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smurf

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Posts posted by smurf

  1. Powering an electric heater from a battery is not really a viable option. I just looked at the stats of a Bluetti 1800W, and it only has a little over 1100Whr of power, which is just over 2 hours running a 500W heater. 

     

    A diesel heater would be better for heating, especially if you are considering going off grid in winter, and a small gas stove might be simpler for boiling water. 

  2. An alternator is another name for an AC generator. When applied to cars, what most people are talking about is the small generator ultimately responsible for providing the 12V required to charge the battery and power the 12V systems.

     

    The Alphard hybrid does have an alternator, but it is not powering the 12V system. It is actually a starter/generator that is used to start the engine under certain conditions, and I believe it acts as a generator when needed to help charge the hybrid battery at tickover. 

  3. There is no alternator on the hybrid. There is a DC-DC converter that (on my 2003 hybrid) outputs 13.9V when the ignition is on, with the supply coming from the hybrid battery. 13.6V should be absolutely fine to keep everything powered up, but it could be a indicator of gremlins at play. 

     

    Is your OBD scanner compatible with JOBD? Even if it is, it might be worth getting techstream and a minivci cable as you could check live data and see what is going on. It also might pick up codes that a generic reader has missed. 

  4. 39 minutes ago, SYL said:

    Hi Gary,

    I can't have Protected no claims because I only have 2 years on campervan. 

     

    The small print says my immobiliser needs to be Thatcham approved how do I know if it is if it is a factory fitted one?

    The factory fitted immobiliser won't be Thatcham approved. 

     

    I'm insured with Caravan Guard. They take a lot of details, but it means nothing is left to chance. The only downside with them is that it does have to a professional conversion and they do ask who did it. If it isn't on their list they won't offer cover. I can't remember the cost off the top of my head, but it was very reasonable. 

  5. The lack of gas does need resolving. Knowing what pre-charge pressure it should be set to will be a challenge as it doesn't appear to be published anywhere. Contacting Tein ú in in Japan might the best way to find out. 

     

    From the photos I've seen there appears to be no pressure sensors fitted to the gas side of the suspension, so the controller wouldn't have a clue what the pressure is. I would expect low tank pressure to be related to the hydraulic pump. It doesn't look like the system holds much of a reservoir of oil, so if the bladders are empty of gas then that is more volume to be filled with oil before it can begin to build pressure, and if there isn't much spare oil in the system it just isn't going to work.

     

    Look for hydraulic maintenance specialists near you. The chances are that they will have the gear to recharge accumilators and it should be easy for them to charge up your suspension, so long as they know what pressure they are aiming for.

    • Like 1
  6. 23 hours ago, Alphie said:

    Well I still haven't got around to changing them but have decided on these https://www.autojapspares.co.uk/toyota-alphard-heavy-duty-20-rear-coil-springs--rear-gas-shock-absorbers-35792-p.asp from Auto Jap Spares for when I do. They are heavy duty & so should recover the ride height I seem to have lost due to the extra weight of the campervan conversion.

    I wouldn't bother with buying and changing the shock absorbers unless you feel the need to as they have no affect on the ride height. You could remove them totally and the car will sit at the same height.

  7. Nationwide Flex plus+ current account. £18 a month and it gives personal AA European breakdown cover with no age limit on the vehicle, and Alphards are well inside the AAs size limits. It also has travel insurance and gadget insurance.

     

    I simply opened the account and pay the monthly fee. No need to actually use the account or transfer your existing current account to get the benefits. 

  8. Both those faults should be easy to do some checks on. Battery voltage is easy enough to check. If it is low, it is possibly a fault with the dc-dc converter. You might not be aware, but the hybrid doesn't have an alternator in the conventional sense, the power for the 12V system ultimately comes from hybrid battery and is lowered to 13.9V to charge/power the 12V systems. I would expect there to be other tell take signs of low voltage such as locks not working, stereo not working, lights not working, etc. 

     

    The open circuit in the stop light switch could be a red herring due to low voltage, but the switch is easily checked. 

     

    If you have Toyota techstream it will give access to far more information.

     

    It might be something as simple as a duff 12V battery, of course, or a loose battery terminal. Hopefully it is something simple. 

  9. Could be worth getting a new radiator cap. The coolant is released into the expansion tank as the engine warms up, and is drawn back in when it cools. However, if the cap is not sealing properly when the engine is not fully up to temperature it will spit hot water out until the cap seals. 

    • Like 3
  10. Coming back to this old post after a year, as I have finally managed to get the fob programmed. 

     

    Tried techstream last year but there is nothing in it that I could find for programming up this type of fob. Tried the door and key hokey cokey and never managed to get it to work. I gave up, and forgot about it. 

     

    Last night I was delving around in the original Japanese Toyota workshop manual for the gen 1, for no particular reason, and I came across the instructions. This is specific to the pre-facelift gen 1 and it is as simple as following the "Remote Program" instructions attached to the opening post but in step 10 where it tells you press lock and unlock together replace step 10 in its entirety with "press the R button for 1 second and release, and within 3 seconds press the R button again for 1 second and release". If it has worked the door locks will cycle locked and unlocked once. If they cycle twice it hasn't worked. 

    • Like 1
  11. It is possible to add a gas strut, like you find on boot doors, to assist with lifting the bed back into place. I don't think there is any kind of off the shelf kit, it would have to be bought to suit.

     

    There are also electric rock and roll beds that have a motor to drive the bed up and down. 

     

    I find the best method of getting the bed back up is to pull on the cord (assuming you have a cord attached to the bed?) and then give the front edge of the bed a good shove with my legs. Trying to get the bed to lift upwards by pulling a cord at an angle is never going to be easy to do, but this combination gets the initial movement it needs and then allows it to go back into the upright position easily. 

  12. That is a fair point, but for another £5 there are UK sellers getting it to you in 2-3 days. 

     

    I think over a 100% markup over other sellers retail price is more than just making money, but people have choices so it is up to them is they think the convenience is worth another £55 on top. 

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