Dave's shonkers - continuing electroshite

[J-T]

You’ve some patience for this van man

[Dave_Q]

3 minutes ago, J-T said:

You’ve some patience for this van man

Yeah I guess I must like it. Deffo better to drive than the Scudo but also much needier thus far.

When I found the welding needed on the sills:

I did have a serious look round to see if I could get a better example or a similar size van but I concluded that I would need to spend something like £5-6k.

My MIG man doesn't think the van is a lost cause so a few hundred on welding and the other bits I'm doing are going to get me something that is not just (hopefully) sorted but is set up how I want it. The diff for example, I would probably get away with just some fresh oil but I am putting the longer ratio on as I've remapped it and the 109 diff is hilariously short to make up for the 88hp.

Looking towards the winter and next year I do think I will look at getting a pop-top put on and doing some sort of mostly removable camper interior.

So yeah I am fairly emotionally invested but also financially, I cannot get anywhere near what I think I can make this into without spending lots more money than I'd like.

 

[Dave_Q]

Better day today.

ARB bushes:

Gaiter:

Changed gearbox oil:

Old diff oil:

New Vs old diff.

The mounts looked like they would like up right but I swapped them over anyway, the new diff was off a 64 plate 130hp van. About 20% lower ratio. The 64 mount on the rear of the diff had different rubber bits, mostly hole rather than mostly rubber. Dunno if this is in the name of NVH or saving money. The front mount was a slightly different shape so that was swapped as well. Also had to pop out for a driveshaft boot as one was fooked.

It's all back together and been for a test drive, I also fixed the sliding door with a new bottom runner. The diff is just about right, it's now sat at 2400rpm at 70 instead of 3000 which is pretty loud. Hopefully this will save my ears and maybe even help mpg a bit.

Annoyingly there is still a knock from the front end going over bumps, I cannot find anything wrong other than the bushes I changed so it'll have to wait for the MOT man to tell me.

Other than maybe fitting the front seats if I can summon the energy tonight, we're about ready to go.

[mat_the_cat]

Good work, bet you're ready for that first beer of the holiday already!

[Dave_Q]

Yeah you're right there, it's been a while since I did a big day of fixing like this and I'm knackered now, those diffs are heavier than they look.

[320touring]

Well done sticking with this sod. I'd have had it in the scrappys a fair while back.

 

Love the nonchalant "will just swap the diff out" approach, and a 20% drop in Rpm will help fuel consumption I'd imagine.

Looks like some welding and a spot of preventative maintenance should see you in the envious place of having a reliable wagon!

[Dave_Q]

7 hours ago, 320touring said:

Well done sticking with this sod. I'd have had it in the scrappys a fair while back.

 

Love the nonchalant "will just swap the diff out" approach, and a 20% drop in Rpm will help fuel consumption I'd imagine.

Looks like some welding and a spot of preventative maintenance should see you in the envious place of having a reliable wagon!

Cheers, it's a common mod when remapping and not too bad to swap over. The 109 has a really short diff to make up for the 88hp, a 4.09 so something like a 316 touring in E30 terms. The one thats gone in is 3.455. I recently turned the boost up a further smidge and max fuel from 65 to 70mg so I reckon I am somewhere around 130-140bhp now, 1st gear was close to useless at this power level.

Not to mention the fact I've swapped a 248k mile diff for one that's only done about half that.

[320touring]

It's almost like you have made it less worserer.

Stop that! 😁

[Dave_Q]

12 hours ago, 320touring said:

It's almost like you have made it less worserer.

Stop that! 😁

Don't worry too much, it's still pretty shit overall

[Fabergé Greggs]

I think that’s the same spec as the one I ran temporarily: 

 

probably should have stuck with it, but just couldn’t muster the enthusiasm at the time. REGRET 

[Back_For_More]

Apart from the remapping.... What are these like to drive on a daily/frequent basis? Are you swapping the seats due to age or they're generally crap? 

That's some rapid fixing of shite.... Well done. No seized or shearing mounting bolts either - go buy a lottery/roffle ticket 😁 I suggest roffle as you'll have nothing left to do soon 

[Dave_Q]

My van experience is limited to this, a mk2 Scudo, a few Berlingos and the odd rental van (Master, Tranny, T6 etc). I think it's great to drive for a van. The controls are all just right and being rwd you get good steering lock so even as a loooooong boi it's pretty manoeuvrable. Really pretty car like to bomb around in, quite like a T5/6 in that regard.

On the mechanical side you can tell that they started from the Sprinter and worked down whereas most of the others worked up. Trafic et al and Expert et al have engine and gearbox lifted straight from a car and both are partial to a gearbox. The gearbox and diff on these are pretty chunky and the engine takes 9l of oil, presumably car versions of the 2.2 take a bit less.

I can't pretend they're not needy. This is not the best example but the stuff I'm fixing on it is pretty standard, rust and injector seals particularly. They do seem to soldier on, even abused ones, but a clean or lower milage one isn't immune from the same shit. The seats I'm just changing to singles and putting slightly nicer ones in, I don't think the driver's seat is that bad but there isn't any adjustment on the front double.

They need the Merc diagnostics to get anywhere with faults or warning lights and that will set you back about £300 yourself or ongoing bills to get it looked at. As I covered in this thread my dash was lit up like a Christmas tree due to modules being swapped about to keep it running and not agreeing on coding. I think spurious electrical/coding faults like that are pretty common and most garages wouldn't have a clue.

So I guess I'd say I'm happy with it and it's good on a day to day basis but there is a bit of a penalty for going Merc. The lowest hassle van in the world has to be a Scudo/Expert/Dispatch mk1 with a non-turbo XUD but the driving experience of one of them is (I imagine) like being inside a very slow, large drum full of hammers rolling down a very slight hill

 

[Cavcraft]

Hats off to you, Dave.  I don't suppose any 'modern' van is going to be especially well built or reliable, so your idea of getting yours as good as it can be is surely the right way forward.  

 

[Dave_Q]

3 minutes ago, Cavcraft said:

Hats off to you, Dave.  I don't suppose any 'modern' van is going to be especially well built or reliable, so your idea of getting yours as good as it can be is surely the right way forward.  

 

Yeah that is true, certainly the Vito groups contain quite a few tales of woe of unsolvable limp mode and dodgy NOx sensors on newer ones. The newer you go the more they are made to a cost/warranty period I reckon.

Obvs I still reserve the right to do all the work on this then suddenly get bored and sell it for no real reason and buy a Montego countryman estate or something 

[Cavcraft]

They don't seem to rust quite a as badly as a Transit to be fair, and there's a few about with some miles on them.  Have to say, regret selling the Scudo and keeping the Vito though, just can't feel 'at home' in the Merc. Had it been a better example things might be different.

[Dave_Q]

FFS, I'm coming under fire on my own drive here.

Not cool. Might have to crack on and fix it.

In other news the van smashed out 1000 or so miles at euro motorway speed no problem. Cruise control decided not to work so I did have to use my own foot like a peasant but other wise no (new) problems.

 

[Dave_Q]

This really could have been much worse.

I knew about the sills and I knew about the spring, just checking it didn't fail on lots more before getting it welded up.

 

[hairnet]

On 8/19/2022 at 9:33 PM, Dave_Q said:

 and buy a Montego countryman estate or something 

winnah right there

[Zelandeth]

On 9/3/2022 at 12:28 PM, Dave_Q said:

FFS, I'm coming under fire on my own drive here.

Not cool. Might have to crack on and fix it.

In other news the van smashed out 1000 or so miles at euro motorway speed no problem. Cruise control decided not to work so I did have to use my own foot like a peasant but other wise no (new) problems.

 

I get this at least weekly here!  It gets bloody infuriating after a while.

[Dave_Q]

Cheers cunts, guess I'm not getting that train then

[Dave_Q]

One of the benefits of collectioning MultiMode™ is that you can get to the next nearest station that might have a train on with only moderate sweating and inconvenience.

Breakfast count: 1

PC: 0

Planned location at 5:45: Approximately Leeds

Actual location at 5:45: Huddersfield, stationary

[Dave_Q]

Currently in Leeds. Have achieved a shitty McDonald's breakfast and now sat waiting for a train that I could have been on if I just waited at Huddersfield for another hour. Or stayed in bed.

[Dave_Q]

GERMAN WHIP

[Dave_Q]

Back home now. Slight issue in that pulling onto the A1 brought on flashing glowplug light and a sort of whistly turbo noise and limp mode. 

Didn't have any tools or diag gear so just had to keep on trucking. Light went away with the key on/off but the turbo noise hasn't.

Trying hard to think of reasons why the turbos not dead but there aren't many. 

Otherwise (lol) it seems like a great car.

[Spurious]

Maybe a loose/cracked vacuum hose that's not right? Time to get the silver tape out. 

[hairnet]

Up at 4am for that

Jim isn't happy

He says at least it's not a caravan

[The Moog]

Boost pipe popped off or split.  Dog cock red as well. 

[Dave_Q]

39 minutes ago, Spurious said:

Maybe a loose/cracked vacuum hose that's not right? Time to get the silver tape out. 

Yeah you could be on track here.

Had to have a feel of the turbo to convince myself if it is/isn't the problem and the spinny bit seems fine with no detectable play or rubbing. Normal levels of oil in pipes.

Hilariously I can't find any of my VAGCOM wires so can't investigate codes etc till a replacement turns up.

[Dave_Q]

13 minutes ago, The Moog said:

Boost pipe popped off or split.  Dog cock red as well. 

Did try to check this as well, nothing popped off, the hoses have a robust looking quickfit type connection. But it's a contender for sure. The thing also has a DPF so could be clogged etc, needs to be on a computer.

Also waved off the Ignis just now.

[Spurious]

What's the story with the Roffle Ignis? Was it just too crispy to be saved?