166000 miles on the clock with what appears to be good service history. Well, maybe they were changing the oil, but not doing much about the rest! Think she was an Hgv escort vehicle as she has the relay for beacons and the wiring in place. Also there was still a bit of the vinyl left in place in the colors of a local haulage firm.
Anyway, the initial teething troubles are mainly dealt with. She needed 4 new injectors courtesy of DieselBoy1978, a new cat down section, the egr blank has cured a stutter at 2000rpm (thanks to Paul for that one) and some smaller electrical bits and pieces are all out of the way and the van is being driven daily. Most service fluids are up to date, with ps, brakes and coolant still to do.
A few more bits and pieces still to take care of on the mechanical side but on the less urgent pile are:
- new clutch to cure the gearbox thrash
- new rear drums and shoes to cure uneven rear braking
- troubleshoot intermittent abs light - suspected rear sensor
- new exhaust middle and final section
- 2 new front foglights
- new vacuum pump or vacuum pump seal to cure slight oil leak
- re seat sump to cure slight oil leak
- new timing belt and water pump when opened up
- deal with rust on underside and seal
So a good list to be getting on with. I have to admit I like the van. Running costs are pretty decent and parts don't break the bank. If I had a list like that to contend with on something a bit fancier I don't think I would bother!
So on to the main purpose of this van. I love my sailing. Specifically, me and my partner sail an RS400. It takes us all over the uk to events, and last year we made it to Ireland and France! Great fun, but the vehicle we were using was not as practical as it could have been, and didn't do too well on fuel... Grand cherokee 4.7l v8 ho overland
So the plan is to get the van reliable and pleasant to drive with a converted and lined out rear, and use it to hit the circuit hard this year and beyond! We considered a larger van, but in the end came to the conclusion that all you really need at events is a place to crash as sailing clubs have showers and food and so on... And this was reflected in our experience of the circuit last year (in our tent!)
So step one was for a tow bar... Which owing to a build up of rust in the chassis threads was a bit of a pain. Just had to keep working the bolt in and out and cleaning it. I finished fitting it last night and have yet to try it, but it looks good!
Next up will be tacking my list above and doing the insulation etc. looking forward to the build!
should have just knocked the gut outa the cat.....still pass the mot 
