The next edition of the club magazine has been finished by our Editors and looks fantastic. It should be arriving through your door soon! If you are enjoying the club magazine and have a story about a trip, an upgrade, a restoration or just a tip, send a contribution to our Editor at editor@vwt2oc.co.uk.
The Mechanic – Fitting T5/T6 Sportline Side Bars
If you have a T5 or T6, you can fit protection side bars, which also serve a purpose of styling. Just Kampers sell a kit made by Sportline, which seems to be popular.
Here is a guide on how to fit the kit to your van.
Before you start, check you have all the components:
(1) Side Bars (x2)
(2) Front Brackets (x2)
(3) Rear Brackets (x2)
(4) Threaded Plates (x8)
(5) M8 Spring Washers (x8)
(6) M8 Washers (x8)
(7) M10 Spring Washers (x4)
(8) M8 Nuts (x8)
(9) M10 Screw (x4)
(10) M10 Washers (x4)
(11) Lock (x8)
** Please note item ‘9’, has been replaced with a Nut & Stud with allen key holding end.
1. Clean the installation areas and then identify the front and the rear brackets, as shown.
2. Remove the front splash shield (a) by unscrewing the retaining bolts.
3. Remove the rear splash shields (b) by unscrewing the retaining bolts.
4. Remove the rubber caps (c) from the sill rail in the chassis from the front and rear of the vehicle which align with the holes in the mounting brackets.
5. Once the rubber caps are removed, insert the threaded plates (d) inside the holes on the chassis so its threaded ends are exposed. Do this for the front and rear. Once installed, slide the lock into the threaded plate into the threaded section as shown. This will stop the threaded plate from being pushed into the chassis.
6. Place the front bracket on the thread plates so its threaded end extends.
7. Place the rear bracket on the thread plates so its threaded end extends through the bracket and secure with M8 washers, M8 spring washers and M8 nuts.
8. Hold the side bar into position and attach using M10 screws, M10 washers and M10 spring washers. Tighten all the bolts fixing the bracket to the vehicle; then finish by tightening the bolts holding the side bar to the brackets using the following torque settings as guide.
9. Before re-installing splash shields, it is necessary to remove some of the material from the splash shields to allow clearance for the M8 nuts on the mouting bracket. On the front splash shield, from the front edge, measure along 180mm (SWB) and make a cut 25mm deep. Make another cut a further 30mm from this cut, also 25mm deep and remove the section of material. Then take another measurement from the front edge of the 480mm (SWB) and repeat the procedure for removing another section of material, 25mm x 30mm.
On the rear splash shield, from the back edge, measure along 120mm (SWB) and make a cut 25mm deep. Make another cut a further 30mm from this cut, also 25mm deep and remove the section of material. Then take another measurement from the back edge of the 450mm (SWB) and repeat the procedure for removing another section of material, 25mm x 39mm. Apply these principles for the long wheel base with the correct measurements as shown above.
Just back from a weekend away in Yorkshire at the fabulous steam railway. Here are some of the pictures from the club members having fun!
Just back from a weekend away in Herefordshire at a cider farm and vintage fair. Here are some photos from the club members!
Many people ask!
230V electric hook up allows you to use campsite
supplies to give you mains 230v sockets inside
your van, meaning you can use those everyday
appliances whilst on your travels.
The easiest way to tackle a 230V Mains Hook Up
in your van is using a kit that comes with all the
parts you need. These are readily available and
Just Kampers sell two great kits (don’t forget your
discount) that have either a surface mount socket
or flush mount socket.
The kit should contain:
• Inlet Socket (Flush or Surface Mount)
• Consumer Unit (25amp Draw)
• 2 x 13amp Sockets
• 2.5mm2 Cable (Socket to Consumer Unit)
• 3 Core Flex (Consumer Unit to Sockets)
The kit should be installed by a professional, unless
you are confident with wiring and we would still
suggest that the install is tested by a professional
following self installation.
Indicator and Wiper Switch Assemblies Removal and Repair
The first step is to remove the steering wheel
from the steering column. Before you start,
it’s worth straitening the steering wheel/front
wheels so that when the steering wheel goes
back on, you know where to line it up.
The steering wheel is fitted to a splined shaft
within the column and is fixed with a single
24mm nut.
To access the nut, the horn push in the centre
of the steering wheel has to be removed. The
horn push is usually made of plastic and is often
brittle, so prizing off with a screw driver or metal
scraper is not the best idea. I found that using
a finger nail was sufficient, working my way
round the horn push and lifting upwards (see
pic 1).
With the horn push removed, the 24mm nut
should be revealed and there will also me a
lead and crimp connected to a spade terminal.
Remove this crimp to disconnect the lead and
move to one side to create some space for a
spanner.
Using a 24mm ring spanner or socket and
ratchet (an open ended spanner can slip easily),
loosen the nut but do not remove at this point
(see pic 2).
Mark the position of the wheel in relation to the
shaft using chalk, pencil or paint pen to assist in
lining the wheel back up on fitment.
Now, with the nut still fitted, give the steering
wheel a tug upwards to free it from the splined
shaft. It should become loose but the fitted nut
will prevent you from smashing your face with
the steering wheel (believe me!).
With the wheel loose, remove the 24mm nut and
lift the steering wheel off too. This will expose
the indicator and wiper switch assemblies fitted
to the top of the column (see pic 3).
At this point, you want to remove the cap from
your windscreen washer bottle to depressurise
it (otherwise you will create a drinking fountain
later on!) if you have pressure in your tank,
you’re the exception
Now you can begin to remove the switch
assemblies. Undo and remove the 4 small
screws that hold switch assemblies inside the
steering column and keep them safe with the
24mm nut from earlier.
Now it’s time to disconnect the electrical
connectors from the switch assemblies. Around
halfway down the steering column, the plastic
shroud ends. Underneath this shroud is three
electrical connectors. The two nearest the
driver seat are the two plugs for the wiper and
indicator switches. Give these a gentle tug to
disconnect them and tuck them to one side,
they can’t be mixed up so don’t worry.
With the electrical connectors removed, you
can now begin to pull the switch assemblies up
and out of the steering column. Do this slowly
though as there are two pipes connected
to the back of the wiper switch assembly
for the windscreen washers. These can be
disconnected at this stage and should have
been depressurised earlier (see poic 4).
Now you should be able to remove the switch
assemblies, but be careful not to break the
plastic wiring sleeves as these tend to quite
brittle with age.
With the assemblies removed, I could now see
what had happened with my indictor lever,
the bottom part of the lever mechanism that
operates the switch had snapped ( see pic 5).
The indicator and wiper switch assemblies are
joined to form one piece but are easily split.
They are held together with four metal sleeves
and the two parts can be split easily using a
screw driver (see pic 6).
Once they are split, you can replace either the
indicator or wiper switch assembly (or both)
and fit the two back together using the four
metal sleeves.
Once back in one piece, fitment is the reverse
of the removal. The hardest part of the fitment
for me was locating the wiring plugs under the
plastic shrouding into the correct location to
push the connectors home. This picture helped
me to locate the plugs and they are shaped
in such a way that they can be guided into
position (see pic 7).
Once reconnected, I would recommend that
you test all of the functions of the switches
before refitting the screws and steering wheel,
in case you have to take it all apart again!
Don’t forget that you have marked the steering
wheel to line it up when you refit it too.
The last test should be the horn and don’t forget
to re-pressurise the washer bottle!
Saturday 10th June 2023
A camp on a Cider Farm! What a wonderful idea!
Display your van and attend this smaller show for free, with an option to camp for just a tenner (advance booking essential). Stay all weekend or just a night, it’s up to you, the price is the same. It costs £7 to attend the show, but if you’re exhibiting your van, it’s free to get in, you just pay for your camping. What a bargain!
Here’s more from our Chairman:
”I was chatting to the organizer of this local car show. We went as an exhibit last year and were one of around 200 cars. The show is one day but it’s on a farm with entertainment barn music on the Saturday night and an adjacent pub with meals. There will be a few stalls with varied items for sale.” Well, thank you, Malcolm, sounds great! Visit vintageandcountryfair.co.uk more details, and email me if you’d like to be part of our Club Camp and display: events@vwt2oc.co.uk
The next edition of the club magazine has been finished by our Editors and looks fantastic. It should be arriving through your door soon! If you are enjoying the club magazine and have a story about a trip, an upgrade, a restoration or just a tip, send a contribution to our Editor at editor@vwt2oc.co.uk.
Dinitrol Guide For Modern
Transporter Types
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In the last issue, The Mechanic looked at
Dinitrol products and how to use it with classic
transporter models. For those of you that own
a modern Transporter, here is a guide for T4, T5
and T6 models.
Dinitrol is an oil based product that contains
rust inhibiting ingredients to treat and stop rust
after it has been applied. It also forms a barrier
that prevents further corrosion occurring.
Dinitrol is supplied in several different forms,
a cavity wax for use in inner sills etc. and an
under body wax that dries to a flexible tough
film to withstand rain and salt.
Due to modern manufacturing techniques,
the later range of Transporter is less prone
to rusting, but like all Volkswagens they will
eventually fall prey to the dreaded rust bug.
Although treated with rust protection from
new, it is recommended that this is maintained
and renewed after several years of use. As with
the earlier Vans, converting these into Campers
creates the added problem of moisture
generated by cooking etc. Again, removal of
the interior and inner trim is the only way to
get a comprehensive finish. Treating a newer
Van will help preserve it for the future and can
add to the resale value at a later date.
Long time member Ian Crawford had issues with his van that he bought in 1972 at a year old. He still drives it! I should point out the van was a year old, not Ian.
Ian says:
An unusual problem solved the other day. My van would only turn over 2-3 times when
ignition switched on, then it just refused to do anything! I connected my battery charger to the terminals (before switching on) and the lights showed the battery was 20% efficient.
I then switched the charger on and literally within 15 seconds it said 100% charged. I
disconnected and switched off the charger and attempted to start the van.
As before, it only turned over 2-3 times then it wouldn’t do anything. Reconnecting the
charger it again showed only 20%! Once again, charging for around 15 seconds showed the battery 100% charged. Time to retreat and think hard as to what the problem really was and how to solve it. I slept on it and the next day I had a brainwave!
I decided to remove the battery earth strap from where it is bolted to the chassis. Using a steel wool pan scourer, I gave the bare metal a thorough good scrub as well as the underside of the fixing lug of the earth strap. I also smeared Vaseline over both surfaces.
I then refitted the earth strap into the chassis fixing hole and went to start it up. Surprise surprise, it started first time!!
So if you have experienced problems with starting, maybe removing and cleaning the metal around the fixing of the earth strap will solve it.
Hope this gives members some useful tips.
