Fuzzy Bus

Small engine repair manuals come in handy when embarking on a cross country road trip. Especially when that trip is to be taken in a 1973 Volkswagen Bus. During the summer of 1991, Nick and I decided to escape the summer heat of Phoenix, and head to Northern Minnesota. We would stay with his brother on the shores of Detroit Lakes, he already had a job as the captain of a double-decker dinner cruise ship. I had no job lined up, but I was ready for an adventure.

Before we were to head out, my two uncles, familiar with road trips taken in VW buses from their days of youth in the 1960’s, had a bit of advice on DIY auto repair. They told us to make certain that the battery of the bus was clean. We, having no experience in cars and their engines, listened but didn’t do. So we headed off. By the time we got to Albuquerque, New Mexico we realized that we had made a mistake.

The bus, loaded up with summer supplies, which included two bicycles and boxes of things we thought we couldn’t live without, needed to be push-started. This involved Nick, not super physically fit at the time, pushing the bus and me trying to ‘pop the clutch’. We got to Denver and took the bus to the VW dealership. While looking through car manuals, the mechanics stated that we needed a new starter–$350. I don’t know much about cars, but it seemed—off.

We left Denver, but by the time we were sufficiently out of town, we were back to push-starting. This was the way it was all the way to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Nick’s hometown. Exasperated, we pulled into a one-pump gas station. A mechanic came out, we told him what was happening and he said, “Yep” and took a look at the engine. He pulled the battery out, cleaned with an old toothbrush, charged us $7.50 and the bus ran for the rest of the trip, and for three years following.