Sunny Jim's C15D: Scuttle Leak Sorted? Now failing wheel bearing?

[chaseracer]

Brilliant drive, that pickup... 😎

[Sunny Jim]

And back home. Prif's reclaimed his spot on the sofa like the previous 12 hours didn't happen.

Drove home via the A5 as playing with the trucks in the spray on the M6 wasn't much fun. It runs and drives faultlessly and is a lot of fun.

I have unfinished business with C5's. I had one previously 20 years ago when I first moved to Wales. Bought from the farmer's auction on Anglesey, I got as far as Caernarfon when the bonnet flipped up and smashed the windscreen! The last few miles home were very cold and wet.

It served me well for 6 months before a combination of rust and the rear beam collapsing meant I had to bridge it. Dean has done loads of bodywork on this and last waxed the underneath in September so I aim to continue his good work in my ownership.

[Asimo]

I like the early Visa front bumper / grille. Often wondered if that could be done to a diesel with the wide-track front.

[dean36014]

It is a diesel with the wide track front end. Took me nearly two years to find a lower front valance to do the swap though. Discovered I could also lose the horrible plastic front wheel arches too and have minimal wheel sticking out. In fact the tread is within the wheel arch lips only the sidewall bulge sticks out. I have Jim the old front bumper that was originally on it too as I replaced it with an old stock item. The bumpers don't exactly grow on trees either.

[PicantoJon]

Jesus, this place is turning into a French car forum... 

I jest, good buyage Jim and Prif! 

[dean36014]

Good job I didn't mention the bx diesel, bx GTi and CX I still own them😂😂

[PicantoJon]

3 minutes ago, dean36014 said:

Good job I didn't mention the bx diesel, bx GTi and CX I still own them😂😂

I daily a 207! 😂

[lesapandre]

1 hour ago, dean36014 said:

It is a diesel with the wide track front end. Took me nearly two years to find a lower front valance to do the swap though. Discovered I could also lose the horrible plastic front wheel arches too and have minimal wheel sticking out. In fact the tread is within the wheel arch lips only the sidewall bulge sticks out. I have Jim the old front bumper that was originally on it too as I replaced it with an old stock item. The bumpers don't exactly grow on trees either.

The prototype had your modified front end.

Pics here:

https://www.citroenet.org.uk/utilities/c15/c15-1.html

[dean36014]

It was seeing the prototype pics that inspired me. Pignose front end and the cladding removed down the sides just looked better in my eyes. Anyway it's Jim's thread, and no longer my van. I think I had it for five years and loved every minute of it. Can't get used to not seeing her out the front. But my health has failed and the short doors and lack of power steering was making it challenging to drive. Hopefully Jim will enjoy her as much as I did and she continues to have new adventures in Wales.

[wuvvum]

Exceptional.

[barefoot]

Can you still get a 'van rouge ' sticker for it?

[loserone]

[Jim Bell]

I heart this van and dog. 

Fantastic thread. Would read again. 

[doug]

Dibs when/if you come to sell this. I was just toooooo slow to get it this time. Hard to find one that's not rotten.

Sent from my SM-A145R using Tapatalk

[barefoot]

The best I could find...

[loserone]

That's not even an express

[juular]

16 hours ago, Sunny Jim said:

.

You absolute hero! I love this.

[Sunny Jim]

2 hours ago, juular said:

You absolute hero! I love this.

That's very kind but the real hero in all this is @dean36014. It's his vision and his creation, all I've done so far is buy it.

[Sunny Jim]

This has been doing fine service as my daily since I got it in December. Over the last few weeks it's developed a problem where it cold starts easily but cuts out after a few seconds and then requires a lot  of cranking to re-start. There's no sign of a fuel leak so I'm assuming that it's air getting into the system when it's parked up overnight.

Following a handy tip I got from a Facebook group I smeared vaseline over both ends of what I thought was the most suspect connector and it started and ran fine after being stood for 7 hours while I was at work yesterday and then again this morning after being left overnight.

Replacing this connector therefore seems like a good place to start. Can anyone help me identify it please? No visible markings on it save what appears to be the number 628.

[grogee]

Not sure what size you need but just search for 'fuel hose quick connect':

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124356060286

[Talbot]

Answered this on your question thread.

 

[Sunny Jim]

I've now had this a year and still love it - no intention of moving it on any time soon. A week or so ago I noticed the driver's side footwell carpet was soggy after some heavy rain (where I usually park it slopes slightly to the right so any water getting in was going to end up there). There was some sealant in the corners of the windscreen seal but it was pretty old and flaky so I raked it out and applied a bead of sikaflex all the way across the bottom of the screen and up the sides. Fortunately I'd left the carpet up to dry out because after the next lot of heavy rain I was greeted by this:

Smell and a quick taste confirmed it was fresh water so it definitely wasn't coolant from a leaky heater matrix so I ruled that out. The only other way it could be getting in is through the scuttle air intake. To prove my theory I taped up the grill

and sure enough it stayed dry in spite of the heavy rain we've had.

So my question is, how do I go about sorting this? Are there any drains that need rodding? Am I going to have to remove the dash for access or can I get at it from the engine compartment?

Have any of the other C15 owners on the forum had a similar problem and how did you go about rectifying it? @lesapandre @holbeck @Mrs6C @dean36014 @Frogchod  any help or advice gratefully received. TIA, Jim.

[Stinkwheel]

Never owned a C15 button previous (rusty) Visa’s have found when water is getting in to the footwell it has usually been small corrosion holes in the bulkhead. Although I’d be surprised if your nice van has that sort of rust. But those bulkhead sound insulator padding things can hide stuff very well 

[lesapandre]

Water sloshes around in the heater fresh air intake. Mine does but no water comes in so I've not worried.

Possibly has a drain somewhere. I'm not sure.

If your heater motor is still working its a miracle and they are hard to find.

Try parking it the other way around might help - or just putting something over the intake when not using it.

It will require a long-term fix as the enemy of these is RUST. 

 

[Sunny Jim]

I tend to park it the same way round as it's convenient for getting the dog in and out of the back. So far I've been re-applying the tape but I could get some magnetic signs to go over the grilles. Long term I need to sort it properly but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to take the dash out at the moment.

 

[somewhatfoolish]

Maybe try and take a picture through the grill with a mobile or invest* the price of a pint in a cheapo endoscope and have a look with that? It may reveal something that's pokeable with a bit of wire etc.

[lesapandre]

Mines been doing it for years. Only really happens to notice when I jetwash it.

I'd do a workaround until the weather gets better.

Amazing vehicles IMHO - more like a Swiss Army Knife than a van - all over France still and they are now being restored professionally so they have a 2nd life.

Mine made a 300 mile trip recently no sweat.

[Westbay]

drain

Not your model but could be a good 'starter for ten' ...

[dean36014]

There is a drain tube in that area. If you unbolt the ecu's out the way you can gain access to the bulkhead area and the drain is in the centre if i rememberrightly. The drain tube just comes out behind the engine area.

[Mrs6C]

WHS ^^^

Just had a look at mine. There is a central drain tube running down the rear of the engine bay, from the middle of the bulkhead, as marked below:

 

Access to the top of this is gained by removing the scuttle cover, on which the jack and jack handle are mounted:

 

The scuttle is held on by four bolts (marked below). These can be found in the two brackets that hold the jack in place, two on each side. The bottom bolt heads are a bit crusty on my example, so for now I didn't take these out to illustrate the area behind, but that is where you will find the drain hole into the pipe. Give it a good clean and the water should start draining again.