Removing your fuel tank from your van and replacing the sender unit.

Fig

This article is not about solving a particular problem but about how to remove the fuel tank and what the pinch points maybe.

We haven't just removed the tank for the sake of this blog. We had fitted a

 diesel heater and needed to add a supply pipe.

This is possibly one of the simplest straight forward jobs you can do yourself

on this van. The tools for the job are simple as well, multi tipped screw driver

to include star bits. because this is manly a van of French manufacture the

bolts holding the tank in place are 16mm, four axle stands to do it safely, a 3

ton trolley jack preferred and a special tool to remove the fuel gauge housing.

Before we go on you should use safety glasses preferably ones that are full enclosed to prevent any fuel getting in your eyes or some form of glasses that

will deflect any droplet that springs off the pipes you release. If you get thesmallest of droplets in your eyes you will know it with a vengeance. This is

Experience talking. Please note the warning.

 

One of the most obvious pinch points is the amount of fuel in the tank. Liquids

are surprisingly heavy and unpredictably when they get moved. Once moving

they can build up a force that cannot be stopped causing untold damage to the

wiring and fuel lines connected to the tank. If you are laying on the floor with

it on a jack the chances are you will not be able to prevent it slipping off. It is a good idea if you have someone else about to give a hand. The emptier the tank the better.

 

If you are thinking of siphoning the fuel off think again as there is an anti

syphon device fitted. We did go this route because the gauge was showing two

bars on the segmented digital dash or about a quarter on analogue fuel gauge.

This amounts to 30+ liters in our case which is quit a weight for one person to lift, let alone control laying on the floor.

 

OK the first job is to release the filler neck and breather pipe from the tank.

There maybe a protecting plate fitted if not it means the tank has been off

before. If it has there will be an unscrew-able hose clip fitted making the job easier as it has replaced the tamper proof clip that will need cutting or breaking off.

 

Next the breather pipe, to release this you apply pressure ether side to the

buttons and it will slide off. Practice was different for us it would not move no

matter what we did so in the end we unscrewed the fill neck from the body

held in place with three star screws then fiddled the neck out. We were able

once the tank was out to remove the breather even then it fort us. The fill neck was put back in place before the tank was refitted.

 

The four 16mm bolts holding the tank in place were all released. These bolts

have thread lock on them so may take some effort to undo. Depending on

whether or not you have enough height once you have the axle stands in place

it is a good idea to place on the ground under the tank a sheet of ply, carpet

cloth etc. to protect the tank if you have to slide the tank out without the jack.

No point gouging the tank that may produce leaks at a later date.

 

 

We place a board on the trolley jack to help spread the load and protect the

tank. With it in place and jacked up we took the bolts out completely. Lowering

the tank very slowly as we still had 30 liters of fuel in it. Even so it nearly

pulled itself of the jack.

With the tank down you need to release the fuel flow and return pipes. The

pipes run along the top of the tank in groves that hold them in place along with

the wiring loom. These need to be gentle prized out. Once out remove the

pipes from the pump sensor unit this is quite simple they are squeeze together clips. Place both pipes in a container to catch the diesel that will leak out or

Plug the ends. Then unclip the wiring block connector.

 

With everything removed, pull the tank from under the van for the next set of

fun and games. If the top of the tank is caked in mud we suggest you clean it

off to stop the fuel being contaminated with it. We made the special tool needed to remove the locking ring holding the pump sensor unite in place.

 

Before you remove the lock ring look for an arrow and mark its position on the

top of the tank. If there is no mark then make your own. This is important

when tightening so you do not over stress the threads. Also make a note of the direction the pipe connections are pointing.

 

When placing the removal tool it should sit on the little step at the top of the

ring. With the home made tool wind in the outer nuts in until it grips and then

use the inner ones to lock it into place. Put a bar of a reasonable length between the upright metal and apply pressure slowly anti clock wise. It will be stiff to turn for a number of turns. The reason is that the unit is sprung loaded.

Pull the unit up slowly as there is a float attached to a long wire bar. This tells the dashboard how much fuel is in the tank.

 It is a little tricky getting it out you will need to lean the unit over at an angle. Keeping an eye on the O ring sitting at the top of the thread.

 

We did our modification and emptied the tank of most of its fuel to make the

replacement a lot simpler. It is also an opportunity to see if the fuel is

contaminated and removed. Before doing up the lock ring check the O ring is

properly in place if not it will leak. It is important that the hose connections are

kept pointing the right way and keep checking as the top of the unit will keep

moving until the lock ring becomes tight.

 

 

The empty tank makes its replacement a lot simpler. It is a case of retracing

your steps to get it back in place. Once all secure replace the fuel. Before you

start the engine use the priming bulb to charge the line removing the air.

If you are doing this for the first time allow a day, two days from start to finish.

The amount of time really depends on your circumstances. We did it over two

days as we had to make the special tool and really not in a hurry.

 

 

Pictures in order of apperance: 

1. Mounting place for filler pipe.

2. Breather pipe push fit connection.

3. Anti syphon trap.

4. Clip on to og fuel tank.

5. Connections on top of sender unit.

6. Plate of steel to make special tool.

7. Special tool put together.

8. Ridge on sender unit scuring ring.

9. placement of special tool.

10. Sender unit will need to be lent over to one side to take into account float and arm.

11. New fuel pipe for Wallas XC Duo cab heater.

12. New pick up pipe in place in sender unit.

13. O ring seal on fuel tank check not damaged.

14. Cover that protects fuel primeing bulb.

15. Primeing bulb.

Copywrite 2023

 

Handbrake fails MOT.

Handbrake adjuster

This is a stressful time for the motorist; it is where you hand over your pride and joy to a third party to be poked, prodded and shaken into revealing those profitable faults for the garage. If you are an owner maintainer you should be able to minimize these unexpected failures because you regularly service and put right problems as they show up. I know in practice this is not always the case. But it is better and more cost effective if you do, than to be thrown in at the deep end when you are at your busiest.

MOT testers are human and have pet hates. As an ex-tester mine were lights not working and torn wipers. To me this indicated that it may have other MOT issues which proved to be the case on many occasions.

Brake fluid

I am not immune from the unexpected. Having checked the van over and put right the sticking hand brake again, I was confident that it should

 pass its MOT. The van and tester had other ideas. It failed! I was expecting him to say it was a ball joint but no it was that damned hand brake again. Apparently, the brake machine showed that its effectiveness was outside the permitted balance parameters - (MOT speak), and it was the offside that was less effective or put another way the nearside was still sticking.

With the vans 'back end' in the air and the wheels off, I started to check everything again. But this time more thoroughly than before. I started by loosening the hand brake cable at the adjustment in the middle of the van. Then removed each cable from the calliper first checking to see if the handbrake lever was at rest. They were both holding off by a fingernails width even though the cable was very slack.

Surprisingly with this

poxy system this small amount can make the brake bind badly. I freed off the arms as described in a previous post.  Then checked to see how free the movement was on each hand brake cable that ran from the calliper. The OS one was very rough and stiff as the cable moved back and forth in the sleeve. The NS one was less so but on the way.  I changed both to be on the safe side. what's next? The brake pads are not that old, but I checked them anyway. The near side looked OK, and the piston moved freely the same for the offside, but the pads had an unusual wear pattern. It looked like the centre of the pad had crumbled away meaning that only the outer portion was in contact with the disc; could this be the problem? I checked the brake disc carefully; the surface was reasonably flat, and I could not see any reason for the centre wearing faster than the outer edge. The only way to be sure is to replace them. I know! more expense!

Now to fit them. I started by winding the piston back into the calliper. This needs a special tool but if you do not have one you can get away with using an adjustable wrench (the type that bites your fingers if it slips off - ochhh!!) and a G clamp. It is slow and a pain but saves on the price of the tool. Basically, you wind in the adjuster several turns and then use the G clamp to push the piston back. Before you start this, you should pop the hood and take the cap of the brake fluid reservoir and place a cloth over the top to stop the brake fluid pouring all over the engine bay. This may happen if the fluid has been topped up. Once it is wound back clean the mounting bracket area where the brake pad sits and then put a little copper grease on the edges of the pad that sit on the bracket, this prevents sticking. Push the calliper into place, always use the new guide pin bolt provided with the brake pads and tighten to 35 newton meters (26 lbf ft). You should only remove one pair of pads at a time this allows you to reset the piston for the new pads by pumping the brake pedal also reducing the chance of the fluid reservoir overflowing. Spin the disc to make sure it is free and then apply the hand brake with your hand on the lever to make sure it works and releases properly. Then do the same to the other side.

Adjustment settings

Now attach the hand brake cable to each side and adjust the cable. I usually put a bit of copper grease on the adjuster thread to stop it freezing. Wind the adjustment nut up until you obtain a clearance of between 0.1 and 0.5 mm between the operating lever and the stop on the back of the calliper body. You can check this by using a feeler gauge. Now spin the discs, if it feels like it is binding then back the adjustment off until it stops. Hop in the cab and pull on the hand brake several times checking how many notches it come up - one or two is about right but not set in stone. Then check again to see if the discs are binding now the cable has been settled in. If OK, it's time to box it up.

It is a tense time back at the MOT station as they check the hand brake on the brake machine. Has it passed? it looks to me as it's within parameters. Yes! A 'thumbs up,' great news! back to the day job. 


Update to post 18/8/13.

The handbrake is still working properly with no sticking to date. I have noticed that the mpg has increased since sorting out the brakes by as much as ten miles to the gallon which is astounding. So, all those bits I replaced will have payed for themselves.

Blow out

The vivaro van as a driving experience is quite lively, responsive and fun to drive. I have not driven a van with this type of get up and go since my MK3 Escort. Which I used to rattle around the streets of London in.

Tool kit.

I was on my way home late one evening from a friend when I heard this loud bang which at first, I thought was a bit of debris in the road. Seconds later I was fighting the steering wheel to keep it straight, I was three lanes in on the motorway and travelling at quite a lick, so needed to get to the hard shoulder ASAP. There was not a lot of traffic on this usual very busy section. Luckily, I found myself in a dead zone where all the other vehicles were well in front of me or far behind. The only fly in the ointment was a tractor unit in the inner most lane.

Now stopped on the hard shoulder I took stock for a couple of seconds, pulled on my high viz vest and got out of the cab to look at the front wheel. Man! That's the flattest flat I've seen since my mark three had a blow out on the M 11 all those years ago. Whoosh! - a sixty-footer went by - I need to get the van closer to the embankment if I'm going to change this wheel! First, I need to check in and let people know what has happened.

Changing a wheel at the side of a motorway is quite dangerous but standing about in cold weather waiting for someone to turn up to do the work is just as bad. Anyway, it will not take me long he says as I have changed loads of wheels for other people in the past and gotten it down to a fine art. Ten minutes should see it done and dusted. How wrong can you be. The van had a 'never been used' wheel kit under the seat. Off to a good start there! I found the special security key for the spare wheel cage and proceeded to undo this first. The kit was supplied with a basic ratchet, extension bar and toe loop that screwed in as a handle for the ratchet. I started with the spare wheel first because I knew that if I could not get the bolts undone then I was wasting my time. The special nut came loose quite easily and so did the ordinary nut to start with but there was a problem! It was just spinning round and not unscrewing. The thread was knackered! what was I going to do? I dived into the back of the van and found my largest screwdriver and wedged it between the body work and the spare wheel cage. A gamble I know but it had to be done. I finally got it off after about a twenty-minute struggle.

When jacking a vehicle up at the side of a motorway you should only have it jacked up and wheel off for the shortest possible time. The pressure wave of big sixty footers going by can pull the van off the jack. Then you're in a heap of trouble. Ten minutes later the wheel was on, back on the floor wheel nuts tight, ready to roll. This part of the job would not have been so easy if I had not put a little grease on the wheel nut threads the last time the wheel had been off and tightened to the right torque. (140 Nm 103 lbs ft) Before leaving the hard shoulder you should get your vehicle up to at least sixty miles an hour so that when you join the carriageway again you are not a slow-moving hazard to the traffic coming up behind you. This is one of the only times you should be travelling down the hard shoulder at speed.

The smell of burning!

Overheated rear brake disc.

I was in a hurry the other day to get the dog to the vet. It was not until I was part way up the bypass that I realised that the handbrake had stuck on. Even though the hand brake leaver in the cab was completely off, the smell of brake linings was overpowering. It's just as well the vets was not too far, even so the back wheels were so hot you could not touch them. Just before we made the return journey I slipped under the van and pulled back the little arms that operate the handbrake on the back of the callipers. Man, they we tight! This does not bode well for those new wheel bearings that were fitted earlier in the year. A sticking hand brake is one of the reasons why the bearing failed in the first place!

 

Showing handbrake arm on Calliper

With the back of the van up in the air and both the wheels off, it is time to get to grips with sorting this problem out. On further investigation it turns out that the shaft that sticks out of the back of the calliper with the handbrake actuation arm on, has rusted tight. Even though there is a little rubber cup that sits between the calliper and the arm to protect the shaft from the weather. I believe this is its downfall because once the water gets behind the seal it remains there helping the rust to build up causing it to seize. 

 

Once the handbrake cable has been loosened you can remove the end of the cable from the arm more easily, with a bit of fiddling. To free the arm off you will need to tap it backwards and forwards with a medium weight hammer. Do not over do the amount of force you use when hitting the arm with the hammer. The idea is not to do it in one hit but to keep moving it up and down until the sprung loaded arm moves back to the off position on its own. When it feels like it has freed off enough to move it easily by hand, you need to check it's at the off position. If not, it is time to take a closer look at the spring. If the metal of the spring is pitted and heavily rusted it is possible that it has lost some of its tension. For the three or so pounds each it costs to replace these springs it is not worth messing about. Removing the spring from the arm is a bit annoying but straight forward with a pair of pliers.

Handbrake arm spring old and new

 

There is one last thing to do as a suggestion before you box it up and that is to get some white grease and push it in behind the little rubber seal that protects the handbrake arm shaft this will help to keep things moving and the weather out.

 

I have used this method on my van and so far, the hand brake has not stuck on again.

 

Related post   rear wheel bearing replacement.

 

 

 

Vivaro couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.

The van has developed a running fault that started a month or so ago and has become progressively worse. It has taken us some time to chase down the cause of this problem.

The symptoms:

 This fault shows it's self when you drive away from a stand still. You have to push down the accelerator pedal a lot further than is normal to get it to speed up enough to change up to second gear. On lifting your foot off the accelerator pedal to change gear the vehicle speeds up while you are changing up. On pressing down on the pedal again the van struggles to gain speed. It feels like it is holding back.

 

Thought process and action.

 

This suggests that it is a fuel problem. But it has nothing to do with fuel, injectors, high pressure pump, fuel filter or related sensors. Another suggestion was the turbo, but we could hear it spooling up. We checked the turbo pipes, ducting was tight and not blocked. We found a couple of lose hose clips but not enough to cause power loss. Also checked to make sure the waste gate solenoid worked as it should.

At one point we thought the ECU needed a re-boot, again it did not seem likely. Thinking about it, it was a flow problem the only other thing that came to mind was the air flow meter. Before we paid out on a new meter we surfed some motoring forums for pointers, but no one had this fault it would seem. We came across a thread that suggested the changing of the airflow meter would sort it out, but this gentleman also had the crank sensor replace. After a short discussion we decided to go with the air flow meter. Bingo! got it in one and what a relief, it would have been an expensive mistake otherwise.



Air flow meter

 

Extra work.

 

While we had the air filter housing off, which is a pig remove, we thought it prudent to check the glow plugs as it only takes a couple of minutes with a voltmeter. We found that two of the plugs didn't work. The ERG valve drew my attention because the inlet manifold was covered in oil suggesting the gasket had failed or the bolts were loose. You have to be patient when removing it as it has a build-up of oil residue. On removal, it was found clogged with a thick coagulated oil that took a bit of cleaning up.

 

It runs and pulls like a train now. The rice pudding skin doesn't stand a chance!

Vauxhall Vivaro rear hub nut and brake dices replace

This post has been prompted by the lack of good technical information out there on the Vauxhall Vivaro, Primastar and traffic van and in particular the rear hub settings.

I recently had a rear hub bearing seize up, luckily the bearing had not welded itself to the stub axle. Which is all too common in this type of bearing failure.

I am surprised and concerned to find a lot of miss information on forums. The lack of this information is making a statement like: “if you don't know the torque setting for the hub nut just tighten it up as tight as you can and then put a scaffold pole on the Tee bar and do it up some more!”. This stratagem can be dangerous and will cause the bearing to prematurely fail again. Why? The rear hub bearing is of the taper roller type which means that if you do not set it up correctly it will bind on the runners causing it to overheat and seize. These are not like ball bearings which can be over tightened (which is not recommended) because there is not the same direct affect.

The specialist kit you need to do this job properly:

36 mm socket

1. A thirty-six-millimetre socket for the hub nut. Which is three quarter inch drive that you may step down to half inch.
2. A Tee bar.
3. An extension bar like a scaffold pole no longer than a meter for loosening only.
4. A torque wrench that can go up to three hundred Newton meters. Which are not that expensive. Please note that wrench is Six hundred millimetre long (half a meter) This is the optimum length for this weight of tightness.
5. Spanners and or sockets for the brake calliper mounting bolts of twenty-one millimetres.

300 Newton meter
torque wrench

Destroyed bearing.
Also shows ABS ring.

Be careful not to damage the wheel sensor. The hub nut should be tightened to two hundred and eighty Newton Meters which is surprisingly not that tight - about a quarter of a turn or so after it has been done up normally with a ratchet. The mounting bolts for the calliper cage- one hundred and eighty Newton meters- you should clean the threads with a tap before adding new thread lock and the wheel nuts are one hundred and forty Newton meters and don't forget to put a little bit of lube on the threads.

If you would like to ask any questions or add further to this post, please do.

Related post:   Sticking handbrake.