A little craigslist browsing this morning brought up a Westy for sale in Texas:
http://dallas.craigslist.org/mdf/rvs/3306388769.html
In case the ad comes down, here’s the writeup:
2004 Airstream Westfalia , 56K mi. Mercedes diesel engine 22MPG one owner, new tires special alloy wheels in excellent condition asking $45,000. Call or text 972 – 841 -3044 thanks for viewing only serious buyers only NO DEALERS!!!!!!
It seems quite common on our Westies for the fan on the original Kerstner air conditioners to go out. When it does, the replacement has always been expensive – Kerstner replacements are over $700!
In July of this year, a sprinter_westfalia member found a lower-price replacement – in fact, I think the identical fan, for about $250:
http://www.onlinecomponents.com/ebm-papst_a1g280-aa79-11.html?p=12102224
If you’re a member of the group, you can find the info starting in post 10083.
A few months later, in talking with a Westy owner who got in touch through this site, I was told of another replacement that the owner’s mechanic had discovered. He used a $65 radiator fan common on European cars as a direct replacement. It’s even available on Amazon.com!
Hayden Automotive 3670 Rapid-Cool Thin-Line Electric Fan
If we keep up this rate of creative part sourcing, soon we’ll have all of our parts for free!
For posterity, here’s the service manual for the battery charger that’s installed in our Westies:
Airstream Sprinter Westfalia battery charger manual
The info comes from OldFool / OldWest, who posts in the Yahoo group as well as on sprinter-source.com:
According the the Samba thread, the battery charger was manufactured by Cherokee Europe for Westfalia. Cherokee Europe was purchased by its management in 2008 and became Mitra Energy and Infrastructure with a website mitra-ei.com. That name later became Mitra Innovations. Mitra Innovations is now part of Alpha Technologies.
If you’re looking for the location of the charger in your van, it’s behind a metal plate in the cabinet under the kitchen sink.
Yesterday I posted up some info about replacement turbo resonators. I promised to find some information about the removal/installation process.
Here are two good resources:
– Riordan’s site has their instruction page available. I’ve copied it over to this site for posterity: Directions for installing the Sprinter turbo resonator eliminator
– A member of sprinter-source.com who goes by the name Sikwan posted some basic instructions, with pictures: Turbo Resonator Removal and Comparison on sprinter-source.com
By the way, here’s a picture of the stock turbo resonator on the right, and Riordan’s version on the left:
Update: Sold for $52,500.
This one just came up on Ebay:
Buy it now for $53,995. It’s a very clean looking unit with only 33K miles on it, and missing nothing. I’ve only seen it in the photos on the ad, but it certainly looks like one of the cleanest I’ve seen. I’d say the price is very good for a unit in this shape, and it likely won’t last long.
I have no affiliation – I just post up any Westy that I come across for sale.
The good folks in the sprinter_westfalia Yahoo! Group have been discussing turbo resonators (aka TBRs). Since the stock turbo resonator is known to fail under high loads, many replace them before they break. There are two aftermarket models available:
– The Riordan Turbo Resonator Eliminator
– I’d never heard of the Dorman 904-303 Turbo Sound and Vibration Dampener
Replacement is apparently about a 30 minute job. I’ll try and track down some instructions and post them up soon.
(And if you have a Sprinter Westfalia, be sure to join the Yahoo! group. It’s an incredible source of information, and it benefits from additional member participation.)
Update: Sold!
A reader of this blog is selling his low-miles Westy. Some info is below; contact Elwyn at [email removed] or [removed] for more information.
Details:
Pictures:
Listed on craigslist: http://columbus.craigslist.org/rvs/3259008916.html
“Well maintained” and 44,000 miles. Price is $54,600.
No affiliation, I just like to post any Westy that I find for sale.
We had a beautiful weekend of camping at Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, WA. Perfect weather, and some of the most beautiful sunsets right from our campsite.
From http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/rvs/3209875715.html, a Westy for sale in Walnut Creek, CA. Check the craiglist post for contact email (it’s an obfuscated craigslist address, which is normal). No affiliation – I just post any Westy that I find for sale.
