Thanks for everyone's suggestions and assistance with Matilda's smokey
odors.  After four days in the hospital (AKA Transporter Werks, Raleigh,
North Carolina), she has finally come home and seems to be all better.  Sean
Fraser at Transporter Werks never found any smoking gun to cause the smell,
but following his hunch that it was burning brake fluid, he did a whole
bunch of brake work that was needed anyway (new pads, bearings, and hoses in
front, new cylinders in back).  The smell is gone and the brakes are a good
bit better.

And tomorrow I finally get to leave Chapel Hill!

If one of you clever folks could please put your mind to inventing the
Smell-O-Vision that Ben mentions below, that would be really helpful.  A
simple arrangement, so I could just convert any future smells to digital
form and attach them to my email, perhaps?  If you do, I'll send along the
nice smell of warm pine needles in the sunshine that pervades this part of
North Carolina!

Joy

p.s.  If you need TA (tech. assistance - maybe that's just jargon in my
work, not on the web?) for your vanagon in the Raleigh area, I do recommend
Transporter Werks.  For details, see their website -
www.transporterwerks.com.  And for those maintaining lists on the web of
mechanics, you might want to add them if you don't already have them.

  -----Original Message-----
  From: BenTbtstr8@aol.com [mailto:BenTbtstr8@aol.com]
  Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 12:55 AM
  To: jhecht@alum.mit.edu; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
  Subject: Re: [VANAGON] diagnosis of brake issues - what do you all think?
(was: Help...

  Joy,

  You are describing what sounds to me like a compression leak (headgasket)
into your cooling system.

  IIRC bearings in Vanagons are sealed and are not adjustable as your friend
mentions. If somehitng was worng with them, you'd be hearing them growling
and howling while you drive.

  Brakes can stick and cause a bunring smell as well. Unfortunately, w/o
Smell-O-Vision, I can't tell what your friend is sniffing at. Sticky (front)
brake calipers can do this. Same for brake shoes (in back).

  Someone pretty much has to tbe agt the van when the symptoms are present.
Take it for a dirve for a few miles with your mechanic to attempt to expose
the problem. Once things have cooled and vented, smell goes away. You can't
smell what's not there.

  BenT