Ford Transit conversion to camper MKII

15-09-2020 6:29pm

Buford T Justice wrote: »

and keep Sir Liamalot happy

< 30Ah per day reliability or
> 200ah per day liability.

No brainer. I'm used to people ignoring my advise. Doesn't bother me.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

I'm open to suggestions.

Clicky

15-09-2020 6:36pm

Buford T Justice wrote: »

The lights are listed as warm white, so should be ok, though they don't mention what kelvin they are.

Here's the best I've seen. If you can't tell the difference I'll eat my hat.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

I've bought this as a split charge relay

That's not very good.
Here's better.

Add a capable contactor

15-09-2020 8:13pm

If she's Euro 5 onwards with a "smart" alternator then neither split charge will work. DC-DC charger to the rescue.

[edit) actually for a man of your talents I'd just say add a second alternator and be done with it.

Buford T Justice · 15-09-2020 9:42pm

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

< 30Ah per day reliability or
> 200ah per day liability.

Clicky

Ouch! £280 STG for 2 of those for 12V.

So if I was to go for a 240 fridge, would something like this with a suitable inverter do?

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

If she's Euro 5 onwards with a "smart" alternator then neither split charge will work. DC-DC charger to the rescue.

[edit) actually for a man of your talents I'd just say add a second alternator and be done with it.

Why not?
My alternator is currently knackered anyway, as you rightly spotted its not giving out enough voltage. the battery light comes on if I take it for a spin so it's giving out intermittent voltages. needs to be reconditioned. will get Coach Electric to do it. Is there something they can do with it to make it less smart

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

Add a capable contactor

Obvious question is obvious, but why would I need a contactor?

Buford T Justice · 15-09-2020 9:56pm

I bought this repair kit for my key, since the remote central locking wasn't working. Common thinking is that these never fail, its only the battery that runs out.

Turns out, common thinking was right. It was an easy enough job to solder a replacement battery in. Job's a good'un and it works.

colm_mcm · 15-09-2020 10:01pm

Do those keys recharge from the ignition or something? Was that a thing?

Buford T Justice · 15-09-2020 10:03pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

Do those keys recharge from the ignition or something? Was that a thing?

Yes, they're intended to be recharged by the key, but like I said this van wasn't looked after. There was a bit of card stuffed inside it to push the contacts together and all

Buford T Justice · 15-09-2020 10:07pm

There was no barrel in the drivers door lock and when I put the replacement one in it didn't operate the locks.
I took it out again, and it looks like there's something missing from the lock, along with a piece of plastic that has been displaced from somewhere.

It looks as though i may have to remove the whole mechanism to figure this out.

Would like to get a plate to cover the ugliness around the keyhole too.

15-09-2020 10:56pm

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Ouch! £280 STG for 2 of those for 12V.

Mine are six years old and testing as good as the day I bought them...but I use MorningStar.
A pair of those are comparable to 3 leisure batteries.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

So if I was to go for a 240 fridge, would something like this with a suitable inverter do?

Sure. I'd rather one with a freezer compartment personally.

This'll do.
I'd go for this one though.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Why not?
My alternator is currently knackered anyway, as you rightly spotted its not giving out enough voltage. the battery light comes on if I take it for a spin so it's giving out intermittent voltages.

Disconnect the battery. Clean the terminals including the D+ and the dash battery light. Renew the brushes. Change the belt and check tension...fixes 80% of issues.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Is there something they can do with it to make it less smart

Life's too short. DC-DC regulator but they're expensive for not much output. Or fit a dumb one beside it and a second battery light.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Obvious question is obvious, but why would I need a contactor?

Because it's a ~100A alternator and if you can't get 100A outtov it you're doing it wrong.
[edit): the smartbank is a relay/contactor driver only. The brains. The brawn is external because how long is a piece of string...ie. Professional kit.
If you open up the Cargo you'll find it's a cheapo circuit board, a transistor and a feeble 40A relay. In the interest of putting money where my mouth is how do you attach 35mm² [150A rated cable) to it?

Usually the problems built into the circuit are;

Too long cables
Too small cables
Poor terminations
Poor conductivity
Poor routing
Underspec-ed components
All of the above

Two alternators. No messin' 4 times better than split charge.
Double better than electronic boxes.

I can get a Sprinter to produce 90A at the house battery with two lengths of 35mm² and a contactor.
I do have a hard time imagining how to make it so bad as to not blow a 20A fuse which is normal fitment.

15-09-2020 11:05pm

PS. If you heat shrink the croc. clips of your helping hands it won't bite circuit boards & nick cables when the jacket warms from the soldering iron.

Buford T Justice · 16-09-2020 12:19am

I was not aware of this smart charge alternator thingie.

I've seen reports of people saying that the split charge relay works, some say it doesn't blah blah blah.

Judging by the image below, I have a smart alternator (the plug on the negative terminal.

Liamalot, can you explain the configuration of the wiring for the contactor and the dc to dc converter please?

I'm assuming using a relay on the battery light from the alternator won't work in this case?

Fuck me those dc-dc chargers are expensive
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CTEK-D250SE-Dual-DC-DC-Battery-to-Battery-Charger-Transit-Custom-Split-Charge/253543922910?epid=20034910903&hash=item3b08653cde:g:c-UAAOSw-XVdQ7fJ

16-09-2020 12:57am

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Judging by the image below, I have a smart alternator (the plug on the negative terminal.

I haven't had the pleasure myself so I don't know what i'm looking at.
Your alternator symptoms are classic smart alternator operation parameters.
It turns off periodically and then goes max output when you hit the brakes [regen. engine braking).
in the interm it runs down the ancilliary battery that's supposed to be souper whizzbang calcium plates.
It's a dual battery setup btw. The house battery will be a third.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

I'm assuming using a relay on the battery light from the alternator won't work in this case?

Not on a Ford since Euro 4.
The engine loads will discharge the house battery.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Fuck me those dc-dc chargers are expensive

:pac: They sure are! That's not even a very powerful one or a good one.

So an expensive electronic box gives you two batteries fighting over one alternator.
Two alternators gives you double the power for a fraction of the cost.

Redarc and Sterling are the only contenders.
You'll pick up a used Sterling battery to battery charger in November/Demember on Ebay for ~£120
or you can get a refurb

Sterlings have the most output but they are made of bubblegum and the price reflects the odds of a warranty return.
Redarc have a much higher build quality but lesser output.

Another thing I've had and tested two 120A [input specification) Sterlings they never do more than 90A.

My recommendation is keep it simple and reliable; get and fit a used bosch alternator off a luxury diesel.

As for manuals they're on the manufacter websites. It's engine battery -> box -> house battery. Some will have voltage and temperature sensing.

16-09-2020 1:11am

The man's a professional spoofer. It's the truth when it's not in direct relation to one of his own products. After that the waters are entirely muddy. Take it as an overview of the problem but reserve judgement on the product[s).

Buford T Justice · 16-09-2020 1:12am

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

My recommendation is keep it simple and reliable; get and fit a used bosch alternator off a luxury diesel.

I happen to have an old 96 transit camper with an alternator.........

some fabricating to be done to get it installed, additional pulleys etc...

16-09-2020 1:16am

You might have dodged it...I'm mistaken it's Euro 6 onwards

16-09-2020 1:17am

My T1 came with a 45A alternator. I swapped it for a w202 150a and never looked back.
I'll be putting linked twins in the Vario.

Buford T Justice · 18-09-2020 12:09am

Sir Liamalot - do you have any chargers for sale? Are you based in the North West? It might be nice to meet to have a socially distant chat. I'm still a little fuzzy on some of the recommendations you've made and the need for them.

I've been doing some research around some of the power aspects, and it seems that these days there's a permanent 240V supply to the sockets in the van. This also ties in with the theory of what Liamalot has been saying about a regular domestic fridge on 240 rather than an absorption fridge.

Something along the lines of a priority shower unit would take care of the auto-switching between inverter power and plug in site power.

It seems as though I'm stuck in the olden days of running everything on 12v, and the 240 only available when there's a plug in connection. Lots of learning here

Buford T Justice · 20-09-2020 12:53am

I went Shavenging today, or Scopping whichever the kids use these days. For the older of us I was Scavenging and shopping..

I picked up the following today:

Drivers door lock
Sliding Door (inc window)
Drivers side panel window
2 X rear panel windows
2 X rear doors (inc windows)
Rear D Pillar on Passenger side (More to come)

I have no interest in the rear doors save for the windows but it was easier to take the doors than just the glass since they have integrated wipers.

Same logic with the sliding door, though I was planning to swap out the sliding door. However the tinworm on the donor door seems to have set in, so I think I'll keep with my own door and just cut the glass out and swap over.
I did switch out all three rollers / hinges and it made a big difference to the rolling of the door.

Small panel windows for the rear

Donor Doors

Buford T Justice · 20-09-2020 12:57am

In regards to the pillar, the passenger side of the van at the rear got a nasty slap on my van. I've since learned that the MK6 & MK7 are exactly the same from the dashboard backwards, so I took the pillar from the van that was kindly donating the parts as per the previous post.

Existing Damage:

Donor Pillar:

Buford T Justice · 20-09-2020 1:04am

To follow on from this I started to Schutz the underside of the van.

I bought a gun to do the job, which also had a hose and a nozzle to do the inside of the chassis rails. Looks like the wee hose is useless. It doesn't seem to be doing anything to the inside of the rails when I use it, versus the spray gun on its own.

Before:

]

After:

I also replaced the drivers door lock. I was astonished when I put the barrel back in that the key did't work - I couldn't believe it.

I'm such a genius that I put the same lock back into the door that I took out. Had to take it out again. When I did though, things were great - all went well.

Buford T Justice · 27-09-2020 8:30pm

I've used this stuff on the inside of the lower panels that drop below the floor. Pulled out a rubber bung and sprayed them.
I also did the inside of the chassis rails too, it was an easy job. Need to get some more though - I ran out

Buford T Justice · 27-09-2020 8:34pm

Removed the 24v eberspacher heater from the old van with a look to tidying it up and making sure it fires. I have a 12V battery that I can use to test it before install.

Since it came from a Scania, it had a rather long loom with an additional socket that wasn't used. Most of the control panel wires were looped through this and they were just bundled together under the seat bench.

I took the time to remove this socket and all the needless wiring that was with it.

You can see I took Sir Liamalot's advice too.

Buford T Justice · 27-09-2020 8:41pm

Reminded myself yesterday that I'm useless when it comes to skilled welding, or bodywork. On the plus side, the before and after is an improvement and no holes through - This was arguably the worst arch on the van, notwithstanding the hole in the other side.
Not bothered about the paint job at the moment. There's more body work needs doing on this and it'll most likely need some form of paint job afterwards

Before

After

I've also removed all of the plastics on the outside of the old van that I intend to re-use. Going to attempt to clean them up and paint them black so they may look a bit nicer asthetically.

I took out the Cassette toliet while I was at it, since the pump wasn't working. I remember replacing the microswitch in it during a previous life and i wanted to see if it was the same again - turns out the pump has failed and needs a new one. Replacement ones are 'spensive, around 40 - 50 STG. This one however looks a bit more appealing price wise.

27-09-2020 9:01pm

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Sir Liamalot - do you have any chargers for sale? Are you based in the North West? It might be nice to meet to have a socially distant chat. I'm still a little fuzzy on some of the recommendations you've made and the need for them.

No chargers persay. I have some Morningstar PWMs knocking around, an old ProStar 12 gen. 1, and an EcoPulse 30M.

I'm 30 mins South of Tristan.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

I've been doing some research around some of the power aspects, and it seems that these days there's a permanent 240V supply to the sockets in the van. This also ties in with the theory of what Liamalot has been saying about a regular domestic fridge on 240 rather than an absorption fridge.

There can be. It's a matter of convenience.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Something along the lines of a priority shower unit would take care of the auto-switching between inverter power and plug in site power.

I can do it with a cheap 20A 3PDT DIN Rail Relay.
An Integrated Transfer Switch on a central Inverter-Combi unit.
Double your sockets. Shore Only & Inverter Only.
Delay driven Relay Interlocks.
A Manual Cam Changeover Switch.
Or professional automated Interlocking Contactors.

It depends on your needs and demands.

My preferance is keep the whole lot 12v and just get a big charger.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

It seems as though I'm stuck in the olden days of running everything on 12v, and the 240 only available when there's a plug in connection. Lots of learning here

Inverters add 20% loss (space heat). My van is 12volt everything with inverter and shore capability.

Mains lights are madness.

27-09-2020 9:12pm

If you are scaling up to electric cooking then an inverter is essential. You can't have a 12volt appliance greater than 400W for cable and practicality purposes.

I've a plan to put 1500W of solar on my truck and grid tie it to my house...I'm looking at 3.5kVA, 440Ah @ 24v.

Buford T Justice · 30-09-2020 10:43am

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

No chargers persay. I have some Morningstar PWMs knocking around, an old ProStar 12 gen. 1, and an EcoPulse 30M.

I'm 30 mins South of Tristan.

Is he still on this forum? I've not seen a post from that account in a long time

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

Inverters add 20% loss (space heat). My van is 12volt everything with inverter and shore capability.

Mains lights are madness.

I'll be using 12v lights

30-09-2020 11:10am

Ha no, he turned back to his spanners for obvious reasons. Clever lad.

Buford T Justice · 05-10-2020 12:50pm

Bit of a blocker at the minute. I'm waiting on someone to come and do the bodywork at the back of the van and replace the pillar, so I can't do any work on the inside really. Might get at the floor soon.

This weekend before the monsoon I tried the captains chair for size in the drivers seat. Needed a bit of modification of the old brackets, but nothing too strenuous. Happy that I managed to avoid welding again altogether.

I did notice that the seatbelt buckle isn't mounted to the seat base like it was on the old seat. Turns out there is a fixing on the seat base for it but its the other side of the seat since these bases were swapped from each side (as per my old thread)

For now, the buckle that's in the floor for the passenger seat will do. I have another one that I can fix in also that will do the single passenger seat when it's fitted.

I had planned to fit some windows, but the rain put paid to that.

Tackled some more surface rust this weekend too.

colm_mcm · 05-10-2020 3:22pm

Are you going keeping the van yellow?

05-10-2020 3:41pm

it's the best colour :cool:

Buford T Justice · 05-10-2020 4:04pm

I've a mind for yellow and black, since there'll be tinted windows in the back

06-10-2020 4:56am

Buford T Justice · 10-10-2020 8:03pm

Van is gone to someone who knows about welding and stuff this weekend.

I picked up some sheets of timber and 2x1 lats for the build. I'll start with the floor whenever the van comes back.

I don't have a need for this stuff as of yet, but I smell another lockdown coming, so I'll have materials to keep me going this way.

10-10-2020 8:14pm

Buford T Justice wrote: »

but I smell another lockdown coming, so I'll have materials to keep me going this way.

If you read between the lines on the publicity spin and telling us what we want to hear we won't be tuther side of it until a vaccine predicted in late 2021 early 2022. We're not even halfway there yet. Buy all yer solar gear and chargers in November used on Ebay when everyone is looking thuther way.

I make a killing every year. What I don't keep I sell with a 30% mark-up in Spring when the weekend warriors stir themselves.

Buford T Justice · 10-10-2020 9:12pm

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

If you read between the lines on the publicity spin and telling us what we want to hear we won't be tuther side of it until a vaccine predicted in late 2021 early 2022. We're not even halfway there yet. Buy all yer solar gear and chargers in November used on Ebay when everyone is looking thuther way.

I make a killing every year. What I don't keep I sell with a 30% mark-up in Spring when the weekend warriors stir themselves.

Why is november such a month for it?

10-10-2020 9:47pm

Everyone is paying their tax bill, getting ready for Christmas, not using their campers or even thinking about it. Can't gift used items and clearing out sheds for shopping funds. Nobody buys solar gear when it's not sunny (except me).

MorningStar for charge controllers (MPPT will save you money in the long run because you can use domestic panels with them that are 5x the value of 12volters with PWM)
Studer/Yellow Xantrex Inverters
TriMetric for Battery Monitors (or cheap and cheerful Chinese)
Albright SW80 is a fine choice for a split charge contactor for most van applications they go for about €30 used.

Ctek mains chargers are ok. I don't use them, I hybridise solar controllers instead.
ProNautic are as good and slightly programmable.

Stay away from Victron (garbage), MasterVolt (extortionate garbage).
Sterling is hit and miss...ok if the price is right...not very reliable.

Redarc I haven't tried personally but they're Aussie defacto brand so maybe there's something to it.

Anything like Callira, CBE, Electroblok etc. run a mile...if it says motorhome you can expect it to be junk.

You asked me for a charger...well I have a 15A Victron lemon now, and an absorption fridge...can't do it to you. They're junk. I'll send you the donedeal links in the Spring when I flog them...but I don't recommend them.

colm_mcm · 10-10-2020 10:44pm

What’s wrong with the Victron MPPTs?

10-10-2020 11:02pm

They're built by accountants not engineers. They spend all the R&D money on pdfs and promo.

The temperature sensor is onboard and measures it's own heatsinks (doesn't work at all).
The efficiency is poor.
The charge termination is ~90% SOC

As far as I have tried (quite a lot of products) MorningStar is the only charger that gets the battery electrolyte to specific gravity 1.28.
Most of the rest call it a day at 1.26 which causes premature aging and sulphation.

Impossible to know if you're rockin' sealed batteries.

That 15A charger I have is 12.5A max after derating in the first 5 minutes of charge due to operating temperatures (MorningStar hold rated up to 40°C ambient with remote temp. sensing). No programmability.

I also have a Victron BMV, the display is too small to read (it's a battery "monitor" ffs) and the blue backlight looks shyte. Takes 15 button presses to enable the backlight (same again to turn off) despite being automotive standard size (no trigger for backlight). The Ah counting calibration is rough and needs intervention. They use UTP cable for high vibration applications and put the + feed 3mm from the main vessel ground...asking for trouble.

They solder the input fuse of their small inverters. Then omit any mention of life-harm protection in the manual (correct eathing proceedure and RCD implementation) because that would make it look complicated and unattractive. The waveform (not bad by standards) is distorted.

I have some of their batteries too, I was looking at the charge parameters and they might as well not bother the envelope is ± 0.5v which means they don't know or couldn't be bothered.

Their hardware is cheap with a high fail rate.
It's all marketing and no substance.
They walk a line of pricepoint and familiarity.

Cheap chargers cost batteries.

I've never replaced a battery on a MorningStar.

The whole you must charge a lead battery fully every week thing is bollox. If you have a real charger once a month is fine, I've been doing it for years.
They're also defaming lead because they make more from li-ion. Their presentations are a loada cobblers.

Buford T Justice · 11-10-2020 2:41am

So just for the power aspect alone, some of the prices for this stuff is owie expensive. I have a charger in the old van, I must pull it out and post a photo for you to review.

I know I'll need an inverter and, depending on the alternator a charge control module

I'm not against spending money to build the van the "right way" but I also need to balance this and the impending paint job with the fact that this will be a van that gets used a few times a year.

I'd love for every aspect of it to be perfect - but reality also looms.

To go back to the fridge issue for a moment, and while I've not removed the old fridge to inspect it as of yet I've thought long and hard about using it again or not.

If I were to run a modern fridge, and notwithstanding an inverter, would something like this be workable / efficient in the van?

Buford T Justice · 11-10-2020 2:45am

I'm missing an after photo, but all of the external plastics that are fitted to the van have been painted black, after a coat of plastic primer.

Here's the before:

11-10-2020 3:04am

Yeah can be expensive that's why I buy everything high end and used. It's doable with patience. Wanna see the truck system? I put it in my house as a backup until I get around to it.

I generally don't entertain fitment requests less that €5k because I'm not interested in standard or working with an inherited mess. I just do liveaboards 200A design loads or higher.

300W a day for that fridge (about 8-10 times more efficient than what you have) exactly like I said 100W of solar will power that. It's the same efficiency as a danfoss 12v. A little higher power consumption because you'll have to run an inverter with it. It'll run for less if you insulate it and vent the condensor.

There's not much wrong with your old one €50 might fix it but then you'll have to live with it afterwards.

As I say watch the used market between here an Christmas you can pick up MS Sunsaver MPPTs for ~€80, Studer inverters sometimes €150. Either of those will run continuous for over a decade. I'd buy a good used product over a mediocre new one every day of the week.

Actually this is a handy resource.

11-10-2020 3:14am

There's two more 200Ah hiding under the bench.

Master distro here...

...it'll evolve I'll make the final install pretty. All rough and ready at the minute.

I wasn't joking I am grid tieing it to my house. The truck is a backup and a spare solar array.

Buford T Justice · 11-10-2020 1:45pm

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

Yeah can be expensive that's why I buy everything high end and used. It's doable with patience. Wanna see the truck system? I put it in my house as a backup until I get around to it.

...

300W a day for that fridge (about 8-10 times more efficient than what you have) exactly like I said 100W of solar will power that. It's the same efficiency as a danfoss 12v. A little higher power consumption because you'll have to run an inverter with it. It'll run for less if you insulate it and vent the condensor.

There's not much wrong with your old one €50 might fix it but then you'll have to live with it afterwards.

So this is where I am at the minute.

I took it as a given that I could essentially copy / paste from the old van into the new one, noting that in the old van there was 240 available only on shore power.
Technology has moved on considerably since then, and now it seems the norm to go with an inverter / shore power with a contactor / switcher to deliver permanent 240v to the van, so I'm going to go with that as an install at the least.

Jury is still out on if my van has a smart alternator or not. I still need to get it re-conditioned so I'll find out when that's done.

The fridge I have is old, and the stat is gone on it I believe so doesn't work on 240. This of course can be repaired and isn't overly expensive but taking on what Liamalot is saying on board I'm giving serious consideration to not re-using it.
I mentioned the under-counter fridge because I happen to be able to acquire one for free. It would also mean that it's considerably larger than the 3 way, larger freezer, doesn't run on gas and doesn't need two air vents and an exhaust flu fitted to the van. Also don't have the hassle of needing 12v.

Kitchen would need a bit of re-work too (thats if I plan to re-use the kitchen unit).

We have an oven with the van, but I can't recall ever actually using it previously, so I'm not sold on keeping it if there's a preference to put something else in, like a larger fridge.

I'm not too fussed with solar atm, but if I can future proof and do it at a later date then I'm good with it. I don't envisage selling this van in the future.

11-10-2020 2:37pm

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Technology has moved on considerably since then,

All my hardware is at least a decade old/on the market

Buford T Justice wrote: »

and now it seems the norm to go with an inverter / shore power with a contactor / switcher to deliver permanent 240v to the van, so I'm going to go with that as an install at the least.

This feature is built into higher end inverters.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Jury is still out on if my van has a smart alternator or not. I still need to get it re-conditioned so I'll find out when that's done.

I'm not 100% but I think a smartbank might still work even if it is. Not ideal though.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

doesn't need two air vents and an exhaust flu fitted to the van.

The colder you keep the condensor the more efficient it will be. At least add some internal vents and maybe some thermostatically controlled fans.

Buford T Justice wrote: »

I'm not too fussed with solar atm, but if I can future proof and do it at a later date then I'm good with it. I don't envisage selling this van in the future.

2 x 4mm² solar flex will cover you for this.
I'd fit solar before mains. It'll make you battery immortal and stop you paying €25 to buy €0.16 of lecky into the battery from a campsite while touring.
Alternators are great for brute force power but appalling at battery maintenance.

I don't have much confidence in mains chargers to do the job either having tested quite a lot of them.

Buford T Justice · 11-10-2020 3:45pm

I appear to be shit outta luck when it comes to re-using my 24v eberspacher heater. I cannot get it to fire.

I've spent a good few hours tinkering with this and to no avail. The display isn't working correctly so I can't even see what fault codes their might be, or even adjust the temperature in it or anything.

It starts and runs, pulses the pump a few times and the fan just continues to spin. There is diesel in it, and the pump is pulling it so I'm at a loss.

As it stands, it's difficult to use with a dodgy display, and I need to get a silencer and diesel tank for it.

I think I'll give up the ghost and spring for a new one. Can get them reasonable enough from china.

11-10-2020 6:11pm

How dodgey is the display? Is it a DL1?
If you fancy a bittov horse trading I have a plumbed in eber but not the controls for it. 24V.
If it's serviceable and you want to part with the gubbins I could trade you a 12A PWM solar charge controller with a display or something of equivalent value for the controls and gubbins.

Buford T Justice · 11-10-2020 7:44pm

I get the turkey reference alright... but I've seen them installed and they're perfectly fine for what I need, plus it comes with all the kit I would need to install it cleanly - no messing with dodgy diesel tanks or pluming, proper silencer and so on. It has to be easy to use, since it won't be just me that's using it too.

Yes, it's an eber D1L, so I've no doubt it's serviceable.

It came from a 4 series Scania so it runs on 24V, and has the Scania controller as you can see in the image.

If you look closely at the image, you can see what's wrong with it, Some of the bits light up, some others do faintly, and some are always on - you can see the display flashing in the way it should when you switch it to "heat" but you can't make out the word it's showing because either more or less of the lcd's are on.
I believe it's just a failing LCD or a dry joint possibly. While I can do many things, electronics (inc diagnosis), welding & bodywork are not some of them.

When it was installed initially the lcd was working, and the heater was running correctly. My brother took the fuel tank out of it before they went to Poland for the euro's so it's not been ran since.

I'd be interested in trading yes. What sort of PWM solar charge controller have you in mind?

11-10-2020 8:42pm

Buford T Justice wrote: »

I get the turkey reference alright...

:pac: It's a vulture!

Before you chuck it have you checked is the filter clogged? Glow plug running?

I've a ProStar 12M Gen. 1 on offer.
Used Eber controls go for about £50 so if you're chucking them I'll recycle them for you. If they're serviceable then you're welcome to anything in my spares pile of equal value. If it's dodo I'll send you postage charges or return the bits to you whichever you prefer.

I can pm you some pics of what I have in that price range.

LCDs are easy swap, the hardest part is finding the right replacement.

To be honest I'd fix the one you have over getting a Chinese one and get a 12v -> 24V converter. Tristan sent me a number for a guru..I'll dig it out and PM you.

I liked your relay circuit on the Mk-I but there's easier & neater ways to do it.

Buford T Justice · 11-10-2020 9:49pm

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

:pac: It's a vulture!

Yeah, I've shown myself up there alright.

Before you chuck it have you checked is the filter clogged? Glow plug running?

There's no inline fuel filter, but no, I've not checked the glow plug. There is diesel at the end of the fuel line going to the heater, but the heater doesn't run through the start cycle where it pulses the pump consistently to try to fire. I've pulsed the pump manually to bleed the line, and the fuel is there. That particular Scania controller was always a shitty design

The only thing I have gotten in a while was a puff of smoke out of the fuel line when I was checking if fuel was getting in.....
It doesn't display any of the common symptoms that I've seen on common issues and since I can't see the fault code........

I've a ProStar 12M Gen. 1 on offer.
Used Eber controls go for about £50 so if you're chucking them I'll recycle them for you. If they're serviceable then you're welcome to anything in my spares pile of equal value. If it's dodo I'll send you postage charges or return the bits to you whichever you prefer.

I can pm you some pics of what I have in that price range.

Please do. If you have anything of else I may be interested, please include them. I'd rather spend my money locally if I could.

LCDs are easy swap, the hardest part is finding the right replacement.

To be honest I'd fix the one you have over getting a Chinese one and get a 12v -> 24V converter. Tristan sent me a number for a guru..I'll dig it out and PM you.

I liked your relay circuit on the Mk-I but there's easier & neater ways to do it.

I have a 12 -> 24V setup transformer already and it's doing the job, since I had intended to re-use this one. The circuit relay was cool at the time too, but it was a mess of wiring along with the loom that was inside.

Being pragmatic about it, I'd be spending around £30 to get a decent fuel tank and a silencer for this one (past experience says yes I need one) and lets just say another £50 on a replacement controller. At this point there'd only be a score in the difference of the price of a chinese job, and my one may still not be working. It's hard to justify the expense when it's not working as it is. Given this conversation, I may have another stab tomorrow and check if the glow plug is working / getting hot...

11-10-2020 9:49pm

Sir Liamalot wrote: »

and get a 12v -> 24V converter....

I liked your relay circuit on the Mk-I but there's easier & neater ways to do it.

I just noticed...You already have one in the setup, am I correct?

Is it strong enough to power the unit. There's a fair bittov inrush on those yolks. Was that setup working before? Whats the boost reg rated output?

Try two batteries instead; real 24v.

Ford Transit conversion to camper MKII

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