Our First Adventure Van! - Page 2

MSD · 02-20-2019, 02:40 PM

Your two made me LOL a few times

. Great to see you having some fun with this... it's gonna be a great experience. Looking forward to seeing more and yes get rid of the house insulation. Best insulation for your area is thinsulate based on your climate... But others may disagree.

Oh and that thing on the barn door is a galley box, I just call a coffee, tea hold thing in our van

Keep on Vanning

longwool · 02-21-2019, 11:06 AM

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Your two made me LOL a few times . Great to see you having some fun with this... it's gonna be a great experience. Looking forward to seeing more and yes get rid of the house insulation.

Thanks, trying to keep it fun! The fiberglass is all gone now!

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Possibly, its defiantly easier to replace the relay instead of the glow plugs, those are a big job and not easy to get too. I replaced my relay with this monster one.

So it looks like I've got a CA van, because I only see the Glow Plug Control Module, no relay. But it does look a lot easier to get to than the spark plugs, I just don't know of a good way to test it. Anyone have suggestions here?

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From all aspects of doors with windows that's absolutely the best approach. Typically you can find a set of very nice side doors with glass including hinges for less than $200. Search your local Craig's List for truck parts etc. If you do find a set carefully check them both inside and outside for significant rust.

Noted, thanks for the install tips too!

Also here's an interior pic after removing the insulation and beginning to take down the ceiling panel. 24" High Top has been ordered, hopefully I can get all the glow plug business sorted before dropping it off for install.

longwool · 02-21-2019, 11:50 AM

Also, does anyone have any recommendation for a good OBDII plug in? Quick research puts me in between the Kiwi 3 and the ScanGuage II. Hoping to find something to monitor while driving, but also for code checking. The Kiwi 3 seems a bit cheaper, and since it can pair with different phone apps I have more UI/display options. Anything I am missing?

MSD · 02-21-2019, 01:22 PM

If you can't figure out the glow plug issues and what to deal with a shop. I used AG diesel in Portland. They did a good job keeping 3 different 7.3L going while I lived there (for almost 20 years) https://www.agdiesel.com/

longwool · 02-21-2019, 04:47 PM

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Originally Posted by MSD

If you can't figure out the glow plug issues and what to deal with a shop. I used AG diesel in Portland. They did a good job keeping 3 different 7.3L going while I lived there (for almost 20 years) https://www.agdiesel.com/

Thanks, this is much appreciated. Either way I was definitely interested in a shop to give it a good once over before we hit the road for a while.

longwool · 02-28-2019, 01:52 PM

So I swapped in two new AGM batteries and the van starts in the cold now (but just barely). Since from my tests the glow plugs looked good I decided it was time to get a professional diagnosis.

Took the rig to AG, per MSD's recommend, they were pretty impressed with the condition of the van and the Quigley system, so that was nice to hear. What wasn't nice to hear was the fact that they're pretty sure its the injectors giving me trouble.

I knew this was an expensive problem and it seems they do an extensive job when replacing, but wow I don't think I can quite commit the quoted $8k for them to do it. Sooooo I'm exploring other options for the time. Does anyone have experience doing the injectors on a 7.3PSD Van? Does $8k sound about right for the work, I was expecting something closer to $6 (not that that is much better)?

nemesisnight · 02-28-2019, 02:35 PM

If you know how to turn a wrench you can do it yourself. I knew nothing about diesels and did mine with some stock reman injectors by full force I ordered off Riff Raff Diesels site for like $1,100. Its hard to reach and kinda a pain but totally worth the savings, I have some info and pics in a thread. You would also need to replace your glow plugs, and I did quite a few other things while I was in there, New HPOP and new pump lines, new IPR, and a bunch of other sensors, rebuilt fuel bown, new lift pump (mine is a 96 so older), new turbo wheel, new 4" exhaust, etc, etc, etc, and even all those things only cost way less than half that quote. I was intimidated at first but after doing it I am glad I did, I learned alot and its not easy to reach anything but you can do it if I could with Zero experience. Here is my thread with some info you can read through.....

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...-3l-18837.html

longwool · 03-06-2019, 01:12 PM

Thanks for the advice, injector work is on the docket for this weekend. To be honest I'm going to try shimming the injectors before replacing them. All signs point to this solving my problem, and it would save quite a bit of money if it works out...seems like the risk is worth having to do the work twice so we will see.

In the meantime...here is the floorplan I am thinking. Nothing mind blowing, aluminum framing with ply skins. Kind of annoyed to be putting the bed sideways, but I am just shy of 6'2" and having both of us sleep diagonal doesn't seem worth it. The wood panel beside the bed will likely open up to clothing storage, and the stove on the counter will likely live in a drawer/cabinet. The dogs will be snoozing below us, and I will likely section off the area under the bed to separate gear storage out of the back. I will also likely add a captains swivel for the passenger and some sort of flip out table top for computer work.

BenJJ · 03-06-2019, 02:07 PM

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Originally Posted by longwool

Thanks for the advice, injector work is on the docket for this weekend. To be honest I'm going to try shimming the injectors before replacing them. All signs point to this solving my problem, and it would save quite a bit of money if it works out...seems like the risk is worth having to do the work twice so we will see.

In the meantime...here is the floorplan I am thinking. Nothing mind blowing, aluminum framing with ply skins. Kind of annoyed to be putting the bed sideways, but I am just shy of 6'2" and having both of us sleep diagonal doesn't seem worth it. The wood panel beside the bed will likely open up to clothing storage, and the stove on the counter will likely live in a drawer/cabinet. The dogs will be snoozing below us, and I will likely section off the area under the bed to separate gear storage out of the back. I will also likely add a captains swivel for the passenger and some sort of flip out table top for computer work.

Nice CAD work on the floor plan! Only thing I would say is that the bed platform looks pretty high. In my experience being able to at least sit up while in the bed is pretty important. Hard to tell if that is how you have it mocked up or not but something to be aware of as you build it out.

On a separate note, the first time I was really excited to only be 5' 10" was when I was building out my van and realized that meant I could sleep perpendicular and not parallel!

longwool · 03-06-2019, 02:30 PM

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Nice CAD work on the floor plan! Only thing I would say is that the bed platform looks pretty high. In my experience being able to at least sit up while in the bed is pretty important. Hard to tell if that is how you have it mocked up or not but something to be aware of as you build it out.

Yea! I'm not sure if I mentioned it previously but the van is getting a full time high-top. So the bed height as modeled is an estimate that should allow us to sit fully upright in the high top, but I will likely make some tweaks once the high top is on and insulated to make sure it works out.