Pleasant as it sounds, this wasn't where I wanted to be. The pub in question was the Kings Arms at Portesham in rural West Dorset. A significant location in a way, it was the furthest I had driven Jezebel from home to date. Just under 5 miles. With a new battery under the drivers seat, I was out cruising the shire to charge the battery and to give the engine a bit of welly as it had remained static for so long.
All was going well as I entered the village. All was still going well as I turned right and noticed the admiring gazes of the pub garden full of lunchtime tipplers. All was not going quite so well another 30 metres up the road when she stalled for no apparent reason and ground to a halt in the middle of the road, under the less admiring gazes of the tipplers. Turning the engine over just wasn't working and strangely it was sounding like it was flat again. Time to test the Green Flag recovery that comes free with my bank account.
Mike from Marsh Road Garage turned up and did the usual mechanics thing of tutting and pointing out various cowboy repairs that had been made. He jump started Jezebel and we let her run for a bit before he announced it was probably an alternator problem and, 'oh, by the way, I think your big end is going' .
A big end ? This will, I have no doubt, mean something to about 10% of readers. It's an engine part. I have no idea what it looks like or where it was planning on going to. All I know is that it's an important thing in the engine and when someone mentions your 'big end' it usually prequels them asking for a wedge of cash the size of a small village. I gulped and nodded knowingly. Fear not I thought. All of the blogs and web pages I had read mentioned how easy it was to get a T25 engine out and how many other engines it was possible to substitute for a T25 engine. "Get a Golf engine, no problem, drop it in." Mike advised me. "Shouldn't be more than a few hundred quid".
So, I spoke to Chris at Class Bodyworks. He suggested getting a second hand diesel, or a reconditioned petrol engine. Advice from other mechanics was to recondition the current one, buy an engine from a reputable company, buy a cheap written off car, buy a Subaru, browse the net, phone around. The cheapest quote I found for a reconditioned T25 engine was £1800.
Well, finally, after a fair bit of trawling, I think I may have found one. £500. The problem is, I don't know how good or bad it is. The bloke selling it tells me they have got it going and it doesn't smoke but he can't do a warranty. It's a gamble. It could be in just as bad a state as mine. Oh decisions....
In the meantime, having had yet another group say they would love to put in a team, but couldn't stretch to 3 weeks off work, I had a brainwave and came up with the idea of the Windy Lite. A two week version including the Transfagarasan Highway and the Stelvio Pass. It will mean two hefty drives at the beginning and end but is just about doable in 2 weeks. It's launching tomorrow. I need bunting, champagne and fireworks !
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The Smell of Success
Well, she's an interesting drive, I'll give her that. Jezebel has now been on the road for a couple of weeks and I have been putting her through her paces. Actually, that might not be completely accurate. I think she has been putting me through my paces. After a few years of driving a new VW Golf around with no concerns about breaking down, not starting or things falling off, I guess I've become a bit lazy and I've been taking my vehicle for granted. So, what has this Jezebel got that the Golf hasn't you ask ? Well, it's more what is missing that makes the drive more interesting :-
1. Less forward gears. The Golf has five, the van has two and a half. No fifth gear, haven't yet found first despite a lot of stirring of the gear box and occasionally I can find second gear, but never at traffic lights.
2. A temperature gauge. This surprised me at first, I looked everywhere. Seems that air cooled vans don't bother with that sort of thing. Logical when you think about it.
3. Air conditioning. Well, it's got windows I guess. We always used to get by with windows.
4. No seats in the back. Not yet anyway, The bed/back seat is still currently a mangled pile of scrap metal and cheap board. I'm working on it though.
5. Wire. Not really evident on the neat and tidy Golf, however the wiring in the van seems to be a pile of spaghetti behind the drivers seat. The CD player (yes, it has a working CD player !!!) doesn't work because the speakers are on the dashboard, the wiring is behind the drivers seat and I'm guessing the two need to meet sometime.
6. Oil. Well, it does seem to have some, but alas it is currently all over the road outside our house and the car park at work. I think this is something we'll need to address before the start.
There are a number of other things that you may expect to find in a camper van, such as a sink, table, fridge and storage units. These are currently located in my garage and will be making their way on board at a later date.
What it does have though is a selection of unusual odours. Hay, from transporting bales from one stable to another. A man with a van is universally popular. Burning oil whenever we get above 45 miles an hour. Fresh paint, but alas this is fading rapidly.
The noises are interesting too, from the loud clunk of the doors as they slam shut to the grating noise of the bed sliding around in the back. It really does need some sound proofing before I fix the stereo.
Jim has now been up, has looked it over, we have disentangled the bed to some extent and he has given me a list of things to buy and things to do that will keep me busy for a few months. Insulating, water proofing, painting, flooring and re-covering the walls for a start. It's almost a relief that the weather isn't really up to camping yet.
On the Windy planning front, Romania is certainly looking interesting. The Transfagarasan Highway doesn't open officially until a week after we pass through due to snow, however it is often unofficially open a week or two before if weather permits. There is however an alternative route, the Transalpine. This was only recently paved all the way and is described by locals as more scenic and more of a challenge to drive. Sounds interesting. The possible civic reception in Brasov with the mayor also sounds like it could be an experience.
1. Less forward gears. The Golf has five, the van has two and a half. No fifth gear, haven't yet found first despite a lot of stirring of the gear box and occasionally I can find second gear, but never at traffic lights.
2. A temperature gauge. This surprised me at first, I looked everywhere. Seems that air cooled vans don't bother with that sort of thing. Logical when you think about it.
3. Air conditioning. Well, it's got windows I guess. We always used to get by with windows.
4. No seats in the back. Not yet anyway, The bed/back seat is still currently a mangled pile of scrap metal and cheap board. I'm working on it though.
5. Wire. Not really evident on the neat and tidy Golf, however the wiring in the van seems to be a pile of spaghetti behind the drivers seat. The CD player (yes, it has a working CD player !!!) doesn't work because the speakers are on the dashboard, the wiring is behind the drivers seat and I'm guessing the two need to meet sometime.
6. Oil. Well, it does seem to have some, but alas it is currently all over the road outside our house and the car park at work. I think this is something we'll need to address before the start.
There are a number of other things that you may expect to find in a camper van, such as a sink, table, fridge and storage units. These are currently located in my garage and will be making their way on board at a later date.
What it does have though is a selection of unusual odours. Hay, from transporting bales from one stable to another. A man with a van is universally popular. Burning oil whenever we get above 45 miles an hour. Fresh paint, but alas this is fading rapidly.
The noises are interesting too, from the loud clunk of the doors as they slam shut to the grating noise of the bed sliding around in the back. It really does need some sound proofing before I fix the stereo.
Jim has now been up, has looked it over, we have disentangled the bed to some extent and he has given me a list of things to buy and things to do that will keep me busy for a few months. Insulating, water proofing, painting, flooring and re-covering the walls for a start. It's almost a relief that the weather isn't really up to camping yet.
On the Windy planning front, Romania is certainly looking interesting. The Transfagarasan Highway doesn't open officially until a week after we pass through due to snow, however it is often unofficially open a week or two before if weather permits. There is however an alternative route, the Transalpine. This was only recently paved all the way and is described by locals as more scenic and more of a challenge to drive. Sounds interesting. The possible civic reception in Brasov with the mayor also sounds like it could be an experience.
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