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Chappy's Winter Florida Fettling

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Chappy View Drop Down
Vanorak
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Arriba! Yii-hah!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Nov 12 at 18:50
Right, charger sorted! Split and remade all the connections internally and gave it a general spring clean.

I put a heavy load onto the test battery, let it run down a bit, put a meter on it then connected the charger.

It was down to 10 ish volts, then as soon as the charger was switched on it climbed to 13+ volts. The charger eventually knocked off again, and voltage dropped to just over 12 volts.

So I guess that the charger operates when battery voltage drops below 12, and knocks off when it can maintain 12 and a bit.

So, batteries and charger going back in tomorrow.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jason k Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Nov 12 at 19:02
one thing off the list then Clap
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 12 at 20:29

Aye! Big smile

Charger and batteries are back in and now secured by a new battery retaining bracket that I made up.

Spent the afternoon with my meter and a wiring diagram working my way through the wiring and finally found the culprit that was giving me problems with charger from the alternator:

Looks innocent doesn't it...




Spot the problem......!





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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jason k Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 12 at 20:37
Thats proper goosed!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 12 at 20:40

Yep, and hidden away under the main vehicle battery cover too!  Fun! Tongue


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 12 at 21:03

Harry spent a bit of time up the garage with me this weekend too, he loves pottering about up there and he's nicked a load of my stuff and made up his own toolbox now Smile

I set him to work making an engine mount for the outboard off our RIB so we could service it.

Fair play, he did a cracking job Thumbs Up


Fuelling up for the job:



End result:





Only thing I did was cut the wood for him Approve


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nugget Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 12 at 21:30
He's a good lad, give him a year and he'll be more talented on the tools than his dad.

Seriously though how do you rate the Florida as a family camper, i fancy the idea of one but wonder how good they are in reality and of course if they are any good at keeping up with traffic /covering ground.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 12 at 21:31



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nugget Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 12 at 21:43
You'll have the ppe police all over with that photo
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 12 at 21:44
Originally posted by Nugget Nugget wrote:



Seriously though how do you rate the Florida as a family camper, i fancy the idea of one but wonder how good they are in reality and of course if they are any good at keeping up with traffic /covering ground.


In all honesty, when we moved from the T3 to the Colorado, I thought that was it.  We'd got the camper that would see us right for the next X years and had everything we needed.

As it happened, it didn't have the extra seat we needed once Emma had came along.

The Florida was a temporary measure whilst we rustled up the cash for a T5 Colorado.  Best thing we ever did.  We're back with a proper 'van' camper - never realised how much I missed that sliding door!  And despite it's teething issues, we'll be sticking with it and putting the £30k a T5 Colorado would have cost to better use.

As a family camper, it's perfect for us.  Loads of space, absolutely massive bed in the roof, very comfy double bed 'downstairs', shower and bog, a cooker that you can use with the back door open to avoid stinking the place out, lights in the right places, loads of sensible cupboards.

Seriously, we're done.  We won't be moving to anything else.

As for pace, it's really not an issue.  It's quicker than the T3 with an AAZ and a AAP box in it, and returns low to mid 30's mpg.

It's got so much torque that it'll go up hill, down dale at 65-70 now probs. 

We're loving it.Big smile

The weirdest thing I've noticed is that I've stopped worrying about it.  I had a tendency to stress about everything in the Colorado - it was kind of like.... "it cost £20k and the tap has stopped working FFS!!", plus we don't stress if hazza drags half the beach in/spills something/knocks something over etc.  It's VEEERY kid friendly.  The roof bed is so big we don't every have to roll it out for him to sleep up there.

Awesome van.



*edited because I've apparently lost the ability to spell/type! *

 






 


Edited by Chappy - 04 Nov 12 at 21:55
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 12 at 21:52
Originally posted by Nugget Nugget wrote:

You'll have the ppe police all over with that photo


hehe, click the link - it's a vid.

Should have seen him soldering with a blowtorch yesterday... Wink 

Seriously though, he's a sensible lad and gets the message about garage safety.  I'm loving teaching him all the aspects and what does what and how to use everything properly.

He's taken a real interest in doing the work on the Florida - he was too little when we did the T3.

 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nugget Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 12 at 22:02
Thank's for the insight into the Florida matey, we are already getting excited thinking about what we are going to buy next spring when we release the equity from the house and were thinking along the lines of a T4 exclusive however a Florida has always appealed to as it is older so I can work on it and bigger than the T4 so hopefully no need for an awning, oh and it comes from an era of VW's that I like.

One more question how many 3 point belts do they have?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Nov 12 at 22:07

Two 3 pointers it the front (obviously), and 4 lap belts in the back.

That's OK for the time being because we got a baby seat for emms that is designed for use with a lap belt only, and Haz travel up front.

But I'll be putting another 3 pointer in the back as part of the winter fettling.  There's 3 options to accomplish it that I know of, and I think I know which way I'm going Big smile

The bonus with the Florida is that when folded up and in it's bag, the RIB fits into the space by the cooker, so i don't have to chuck it on the roof Thumbs Up



 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nugget Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Nov 12 at 21:58
Hmm

Scroll down:


If only I had £10K burning a hole in my wallet
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote LTCamper89 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Nov 12 at 22:06
Originally posted by Nugget Nugget wrote:

Hmm

Scroll down:


If only I had £10K burning a hole in my wallet

Too right, but the others, except T3, look crap. ?Who wants a humpback Merc? 
1989 LT28 2.4D    Saviour of 6Music, well one of them. Now playing http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_6music

VW LT Camper not Cramper

....at least the roof is not rusting away....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Nov 12 at 22:15
 
Originally posted by Nugget Nugget wrote:

Hmm

Scroll down:


If only I had £10K burning a hole in my wallet


Looks nice doesn't it?  I saw that one when we were looking but it turns out that that section of their website is hopelessly out of date. 

Current version here 

So you'd need £12 or £14k now....




Edited by Chappy - 05 Nov 12 at 22:16
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nugget Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Nov 12 at 22:23
They still look amazing value to me for what you get and seem to be very resistant to rust (the reason why i fancied updating to a T4), perhaps a shufty on German Ebay might be an idea when the time comes.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chappy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Nov 12 at 22:29
Originally posted by Nugget Nugget wrote:



perhaps a shufty on German Ebay might be an idea



Or check out german autotrader - click me

It's where ours came from.  Paid 6800 euro for it, which came to £6500 landed int he UK.

Even taking into account the stuff we've had to sort out, it still works out good.  £5k buys you a lot of fettling...  Big smile



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nugget Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Nov 12 at 22:46
Bloody hell that's a top tip, the van for 6900 euro looks rather tasty for half it's UK price
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote caron666 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Nov 12 at 23:58
Originally posted by Chappy Chappy wrote:

 

Looks nice doesn't it?  I saw that one when we were looking but it turns out that that section of their website is hopelessly out of date. 

Current version here 

So you'd need £12 or £14k now....



Very Nice

But.. would love a lend of that Merc for a long week-end. V6 3.0cdi ??

Even the name is cool

Westfalia Mercedes Benz Viano Marco Polo? 

Shit!  I bet J.Bond will be driving one in the next film.

Somehow wont let me insert film so hyperlink it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AByCye4uWNI&feature=fvwrel





Edited by caron666 - 06 Nov 12 at 00:00
If it's got tits or wheels sooner or later you're going to get problems.
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