invacare JJ0063’s current steed - Life of an impulsive car owner [N47 CHAIN GANG]

[JJ0063]

10 hours ago, cobblers said:

if the light is on the relay it's getting power from the main battery, it's probably just the fuse between the relay and your pleasure battery that's gone.

Best to put the battery on a mains charger for a while first of all - the surge of current when charging a really flat battery is what usually blows the fuse, so if you get it topped up first that'll save it just blowing the new fuse!

 

Give this man a medal! 
 

Only thing is the relay seems to be on even with the ignition off. Dicky SCR or just too much voltage in my new main starter battery?

[cobblers]

What does the relay look like? If it's a voltage sensing one, it would probably still be switched on at 13.09V anyway so it might not be faulty

that's fairly decent sized wire, a lot better than I was expecting! 

[JJ0063]

25 minutes ago, cobblers said:

What does the relay look like? If it's a voltage sensing one, it would probably still be switched on at 13.09V anyway so it might not be faulty

that's fairly decent sized wire, a lot better than I was expecting! 

I’ll have to check the exact one but it is a voltage sensing one as it definitely had what volts it cuts in and out on but I couldn’t see in the dark what the figures were, it was one of these type though I’m sure:

 

 

The wiring does all appear pretty well done for a DIY job. All the speakers etc are Focal and have been wired into an amp so he seems to have spent money on doing things half decently rather than just the cheapest way.

 

Now going to order a trickle charger from Amazon as I seem to have lost my old school battery charger over the years. I can’t see the split charge recovering it from the 9v it’s at now without a hand!

[Popsicle]

I think you've done alright with that MOT JJ, looks like you've found a good van.

I'd agree with getting both calipers done while you're in there. I made the mistake of only doing one rear caliper on my Caddy, less than a year later the other side went taking a perfectly good set of pads and disc with it.

[JJ0063]

17 minutes ago, Popsicle said:

I think you've done alright with that MOT JJ, looks like you've found a good van.

I'd agree with getting both calipers done while you're in there. I made the mistake of only doing one rear caliper on my Caddy, less than a year later the other side went taking a perfectly good set of pads and disc with it.

Yeah I think you’re right. I’ve always been nervous around MOT time as I never tend to have a car long enough but I trust my MOT guy not to screw me over and he’s always been honest with me about borderline issues etc so I take his word for it when he says my vehicles are alright!

I’ve ordered two calipers and a set of pads which came in at £98 odd posted which seems very fair. He reckons my disks will be fine as they’re in decent nick and he said it’s not binding terribly bad but enough to fail it. 

He’s offered to replace the brake pipe where it’s a fail onward or can replace the complete front to rear but hasn’t got availability time wise to do that for a few weeks as he’s a one man band. I’ll probably get him to put a join in and replace the failed part back to the flexi and then perhaps replace the whole thing another time.

[Popsicle]

16 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

Yeah I think you’re right. I’ve always been nervous around MOT time as I never tend to have a car long enough but I trust my MOT guy not to screw me over and he’s always been honest with me about borderline issues etc so I take his word for it when he says my vehicles are alright!

I’ve ordered two calipers and a set of pads which came in at £98 odd posted which seems very fair. He reckons my disks will be fine as they’re in decent nick and he said it’s not binding terribly bad but enough to fail it. 

He’s offered to replace the brake pipe where it’s a fail onward or can replace the complete front to rear but hasn’t got availability time wise to do that for a few weeks as he’s a one man band. I’ll probably get him to put a join in and replace the failed part back to the flexi and then perhaps replace the whole thing another time.

Seems to make perfect sense to me, thats a very good price on the calipers and pads - think I got stung around £150 for a caliper when I needed it same day, only to find out after I could have picked up both for around £80 online, but the down time waiting for them to arrive would have cost me more.

[JJ0063]

Right new fuse is in and I’ve got it connected to this absolute fire hazard Amazon special charger which cost £16 and looks like it cost £16 😂 

 

[JJ0063]

Well I have to admit the charger has impressed me.

Stuck it on in repair mode which seems to pulse it, left it probably 3-4 hours, went out and it’s done. Sitting at 12.6v and when the engines running the split charge is working and takes it up to 13.6v.

Wondering whether to install that charger semi-permanently and then when we plug into camp sites, it can be topping the leisure battery up whilst we’re parked up. Can’t do any harm I guess.

[barefoot]

That's how mine is set up. Plug it in on site, charge the pleasure battery and run the fridge from 240v. I plug it in at home every month to keep things on top form and can unplug and replug to charge the starter battery too.

[JJ0063]

Right I managed to finish work early today so did both rear calipers/pads and put halogen bulbs back in. Ready to go back in on Monday for the brake pipe and retest.

If the weather is OK at the weekend Il try and polybush the wishbones to get rid of the advisories but it just depends on how things go as I’ve also got to do the track rod ends on the Fiesta. 
 

This was the caliper it failed on for binding 😂

[yes oui si]

Jfc, probably get anouth 8mpg now. 

[JJ0063]

6 minutes ago, yes oui si said:

Jfc, probably get anouth 8mpg now. 

I wonder how much faster it’ll feel! 

[JJ0063]

Polybushes have arrived. 
 

From what I’ve read, the new ones are very easy to fit as they are two part so can be pushed in by hand. 
 

Just need to work out how to get the old ones out without a press. I’ve had success in the past drilling through the rubber to break the centre out then levering the rest out so will try that, failing that I did stop at Toolstation at the weekend and picked up two new gas canisters for my blow torch…. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Similar bushes to the ones I've been avoiding fitting to the Skoda since buying it. I'll get around to it!

Didn't know these could be pushed in by hand, ya dancer.

[JJ0063]

Just now, AnnoyingPentium said:

Similar bushes to the ones I've been avoiding fitting to the Skoda since buying it. I'll get around to it!

Didn't know these could be pushed in by hand, ya dancer.

If they’re two piece, apparently they’re much easier and I’ve watched a couple of YouTube videos where people have either just pushed them in or if still tight, a socket in a vice.

Im gonna give it a bloody good go myself anyway as it’s got it’s retest next Monday and if I can get these in, we’re on for a clean MOT no advisories

[AnnoyingPentium]

1 minute ago, JJ0063 said:

If they’re two piece, apparently they’re much easier and I’ve watched a couple of YouTube videos where people have either just pushed them in or if still tight, a socket in a vice.

Aye they are indeed. When I had the car in a billion bits post-SF '23, I had debated fitting them, but it was raining, so it was cobbled back together enough*.

[Bren]

I get the shakes when I see polybushes - having fitted them to the rear subframe on a mk3 mondeo. Never again.....

[JJ0063]

6 minutes ago, Bren said:

I get the shakes when I see polybushes - having fitted them to the rear subframe on a mk3 mondeo. Never again.....

I did quite a lot of research and polyflex are apparently really solid, but these “PSB” ones are apparently brilliant and much more ‘road’ orientated, lots of posts from Transporter owners raving about them so thought I’d give them a go for how well priced they were… we’ll soon see!

[JJ0063]

After a morning of swearing, chiselling, and pointing fire at them, I’ve given up on my wishbones and am waiting for Mrs JJ to get home so I can take them and have the bushes pressed out 😂

[JJ0063]

12t press got them out eventually. The smaller bushes metal sleeve had fully welded itself to the arm so had to chisel it for ages then press it again. Too knackered to fit them now in the dark so will do it tomorrow!

[JJ0063]

And we’re on. 
 

and the fucker still knocks 😂 I’m just going to live with it. 
 

It does when pulling away and I can make it do it fairly loudly if I drive along slowly and quickly turn hard either way. 
 

It’s had new coilovers, top mounts, drop links, ball joints, driveshafts, stub axle, track rod ends, ARB bushes and now wishbone bushes. 
 

The only thing I can think of it’s the actual track rods but they’ve got no play in them and nothing came up in the MOT.

Chap I got it from said it has done it for a good 3/4 years and never changed, and did it before he’d done all the bits above yet none of those bits made any difference.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Just now, JJ0063 said:

and the fucker still knocks 😂 I’m just going to live with it. 
 

It does when pulling away and I can make it do it fairly loudly if I drive along slowly and quickly turn hard either way. 

Engine mount?

Although, I haven't really read up lately on this thread.

[JJ0063]

4 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Engine mount?

Although, I haven't really read up lately on this thread.

That’s my next port of call to have a look and get a bar on them. I’m a bit OCD with knocks and rattles so would much rather sort it!

[JJ0063]

After driving it today I think I’m going to do some further investigation into things like the inner tie rods. Didn’t come up on the MOT but I can really make it knock quite loud if I swing the steering sharply right or sharply left when driving 15-20mph. It’s a single knock each way. 
 

It’s going to piss me off if I don’t sort it but at the same time I don’t want to just throw money at it guessing what it might be.

Anyways, dropped it off for its retest tomorrow so at least I’ll have a ticket on it for now.

[RoverFolkUs]

What are the subframe bushes like? Probably one of the most overlooked things on an MOT. 

Could be within the rack itself, ideally it would help if a couple of helpers rock the van from side to side while you try to feel as many steering/suspension joints as you can access

[mercedade]

Subframe bushes, all day long (says a Saab 95 owner).

 

[JJ0063]

13 hours ago, RoverFolkUs said:

What are the subframe bushes like? Probably one of the most overlooked things on an MOT. 

Could be within the rack itself, ideally it would help if a couple of helpers rock the van from side to side while you try to feel as many steering/suspension joints as you can access

 

6 minutes ago, mercedade said:

Subframe bushes, all day long (says a Saab 95 owner).

 

Sounds like a pain in the arse if it is, might have to just live with it!

EDIT: thinking about it, how would you ‘test’ them? I think I saw a post on one of the groups someone saying they had a knock and actually just retorqued the subframe bolts and it stopped it.

In other news, we now have a full ticket!

[mercedade]

11 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

EDIT: thinking about it, how would you ‘test’ them?

Got a Go-Pro? 😐

 

[JJ0063]

1 minute ago, mercedade said:

Got a Go-Pro? 😐

 

See I can’t get mine knock like that.  If I swing the steering sharp to one side I get a single knock, and pulling away I sometimes get 2 or 3 knocks together. 
 

I would have thought it if it was the subframe or engine mounts I’d be able to get it by sitting with the brakes on and lifting the clutch in gear 

[Mrcento]

I'm calling some kind of Rear gearbox/stabiliser mount. The 2 or 3 knocks, to me, is the likely smoking gun. Only thing i've every had to the 2/3 knocks pulling away thing has been a rear mount. Most other things when they let go has just been the single thud over certain conditions.

Sounds like the engine/box is bouncing around when it's taking up load and shifting over/twisting on a sharp turn.