Maiden voyage!! the good and the bad.

[darius72]

Just got back from my first camping run with the old Devon, and i can't stop grinning
The Good: Every bay, split and wedge owner waved ( are all T4 owners grumpy?), sleeping accomodation was great, storage in these vans is unreal!
I am utterly hooked
The bad: Sidewinds on tall bridges( new pants please!) plus on the way back having a stainless exhaust, does not mean that the heat exchangers will last forever Both sides rotten as a pear and a hefty bill looming, we sounded like a barge on the drive back..

Anyone else have any tales to tell from their first run out?

[phil n gayle]

Hi there,
we noticed the side winds when we first got our van.
The best thing we've done to combat this was to get a front spoiler and to lower the van, I don't know why the spoiler makes such a difference but it seems to do the trick although driving a van with these aerodynamics your always going to get a bit of a sidewind.

good luck and happy camping
P n G

[maximus]

And if you can afford it Powerflex bushes anti roll/droplink massive difference

[DiscoDave]

( are all T4 owners grumpy?)

not all of us!! glad you had a good time!

[Ian Hulley]

are all T4 owners grumpy

Yep ! ... Take no notice of him ^^^^^

Ian.

[R0B]

on our first trip out.when we first bought our old van a 1.6td. we set off for wales.got 7 miles from home and the engine blew up....

Anyone else have any tales to tell from their first run out?

[RachelDaisy]

Hi Darius,
We did the classic breaking down on the way home from buying the van. It was a 40 mile trip through the Peak district on a wet December wednesday night to get home. It cut out 4 times, we waited for a few minutes then it would start again, until time number 5 and it is was time to get the AA out.

We'd given it a test drive 3 days earlier and there was no problem but that was on a dry night. It turned out that the pipe behind the wheel that led to the expander tank had perished and water and crap from the road was going straight into the fuel.

[Goblin]

We managed to break down collecting the van. My dad had been away in india on business (he's changed job since then fortunately) so he didn't have his mobile, and when we went to collect the van, it was low on fuel so we went to fill it up. Once filled, turn the key...nothing happens. As sods law determines though, as soon as he managed to borrow a mobile to call us and the person who sold it to us, just as I arrived, it started. By the way, if you ever have a sticky starter problem with a 1.6 diesel van, bump it in reverse. It starts without a problem.

[Cruz]

First drive in our van was a common tale. Fill up with petrol, petrol all over forecourt as filler neck grommet was perished.

[ding-dang-dhu]

First drive in our van was a common tale. Fill up with petrol, petrol all over forecourt as filler neck grommet was perished.

Snap!

Funny that, must be quite a popular problem.

[R0B]

it is a problem with a lot of vans.i dont think its popular though.

must be quite a popular problem

[rainman]

Anyone else have any tales to tell from their first run out?

20 miles down the motorway stopped for fuel and van wouldn't start again. I called RAC who whacked the sticking starter motor and advised me to turn around and go home. Of course I carried on and had a great bank holiday weekend by the sea but killed the clutch in huge traffic on the way home. Gearbox also not sounding too clever after leaving a trail of oil from Brean to Cheltenham.

[dingle]

Hi been reading with avid interest over the last few weeks and now i am the proud owner of a 1980 westy!!!
Well fetched the van home at the weekend ..... well chuffed is an understatement and i thinki am boring people with it now and its only monday.. The van drove beautifull, never missing a beat. and i think is in cracking condition. I just cant wait to get out in her with the family next weekend i hope! Couple of small jobs like getting the eber working (will be posting later) and a little tidying to make it our own.

Cheers folks..

[edoh]

went up to cambridge - red ignition light forced a lay by stop - aa man got us going with a new voltage regulator at the back of the alternator -
off we go again - rainy field in cambridgeshire - bats - cooker out of gas - sandwiches - long walks and sing songs - perserverance furthers!