Unpredictability - Good for your health

Our modern life is based on organising an environment free from the unexpected. The house needs to be as stable and reliable as possible. The job as safe as possible. Nothing should break down. Nothing but what we predict, should occur.
This is the life of the zoo animal. Let's explore the life of the Nomad. Let's live the life of the Nomad.

Sunday 12 December 2010

Van gets edgy - a week in the hotel

When I purchased the van, the first thing a friend and I decided to do was drive her to Scotland.  We got there fine but the carb started playing up on the way back.  We limped it down the length of the UK.  A mechanic had a look and said the wrong carb was fitted, but he had made some fit adjustments and advised that it should be OK.  It was OK, until today.  So now I'm back at base checking out train time tables.  I need to leave for Norwich tomorrow morning and stay the week in a hotel while working for a client.  Yetch.  Some may think I'm lucky, but the view from a hotel window can't compare to the 360 degree view one gets waking up in a camper in a nice park.

I have the kids every second weekend.  Yesterday they were dropped off with me and we bundled into the van and went to a place called paradise park near newhaven.

http://www.paradisepark.co.uk/

It was interesting and much could be learnt while strolling through the museum sections.  Unfortunately my two girls, 6 and 11, are not interested in much to learn.  They wanted the play section.  Still it killed some time before I took them to the Honeybridge caravan park near Horsham.  This is a great park to take the kids.  They have a games room, warm bathroom facilities and a pretty decent playground area.  They enjoy the camping and it's all a bit of an adventure.

Coming back today was when the real adventure began.  The van lost power going up a very busy A grade road without a hard shoulder.  It was terrifying.  I got the kids out of the van quickly, and out on the side of the road.  Played around a bit on the engine and got it firing again.  So all back in and we got home in one piece.  Dropped the kids off at their mother's and started out towards Norwich.  Soon became obvious that this mechanical glitch wasn't temporary so had to return.

It's all a bit disappointing and depressing.  I will have to get the correct carb fitted.  Not sure how much this will cost me.  The real killer though is having to spend four nights in a hotel.  I was looking forward to being in my own space during this gig.

I might bore you with a few pics of the hotel room in the next post.

3 comments:

  1. If the carb works OK and then doesn't it makes me think it may be something else. Dirt in the fuel tank blocking up the jets or ignition fault interfering with the plugs firing ? Intermittent faults like this need tying down when the fault occurs - I know difficult when you are stuck at the side of a main road with kids. Try and replicate the problem when you are safe at home or take it to a garage for them to check out likely causes.
    While stuck in your hotel room at night, have a look at this site:

    http://fordtransit.org/forum/index.php

    Register and maybe ask some questions like what is the correct carb for your model. The mechanic may not have been right; not unknown for them to make something technical sounding up if they do not really know the answer.

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  2. Thanks for this advice Apple Tree. I am waiting to hear back from the mechanic. I will check out this link you provided.

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  3. check jets floats needle heights and fuel in carbs - google your engine and go in armed to garage if u have to hun xxx hope you can get your head into it - it happens xxxjust life and we know that heh xx

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