The Dispatch | Expert | Scudo Hub

If you've not had the timing belt / water pump done or you don't know when it was last done, then get it done.  I had mine done last year and it cost about £350.  But it's peace of mind stuff.  If you lose that belt you might as well scrap the van.  Finding another engine and getting it fitted will cost quite a lot more than a few hundred.

If the timing belt / water pump, was done recently (or within 70,000 miles I think) and you are 100% sure it isn't that, then a cheap £100 diesel heater might solve the heating issue and be cheaper.  I would have thought if the water pump is knackered you will start to see the temperature gauge hitting the red line pretty quickly.

You might be able to change it yourself if you have the tools and kit.  I know some on here have done their own changes, but for me I would rather pay an expert to do it.  Some tasks are just better left to people with adequate experience.  Simple tasks like brakes and basic/mid level maintenance are within my experience level, but complex engine repairs (Haynes manual 4-5 star difficulty level), not so much.

Yeah it is.  The instrument cluster plastic was probably the issue.  I removed the 6 bolts under the various covers and vents, but something was still holding it in place.  Will try it again tomorrow.  My guess on the alarm is it's a medium cost type that arms on a fob, but I have no fob.  There is an led middle of the dash that flashes when the engine is off, probably part of it, plus down the side of the windscreen are ultrasonic sensors x2 and the rest of it triggers when any door is opened.  Hopefully I will have a better idea tomorrow.  But so far, no audible alarm has been heard.  It just flashes the indicators.

My intention is to disconnect the relay part of it, so the indicators no longer flash.  I will make the assumption it's been spliced into the loom and if it has, the loom will need to be repaired which i'm honestly not going to do tomorrow.  Not really in the mood for crimping and rejoining all the wires yet.

Anyway thanks.  Will let everyone know how it goes.

So the flashing lights mostly stopped.  But it is an alarm.  I also can't easily get to it from below (read that as full stop).  My guess is it's sat on top of the loom below the windscreen, based on the clicking sound from the relay, plus it would make sense to put it there.  So being naive, I thought well if I remove the 6 bolts from the top dash it should just lift off and I can just access it directly.  In a perfect world that would be how you do it, but this isn't a modern van (nor a perfect world).  So how to get the top of the dash off.  Do I need to remove a gazillion screws (of which all seem to be different sizes, head types, lengths) to do it?  Initially I tried to get up by removing the fascia below the steering wheel and shoving my hand up into the gubbins.  Next i tried removing the instrument console (and found a steel plate behind it).

John, your air con video doesn't show how you got the top of the dash off.  You said there were 6 bolts, but it still doesn't come off after removing them, so guessing there are more somewhere on it, or is it a brute force type removal?

Brake fluid is on my 'to do' list of jobs.  Was planning on using a DIY one way valve setup using a bottle, pipe and some duct tape.  I don't know how long the fluid has been in, but since I have weird brakes that work, but don't feel good, I might as well do it too.  Technically I have an ABS issue too, like a bouncing on the brakes.  I watched a guy on YT trying to find out the cause and it was holes/notches in the ABS sensor disc.  It's not in budget to replace them at the minute.  So many other things are substandard that are higher on the list.

TBH i would prefer to not remove any brake line hoses.  I hate brakes at the best of times, but when you get air in the hoses, that's when I really hate them.   it's bad enough doing the bike brakes.

Ok, will start the hunt.

Thanks.

It's on the list of maintenance jobs for this summer.

Where are you putting the shower, for your gf?

I actually meant more along the lines of how their are many types of Sikaflex and not all are ideal for sticking things down.  Using the wrong one could lead to failures.

If you use one that is correct for the application, then yes, it will probably work very well.

Saying that, the paint on my van is very suspect, so that might be a failure point for me.  I was washing it and a big strip came off the back door, right down to undercoat.  Hopefully the roof isn't as bad.

That's what bolts and brackets are for.     Although I do hear you on that.  I abandoned the Perlight panel idea and am planning on putting a second 100w panel on the roof in the next couple of months.  My intention is to bolt them together and also through the roof.  At present the 100w panel that is up there for now is held on with Stixall, which was supposed to be a stop gap for a couple of months, but turned into a longer term bodge.

Your new panel sounds like some panels they had at Bimble about a year back.  A 100w panel was able to push out an OC voltage over 110V at 5A (or roundabouts that).  I was kind of interested in getting a couple for my van, but my MPPT has a max VOC of 100V.  Would have needed a new controller to accommodate them. 

As for needing a new controller for a 170W panel with a VOC of 50V, the Budget 20A Epever XTRA would be fine.  It has a Max VOC of 60V and can accommodate upto 260w of panel, all for £55.  Or the 15A Victron would do the same, if you are already invested in Victron kit.

Ahh, silicon grease, clamp and knocking stick territory. 

I admittedly have never done them before.  Most jobs on a car or van seem to need a hammer nowadays.