I'm posting this instead of starting immediately, since it's 22 degrees(F) in the garage right now, with a forecast of 50 later today. I need to put the van back in the garage, sideways, as I had it last month. This requires moving all the motorcycles out, clearing the path to the back of the garage, then carefully backing the van in and getting it in exactly the right position. Should be easier the second time.
The trip to Oklahoma and back was almost uneventful. On the way back, about 4 hours into the trip, I noticed a very faint and intermittent flickering of the charge indicator light. Once we got into darkness, it was clearer that the light was, indeed, flickering now and then, and it seemed that the headlights weren't as bright as normal. We stopped a bit early, and decided to start early the next day (Saturday), and try to drive the greatest distance possible in daylight. After starting off at 4:30 am (CST), we got two miles down I-40 and the van engine slowly quit. Got it parked off the shoulder, and a couple of checks showed that we had no charging system. Having had something similar happen to our Diesel after 180K miles, and knowing that the charging light is in series with the field of the alternator, I suspected that, once again, I had an alternator with worn-out field brushes. Knowing this was no help to getting us started, of course. We walked about 3 miles from the van to a McDonalds that had opened at 5:00 a.m., and began working on getting a mechanic. We had plenty of help from the Saturday morning regulars in the Mac, but more useful information from the night manager, who pointed us at the service station that eventually (9:00 a.m.) got us back out to the van, and verified that we had no alternator output. With a jumper battery, we drove the van to the service station, and started waiting. I had already had time to confirm with Autozone that the brushes (which are integral with the voltage regulator, and an easy two-screw replacement) were no longer offered as a separate part. So, with a brand-new alternator sitting in the garage back home, we had to install a rebuilt alternator in order to drive about 21 hours back home. After it was removed, I confirmed that the old alternator did actually have a brush problem: one of the two brushe's connecting wires had parted, and was probably making intermittent contact (thus the blinking light).
Driving the van from Fort Smith (AR) home in one drive - 18 hours total - we got the full picture of the van's strengths and weaknesses for this kind of trip.
Plus: power is good when it's empty, it drives and tracks pretty well for a big box, it has the great double bed in back for the non-driving partner to sack out on, and the passenger can walk around in it while you drive, in case you need to reach *anything* you've put into it. Try that with a sedan or station wagon.
Minus: the pavement in parts of Arkansas and Oklahoma is miserable, and sitting directly over the front wheels, the front seats get hammered when you hit bumps or washboard. The gas mileage is not great - we got 21+ at 65 mph. This brings up a need that I don't think I will ever satisfy: a lower ratio fourth gear, or even better, a five-speed trans. On flat roads, the boxer's 90hp is more than enough for this Transporter model (though probably only adequate for a full camper). At 65 indicated, we run 3600rpm, which isn't screaming, but I think the fuel mileage would be better with a few hundred rpm knocked off the top gear, even at the cost of downshifting for hills.
We still love it, and now we'll get a new(er) engine in it and see what that does to its personality. It did fine over this last 2500 mile trip, but I'm glad we're moving to reduce the uncertainty regarding the old engine and its related accessories - water pump, power steering, etc.
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