I have booked our new to us 1983 musketeer in for a service. The engineer wasn't positive at all and has me worried, this is before he's seen the van!
Everything works, he said it "more than likely" will have a gas leak, he is happy to come and service it but "might upset" me!
We know we have some damp over the wheel arch - we think the cause is the failed sealant. Not a problem as we bought it to try caravanning and will need to upgrade in a few years anyway, when kids are bigger. Obviously we'll reseal it, plan to do whole van.
So, apart from the potential gas problem, what other issues can we expect? And is anything really so bad as to render the van unusable?!
It certainly looks as though it has been well looked after but I keep envisaging a list of horrors when he comes to look at it!
Oh Flippin 'eck! find another mechanic, this one sounds like he's setting you up to rip you off. You need to find a friendly & communicative mobile mechanic who will show you any parts that need replacing & tell you what he is doing.
All spares for 80s Al-Ko chassis are still available off shelf. If it needs new brake linings, wheel bearings, even hitch damper then so be it but all these parts are easily fitted by a caravan mechanic as part of a normal service. If all these are in good nick then caravan is ok to tow to ends of earth.
Have you tried the cooker & fridge? Did you smell gas? Check the copper gas piping yourself. It might be a good idea to clean fridge burner out if you want to run it on gas but this is not part of a normal service anyway, you can usually access burner by removing bottom outside fridge vent, burner at bottom rear of fridge, clean with meths & small paintbrush.
I echo the "find a new mechanic" advice. Your van's a classic, there's work-rounds and fixes for pretty much everything but your mechanic sounds like a bundle of negativity before he's even seen the darned caravan! You need a mechanic who is enthusiastic but realistic at the same time, who will give you a thorough overview of where you stand and then give you helpful advice on which are the essentials.
Thanks all, I did put a post on here asking for any experience of him and feedback was positive.
He wasn't unpleasant, quite the opposite, its just that I get the impression he thinks he is coming to look at a chicken shed on wheels and it certainly isn't that!
Oh and FWIW, yes we have seen the heater, gas hobs, fridge all working off the gas. The flames were blue and we couldn't smell gas.
He said it is highly likely that the pipes will have rotted/perished due to the age if the van, and if he finds it unsafe he will have to condemn it. I did say it wasn't the end of the world, we'd just use EHU.
Will try another post asking for service recommendations in our area.
LPG has a very strong odour & you would have smelt it while trying appliances had there been a leak. Its easy enough for you to trace the gas pipes through the caravan & you can see what they look like.
The only hose that could perish is the flexible rubber hose from the bulkhead to the regulator. It will only cost a couple of quid to replace. All the other gas pipes will be copper which will not perish. Any leaks on the copper is most likely to be a fitting that has worked loose and needs tweeking with a spanner
Quote: Originally posted by Andy Higham on 26/6/2013
The only hose that could perish is the flexible rubber hose from the bulkhead to the regulator. It will only cost a couple of quid to replace. All the other gas pipes will be copper which will not perish. Any leaks on the copper is most likely to be a fitting that has worked loose and needs tweeking with a spanner
Thanks Andy, that's really good information. The way he was talking you would think the caravan was a death trap with a gas leak, I did question afterwards with hubby that the pipes/tubing could surely be replaced?!
The seals on the cooker knobs tend to leak with age and wear, but no worse than on a domestic appliance. They can often be repaired with an O ring. Brakes could be seized up and the damp you already mentioned could be worse than expected.
It's also possible that some wiring faults will exist, corrosion in the lights and 12N plug causing the road lights to be temperamental.
Quote: Originally posted by DaveCoaches on 26/6/2013
The seals on the cooker knobs tend to leak with age and wear, but no worse than on a domestic appliance. They can often be repaired with an O ring. Brakes could be seized up and the damp you already mentioned could be worse than expected.
It's also possible that some wiring faults will exist, corrosion in the lights and 12N plug causing the road lights to be temperamental.
The brakes seemed fine towing home according to husband and neighbour who very kindly helped us out by towing it home. Seller insisted on showing us that lights worked before buying but we haven't towed it any distance so I appreciate there could be an issue.
The damp I suppose is almost inevitable in a van this age, it's in the cupboard/loo room so we can live with it for 2 or 3 years, it would be a different story if it was apparent by the dinetttes, for example.
Really I am so grateful for everyone's input, bloody engineer had me in a tizzy and he's not even been to look at it yet!
There are many forum members with older caravans; my Royale is 40 years old and we don't have any more trouble with it than others do with much more modern ones.
The guy was definitely out of order with his "you're all gonna die" approach.
If there is a fault with something, fix it or get it fixed or replace it. Good for you with your budget caravanning and more power to your elbow.
I would even consider looking into a DIY sorting of the damp. If having used it a couple of times you decide you like it, I bet it would be sortable. Just don't get that engineer to do it!
We got our nearly 20 year old caravan serviced. Had a small gas leak - didnt cost too much onto the service to fix it. Engineer said "there is a fair bit of damp". I asked if I would get a year or two out of it. He said we would get a good few years out of it. That's fine then - not too bothered, considering it didnt break the bank buying it. Hubby has resealed awning rails etc. i'll give it no more thought. In my work I do cost/benefit analysis exercises. I extend the same principle to my personal life - works for me.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is don't get too bogged down with things that wont make too much difference to your enjoyment of van. Unless it's structurally unsound - that's different!
Lobey happy new old van! I have found everyone on the message board to be incredibly helpful and their combined knowledge and experience is worth its weight in gold. I always worry when a tradesman starts to do the builders hiss (you know, the times when they suck air in through their teeth and you just know it's going to be a)bad news and b)expensive!)
We simply don't have thousands to throw at a new van and tbh, from what I've read on this forum the shiny new white ones are not without their problems sometimes! Hope your van (and ours, for that matter!) passes it's test with flying colours!
what heater is it? the SB1800 was used in vans of this era, if fitted make sure you check CAREFULLY the steel pies that come form the burner to the vans copper gas pipes.
These have a tendancy to rot, especially on the inside of the bend, and cause leaks.
This was the only gas issue I had on my older vans.
you can either cap it off, and just use an electric heater, or replace the pipes, thing ARC systems still has them off the shelf, or I made up some from copper.
some older vans also used rubber pipes to connect appliances to the van pipework, which may perish, but its not exactly the end of the world.
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Topic: likely probs with 30 yr old van?
