it's not such a worry and wont leave you stranded if you are using a leisure battery. if i mind right it's a 110Ah leisure battery in ours. from a full charge we will get just over three days use without a hook up using the fridge full time, the interior lights and firing the heater up for around 20mins a couple of times a day before it auto flicks over to the main battery. we don't have any solar. carrying one of those wee battery booster packs might be wise just in case it switches over and you don't notice.
I will only use the heater -and anything else- using the leisure battery. The starter battery is isolated so I don't think there's a possibility for an unnoticed switch over.
Huge amount of screwing around to get the under frame to fit the seat and the swivel mechanism. But it should be a useful option to have. Time will tell! [l The seats are out of a Vauxhall Insignia. The drivers is all electric powered. Not bad for £35 at the breakers
So the engine overhaul is in full motion. I really enjoy being out on the road in -or on- good machinery. I can also drive slow vehicles, I can drive vehicles with so-so handling, big ones & small ones, old or new... But I really don't like driving half assed, unreliable ones. I'd certainly never own one. It'll be as good as new soon, maybe better.
My mechanic has been busy! We are (or more accurately he is) waiting on a new pulley which should arrive tomorrow and the job will continue... The steering rack was switched out too, as it had too much play to be considered a long term serviceable part. I'd rather get this this old girl in good shape now, than pick it up knowing that there's a whole bunch of other jobs that are going to need attention in the relative short term. Definitely getting there now.
what did i miss? why the head removal? if you have gone that far, are you going to be firing in a new clutch and concentric slave? maybe a new oil cooler, starter and alternator? from memory the gearbox synchro's where a weak point in that box.
It has had a new clutch a few months back. Its smooth to use, so I think (hope all is good in that department including the CSC Alternator shows really good output and is pretty clean looking too, perhaps it was already replaced or was rebuilt -it called rewinding? How do I know if an oil cooler needs to be changed - is there a test or am I looking for something in particular? Head is off for new valve stem seals which meant it was a good opportunity to fully clean and inspect the valves and seats as part of the general once over. When I drove it home and out and about the gearbox felt 100%. My mechanic says he thought the same. From what I read its the linkage that goes, and they are fine. Also easy to check sitting right there. Anything else you think I should check? Any and all suggestions/ advice gratefully received!
the linkages do wear. but more depressingly, so does the ball it pops onto. which is part of the selector shaft which i don't believe you can renew with the gearbox fitted. but dinna fear, there is a neat wee device you an buy for pennies that will resolve that issue in seconds. there probably is a way of testing the cooler other than visually and witnessing the symptoms. (corrosion of the unit and oil in the oolant, but i'm thinking long term. in many ways it's one of the easiest vans to work on, but knowing the awkwardness of carrying out any engine bay work. it's a tight mofo in there, i'd be replacing certain components as par the course while in there. the cooler being one of them. not that i believe they cause many issues on that engine.
Brilliant! Long term reliability and avoidance of having the van off the road is totally what I want. I will be seeing my guy in an hour or so and will ask about the oil cooler. This "neat wee device you can buy for pennies that will resolve that issue in seconds" - should I be getting that now and fitting as a precaution too? Whats it called?
one of the lads has a bag of them at work. I'll find out where he got them. it clips below the ball of the selector and over the cable securing it in place should the wear in either the ball or cable/linkages become excessive.
