …

In case you are considering purchasing an Electrical Diagnostic Tool in an attempt to troubleshoot a running issue, we have included a copy of the Tool's manual in PDF form. The file will provide an overview of the running system, the role of the individual components, the installation instructions for the tool, and interpretation of the readings. View and download here. Back to the Vanagon Knowledge Base …

One of the most common themes of our website questions relate to running problems. There is version A, "Where I live they have never seen a Vanagon and although I trust my mechanic, I don't think he knows what he is doing" or version B, "Where I live they have never seen a Vanagon and although I think the mechanic knows what he is doing, I don't trust him". Then we are usually asked if we think that a diagnostic tool will help them. Surprisingly, …

Diagnosis and Treatment of Vanagon Oil Pressure ProblemsYou're happily cruising along in your Vanagon, music playing, engine humming, sweetheart smiling, dog with his head out the window, and ears flapping. "Bliss," you think, "does it get any better than this?"Then it happens: the oil pressure idiot-light starts blinking and the buzzer goes off. Your heart leaps to your throat. Did you just throw a rod? Burn a main bearing? Hit a big rock that p …