Insulation

Well, it has been a very long time since I was last able to do much of any interest on the van - other commitments just did not allow it. However, with the summer here (in date only, sadly), we want to use the van more, so it's time to make it a bit more 'homely'. First up is the insulation. One of the previous owners had stuffed the voids with insulation - a man-made fibre type that looks like cotton wool. Doubtless, that did a good job of keeping things a bit more snug, but it had a bad downside - moisture from condensation inside the van had worked it's way down to the bottom of the panels and the insulation had soaked it up like a sponge. The van failed it's MOT this year due to corrosion at the front of the nearside wheel arch - rust caused by the panel being permanently wet. So, with this in mind (and with the rust repaired) I'm now stripping out the 'cotton wool' and replacing. Reading around the internet, it seems that many people recommend foil backed insulation - used for homes. As this is cheap, readily available and easy to install it was right for the job. I bought a roll from Wickes and a roll of strong 'carpet tape' to stick it to the van. Another thing that I'd read about is trying to dampen the vibrations/boominess that you get with a panel van. The product here was a flashband (again, from Wickes). This is high tack with a tar backing. I cut the strips and stuck them to the inside of the panel expanses: First impressions, having done most of one side and the ceiling of the van, are that it does indeed dampen things nicely - doors close with more of a 'thud' and less of a shudder! So, I now need to finish off the rest, but that means removing the rock 'n' roll bed - and as I need the van for a couple of overnighters, that will have to wait for now. I also need to refit the window into my newly sprayed window door and install it instead of my panel van door. I'm keeping the panel van door so that the van can be reverted back to a panel in the future - too many panel vans have been cut up for campers. More soon...

Oil - drive shaft seals

Fishing around under the van doing the reverse light switch, I noticed that there is a slight oil leak on each of the driveshaft seals where they enter the gearbox. This needs attention. I was planning on replacing the gearbox oil, so will now do it all at the same time. I am tempted to drop the gearbox out completely so that I can have good access on the bench, but am not sure if I am feeling brave enough yet.

For now though it is the annual time of crossing fingers hard - the van's MOT has expired, so I need to get it tested ASAP..

Reversing - let there be light

Finding time to do things to the van is difficult these days - so much else going on - but I was determined to sort the reverse lights out, so got underneath at the weekend.

The old reverse light switch was unbolted again - and the washer kept safe as the new one didn't come with one. I decided it was also worth replacing the spade plug connectors too whilst I was at it, so cut off the old ones, stripped back some wire and crimped on two new plugs. With the new switch screwed back in and new plugs on I tested by slotting the 'box into reverse - we have lights again! I did try all sorts of ideas to try and cover the wires to try and protect them from the elements, but in the end settled on wrapping tighly in electrical tape - it looks neat and should offer some protection. Given it took 27 years for the original to fail, I'm hopeful that this should last a while!

I'll post some photos later.

Let there be light....

Well, it has been an extraordinary gap between posts - appalling blogging form, but I hope excused by the fact that in the meantime there's been an extension built at home and more importantly a new bundle of joy in our lives. The van has had to take a patient back seat.

That said, the extension has demonstrated that a T3 is an excellent workhorse as well as a leisure vehicle. 8x4 sheets of building materials, 3m lengths of timber and even 250 roof tiles have all been shifted around during the project and this has saved much time, money and hassle - pat on the back Jasper.

One fault had developed in that time - the reverse lights stopped working. Now that the nights are longer our very dark drive needs illumination, so it was long over due for me to do some investigation.

I try to take the approach with jobs like this to eliminate the easiest option first, then gradually get to the more complicated parts if needed. With this in mind, the first port of call was light bulbs. It couldn't be easier on a T3 - simply remove the four screws holding the lenses in place and lift them out.

The image shows the four screws that have to be removed. Having done this, I removed the reverse light bulb and used a multimeter to do a continuity test. The bulb was fine on the nearside but the offside one was blown. So.. bulbs weren't the issue.

Next, I tested using the multimeter to see if any power was getting to the light fitting. I put ignition on and the van in reverse, then used the meter to test for 12V. There was nothing there, so the problem was further upstream.

Next thing to check was the switch which is located on the underside of the gearbox. The one on my van is as seen here on the Brickwerks site - with two spade connectors.

I disconnected the two wires going to the switch and made up a new piece of wire with two male spade connectors. I plugged this in across the switch wires to 'short' them. Once I did this the reverse light came on, so the problem was the switch.

The switch and wires on mine were all covered in silicone sealant which I suspect was there to keep moisture out. The problem is, in my experience it tends to do the opposite - traps moisture in. I removed the switch from the gearbox using a 19mm socket. Note that there is a washer on the old switch, but one didn't come with the new one, so the old one needs to be kept safe. All this was done with the van on the ground with me lying underneath - one advantage of a standard height van!

I tested the switch on the meter and found it was not functioning, so ordered a new one from Brickwerks. I will renew the connectors on the switch cables and then insert the new switch.

Been there, done that....

Saw this on Ebay and just had to have it...

Alternator Wiring

Gear Stick Refurbishment

http://www.justkampers.com/shop/gear-stick-refurbishment-kit-j16965.html

Thick and fast

As any owner of a T3 (and probably any old VW) will testify, things just crop up. You mightn't be expecting them to or somewhere in the back of your mind you might know that it is something that needs doing.. but at some point, you'll have to do it.

As I've been writing this blog, I've been using my photo collection to assist my grey matter in recalling the jobs that I have done... and it is a good thing, because there is a lot that I've forgotten. I really need to get the blog up to date so that I can write things up as they happen, rather than have to remember back!

What I am going to do is create a load of 'skeleton' posts as reminders that I will add detail to as soon as I can. So, apologies in advance for the traffic of low-info posts!

Fuel line replacement

I should reiterate at this time that fuel lines are critical for not only the health of your van, but also for your own safety. The consequences of split hoses allowing fuel to spray onto hot engine components don't bear thinking about, so if you don't know how old your hoses are... change them!

In a previous post I showed the fuel system. I used this knowledge to purchase 7mm and 5mm fuel hoses, plus fuel filters from Just Kampers. I also bought new clips - make sure you buy fuel hose clips specifically, not 'any old' jubilee clip to avoid damaging the hose as you tighten them.

Installation is easy - just like for like replacement of old with new. I followed this guide on the Club 80-90 Wiki.

Not a difficult job, but very satisfying. The only thing that I would add is that on mine there was a weird 5mm to 7mm joint on the return run to the tank - on the opposite side of the van to the main filter. I used an additional fuel filter in line to make this connection. It has worked just fine.

Time for a refuel.

As with all jobs, the tank refurb took a bit of time - the joys of trying to fit van-maintenance around everything else in life! Still, slow and steady for this type of job is not a bad idea - allows tank time to full dry out before the refit.

As mentioned in previous posts, I replaced the rubber grommets on the tank. The old ones weren't in bad condition, but as I don't plan on dropping the tank again any time soon it made sense to replace with new - these came from Just Kampers and there are three of them on the tank top - two for the expansion tank breathers and 1 for the filler pipe breather.

Once the grommets are in place, push the expansion tank hose plastic pipes into the holes.

I replaced all of the expansion tank breather hoses with new 5mm fuel hose. The following photo shows the ones that I hooked up before putting the tank in place again (refer to previous posts for fuel system diagram):

I didn't put the filler neck breather back in at this stage.

Here is the tank ready to go back on the van:

Now comes putting the tank back on the van. With the front of the van up on axle stands, I moved the tank back underneath. I then lifted the end of the tank up and moved a trolley jack underneath, locating the shoe roughly in the centre of the tank. I was then able to slowly jack the tank up into place a little at a time, making sure to:

1. Remember to plug fuel lever sensor back in.
2. Don't trap any wires or hoses.

One the tank was a little way up, I fed the filler neck and breather through from the top of the wheel arch and slotted them into their grommets in the tank. Pull through the expansion tank hose ends to.

Then, you're ready to lift the tank fully into place and refit the tank straps - mine had a fresh coat of black Hammerite straight to rust before fitting.

Once the tank is up and secure, slid the filler hose into the rubber neck and tighten up a jubilee clip around it.

Slide the 5mm expansion tank hoses onto the tanks and that is job done!