Category Archives: T4

Always trying to stay ahead of the curve, the T4 used all the automotive design enhancements that had occurred in the last 10 years. The very essence of Volkswagen usability.

Another one in the bag! Club camp completed – BusFest

The Club on tour – Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire

September 9 to 11 2022

Well, we did it! Over 100 club members and their families were in the club field plus a few elsewhere. Burgers, bacon butties, teas, coffees, biscuits.

Over 40 new members and a lot of renewals down at the membership stand.

6 new people onto the newly renamed Management Team.

Everyone seems to have a fabulous time and we handed out bubbly prizes to the winners of “Best van”, “Best van interior” and “Best van story” to club members as voted by club members.

Ask The Mechanic – Gas use

There were no questions for The Mechanic
this issue, but with the weather tuning cold
and some members continuing to use their
campervan through the seasons, that means
heating. There are gas heaters on the market
and these are becoming more affordable. Gas
is also used for cooking in many campervans,
so it’s time to talk gas safety!

Types of Gas
Let’s start by looking at the different types of gas
available in the UK and beyond.
All European countries have their
own gas bottle suppliers and each
of these have their own regulators
and adaptors. Campingaz is
available all through Europe in
small bottles which is great for
quick trips or for solo travellers. We (Editors) use
campingaz 907 bottles as they’re fairly readily
available in the UK and abroad and they fit nicely
in the cupboard under our storage trunk!
LPG (or Liquid Petroleum Gas) is the most
common kind used in campervans and motor
homes and it comes in two types; Propane
and Butane. Without going into the differences
between them in chemical structure, here are the
main differences:
Propane
‹ Usually used in vehicles where multiple
appliances will be running off it.
‹ Ideal for cold climates as it operates down
to -40°C!
‹ It’s much lighter and less dense than Butane.
Butane
‹ Operates more efficiently than Propane.
‹ It’s denser than propane, so a bottle of the
same size will hold more gas.
‹ Butane can’t be used at temperatures below
0°C (It cools down to a liquid state).
Different appliances may need one or the other of
the main LPGs to operate effectively, so it’s always
worth checking that before you buy.
Gas Safety Rules
‹ The standard that applies to campervans is
BS EN 1949: 2001 + A1:2013. If you ever want
more information, it is worth looking that up.
‹ There isn’t the same level of regulations
for fitting gas and gas appliances to motor
homes and campervans as there is to houses,
but would still recommend that anyone
installing an appliance is registered.
‹ If you’re installing gas appliances into
your campervan, the British Standard isn’t
mandatory, unless you’re going to be hiring
that vehicle out.
‹ If you are going to be hiring, ensuring that
everything is compliant with the law is down
to you, just as it would be if you owned a
house or flat that you were renting out.
‹ You’re allowed to undertake work yourself
if you’re not a registered gas engineer, as
long as you’re competent. (The definition
of competence is vague, but you’ve got
to ask yourself whether you’d be happy
to undertake the work and have the
responsibility on your shoulders).
‹ There’s a lot that could potentially go wrong,
and the stakes are certainly
high, so it may well
be worth getting a
registered engineer
to fit it.
‹ Registered gas engineers can charge
anywhere between £30 and £100 an hour,
but it’s worth looking around in your area if
and when you need one.

Top Tips for Gas Safety
‹ Ensure the gas is turned off before you travel.
‹ If you’re using your vehicle for work purposes
and carrying compressed gas, you must show
a sticker to alert people.
‹ If you’re not using your vehicle for work, but
still carry compressed gas, it is advised to have
a warning sticker displayed whilst carrying
the gas.
‹ Unless your campervan or motor home has
a rotating rooftop device, you’re limited to
carrying two 10 litre bottles of gas in the UK.
‹ All flammable gasses must be carried upright
at all times.
‹ Make sure you’ve got a Carbon Monoxide
alarm. They might not be stylish, but they’re
potentially lifesaving.
‹ Note that LPG gasses are heavier than air, so
will form a ‘puddle’ on the ground in the event
of a leak.
‹ Floor vents must be kept clear.
‹ If parked up in snow/mud/etc then ensure
that the vents aren’t blocked.
‹ Changing the bottle is the most dangerous
time, always make sure that you know how to
remove and fit the regulator and keep
well away from naked flames when
changing the bottle.
‹ Don’t use a naked flame to look for a leak
(sounds obvious!) and check for pipe leaks by
using water and washing up liquid solution,
bubbles will appear at a leak.
‹ Make sure you have a fire blanket and/or fire
extinguisher, as well as a fire alarm.
‹ If you’ve got an older VW it is recommended
to carry an extinguisher any way, in case of a
dreaded engine fire. Can you really have too
many extinguishers in an old VW?
The rules and tips for gas safety aren’t
complicated and if you keep to them, the use of
gas in your campervan is perfectly safe and an
excellent resource.

Ask The Mechanic – Windscreen wiper condition

This issue, The Mechanic takes a look at
an often overlooked but important issue,
windscreen wiper condition.


Windscreen
wipers are an
invaluable part
of any vehicle,
providing
the driver
with a clear,
unobstructed
view of the
road when it
is needed most. Whether it is rain, sleet, snow or
leaves covering your windscreen, the wiper blades
will quickly and efficiently clear the obstruction,
meaning you can continue your journey in safety.
However, of all the parts of a car which are subject
to wear and tear, windscreen wipers are perhaps
the most fragile. Manufactured from thin rubber,
they are designed to operate smoothly on the
windscreen without damaging the surface of
the glass, yet despite their fragility they are often
required on a daily basis, possibly for long periods
of time during wet weather. In winter they
become frozen to the glass and in summer they
are used to help to clean the windscreen, while
being subjected to high temperatures. It is hardly
surprising then, that windscreen wipers do not
last indefinitely and require regular replacement.
Often the need to replace wipers is overlooked,
although regular servicing and MOT testing
should identify if they are becoming worn.
However, rather than relying on these tests to
assess the condition of the blades, car owners
should be aware of the common signs that the
windscreen wipers are failing, especially with
autumn upon us. So what are they?
Streaking: blades that are in good condition
should clear the rainwater from the windscreen
effortlessly, in one complete action.
This means there should be no streaks of water
where the blade has failed to make contact with
the glass.
Unusual noises: windscreen wipers should
operate with minimal noise or ideally should
be silent. Sounds such as squeaks, screeches
or scrapes could indicate that the blades have
become worn.
Irregular movement: wiper blades which are in
good condition will move smoothly across the
windscreen. As they become worn over time,
you may notice that the blades judder
on operation which is an indication that
replacement may be necessary.
Ragged or distorted blades: visually inspecting
the condition of the windscreen wipers should
be a weekly task for all vehicle owners. By
lifting the arms of the wipers away from the
windscreen, you can quickly assess the condition
of the rubber. Ragged, jagged or distorted edges,
where the blade makes contact with the glass,
should prompt you to replace them immediately.
Worn blades may not only hinder your vision, but
can also damage your windscreen, which will in
turn not only cost you dearly in a replacement
screen, but also hinder your vision even more,
making it dangerous to drive with the vehicle in
such a condition.
Replacement blades can be picked up very
cheaply for all types of van, so there is no excuse
not to check yours and change if required, but
remember… “Buy Nice or Buy Twice”.

Ask The Mechanic – T4 CLUTCH PEDAL SUPPORT BRACKET

The Mechanic features some technical
talk every issue and welcomes member
submissions.
This issue, The Mechanic takes a look at a very
common problem for the T4 Transporter and
how to fix or prevent it from occurring.

A common
problem that
T4’s and their
owners’ suffer
from is the clutch
pedal mounting
bracket cracking.
This in turn then
causes the clutch
master cylinder
to become loose
and move. This may not be a huge problem
in the beginning, but it will eventually break
away completely, leaving you without a
working clutch in your T4 van. As well as the
damaged pedal, it can also damage the master
cylinder beyond repair and/or crack the pipe
work, covering your foot well and footwear in
corrosive brake/clutch fluid.


There is a quick
and affordable
repair/prevention
method by fitting
an additional
angled bracket
that strengthens
the existing pedal bracket. The kits are readily
available online and can be found with a quick
search. The kits contain an angled bracket, three
M8 bolts (one longer than the other two), an M8
nyloc nut and four washers (one larger than the
other three).
Fitting Guide
1 Start off under the bonnet and locate your
brake servo unit. It is the big round unit below
the brake master cylinder and brake fluid
reservoir.
2 Remove the M8 bolt (13mm head) from
the lower right side of your brake servo and
replace it with the longest of the three M8
bolts supplied in the kit, along with the largest
M8 washer.
3 Now move inside the car and into the driver’s
foot well. Locate your clutch master cylinder,
located between the clutch and brake pedals
and remove the two M8 mounting bolts
(13mm heads).
4 Place the new clutch pedal support bracket
into position, ensuring that it goes over the
protruding bulkhead bolt you first fitted. Now
loosely fit the bracket to the clutch master
cylinder using the two remaining M8 bolts
and small M8 washers supplied in the kit with
your support bracket.
5 Now fit the other small M8 washer and M8
nyloc nut to the longer bulkhead bolt you
fitted earlier and tighten.
6 Now tighten the two clutch master cylinder
bolts you fitted loosely earlier.
7 Job complete. Enjoy a strong clutch pedal
and relax knowing that this failure has been
repaired or prevented

Club Event – RAF Odiham Family Day 2021

Can it be a year already?

August 14th 2021 saw the return of RAF Odiham’s Family
Day. The club had several vans in attendance as
part of the show’s classic car event and members
camped for the weekend at a nearby pub.
The day involved displays from resident
Chinooks, Typhoons and also the Red Arrows,
who put on an excellent 40 minute display.
This event is getting better and better each
year and we are privileged as a club to be invited
to attend.
Photo credit to David Eaton.

Another one in the bag! Club camp completed – Odiham

The Club on tour – Just Kampers, Odiham, Hampshire

June 10 to 12 2022

6 members were in the dedicated club field with more coming over to say Hello. 15 new members joined on the day, lots of money raised for charity for the Phyllis Tuckwell hospice. Live music from multiple bands, open air cinema on Friday (Breakdance) and Saturday (Karate kid), a big raffle with prizes worth up to £700 each.

Another great weekend at JK.

Another one in the bag! Club camp completed – Banbury

The Club on tour – Barnstones Caravan and Camping Park, Banbury, Oxon

May 12th to 16th 2022 saw the Club’s annual AGM, BBQ and Club Camp (ABC camp) in Great Bourton. Convenient for the M40 allowing many people to join us, we had nearly 30 vehicles after some late dropouts due to mechanical trouble. Over 60 people spent the weekend together with a lot of laughter, plenty of burgers and maybe the odd glass of something.

In addition to the AGM and BBQ, we also had the FA cup final televised in one gazebo, Eurovision later in the evening and some singing from our resident jazz singer Lorna.

On the plus side, 5 people joined the Committee. On the minus side, Derek Leary stepped down from the Committee after several decades shaping the Club into what it is today. We’ll miss you Derek (and Christie).

Upcoming event – Just Kampers Weekend! – 10th to 12th June 2022

The hugely popular JK Weekender is back! Having been cancelled due to COVID, last year’s tickets are still valid in a rollover way to this year.

Set in a field next to the JK headquarters just outside Odiham in Hampshire, Mark and the team give us a chilled out, music, outdoor evening movies, stalls, displays and of course their shop.

Our club enjoys a dedicated club field for members only which includes a disabled toilet. We get plenty of space in a prime position and the club lays on a club tent for congregating is you feel sociable plus we are doing our famous BBQ on Saturday evening – come and get a free burger and have a natter!

If you are lucky, our very own Events Manager Lorna will be singing again! Check out the Events page on this site or see the latest edition of Transporter Talk

See the source image



See the source image

Another one in the bag! Club camp completed – Cheddar

The Club on tour – Petruth Paddocks, Cheddar, Somerset
April 22 to 25 2022

The first club camp of the season saw us down in the pretty down of Cheddar at Petruth Paddocks, hosted by the wonderful Jules.

What did you miss? Burgers, fire pit, marshmallows, bacon baps. Cheddar village, Cheddar gorge, the caves. Locally made cheese, 16 club member dogs, 33 adults, 2 children, live singer on Friday and Saturday and a lot of laughter.

Here is some feedback from a member:

“We have been VWT2OC members for a few years but had not previously got involved in meetings or attending camps. What have we been missing? The St George’s camp at Cheddar over the weekend was a fantastic event. The campsite was beautiful, clean and friendly; the club negotiated camping rates that could not be beaten; the Saturday evening social around the firepits, with burgers provided and lovely entertainment from Lorna was fantastic; and the coffee, tea and bacon rolls provided on Sunday morning was very welcome. I had nothing to do than enjoy myself. Big shout out to Lorna Williamson, Nick Gillott, Malcolm Marchbank and Val Lewis for all the hard work planning, organising and delivering the camp. You are stars. We were already booked in for the May BBQ & AGM, now we are looking forward to it more than ever.”

Here are some photos from the weekend:

Ask The Mechanic – Checking spark plugs

An article from Chairman Malcolm Marchbank

Spring has sprung and those classics will be
starting to come out of hibernation. After months
in the garage with the occasional start up to
keep it ticking over, your engine can suffer. I have
personally experienced this after months of an
engine sitting during restoration work and being
moved from one side of a workshop to another.
Once the work was complete, trying to drive
away from the workshop, my T2 Bay Campervan
wouldn’t accelerate down the road. Reason –
fouled spark plugs.

I have also had a spark plug with a closed gap
(don’t even ask how that happened, but it
involved losing part of the carburettor through
the engine… lucky it didn’t do any other damage!)
The condition of your spark plugs can make a
massive difference to the running of your engine,
so it’s worth checking them every so often,
especially after a period of time unused.
Hopefully the following information will help to
make you a spark plug expert.
Before starting work on checking your plugs, it is
helpful to have the right tools to hand; accessing
the rear two spark plugs at cylinders 1 and 3
can be a real fiddle, especially on later twin-port
engines where access is further compromised
by the inlet manifolds. A short 21mm socket and
universal joint may give you a bit more flexibility.
When checking the plugs, it can help to remove
each lead and plug individually so that you don’t
get them mixed up. This will cause an incorrect
firing order and your engine will not run.
When removing the ignition lead from the plug,
be sure to pull it off by the connector, not the lead
itself, as you’ll run the risk of pulling the lead off
the connector (trust me!)
If you notice any damage to a connector or if a
lead is a lose fit, it is best to go out and buy a new
HT lead set.
Make sure you have the socket on the plug
properly when you’re undoing them and it’s also
best to do all this while the engine is cold to avoid
burning yourself!
Once the plug is out, take a good look. Is it brown,
grey, sooty or oily? If the engine is running right,
it should be light brown or grey. If it is sooty but
dry, your engine is running rich and not burning
all the fuel. If the insulator is white and flaky then
your engine is running too lean. Either way, you’ll
need to tune your carb to adjust the fuel/air
mixture.
If the plug is wet and oily, there are a couple of
possibilities. The first is that you’re not getting
a spark, in which case you may have noticed
a misfire. If this is the case, check the HT lead
connection at the plug and also where it pushes
into the top of the distributor cap.
A worse scenario is that your engine has worn
piston rings and/or valve guides, which means a
rebuild is on the cards. If there is serious carbon
build up on the plug, or what looks like molten
bits of metal, chances are your ignition timing is
out.
Whatever their condition, while the plugs are out
of the engine they will benefit from a good clean
up using a brass wire brush. While you are at it,
check the spark plug gaps using a feeler gauge.
For most air cooled engines the gap should be
0.024” or 0.6mm, however check your workshop
manual because the gap will be different on
some engines. If the gap is correct, the gauge
should slip in and out without much resistance.
If it is too loose, you can adjust it with a gentle
squeeze in a vice to close it slightly, or if the gap is
too tight, carefully prise open the contact with a
flat bladed screwdriver.
Spark plugs should be checked every 3000 miles
and replaced every 10,000 miles as part of your
service routine. If you suspect a poor running
engine there is no harm fitting new ones sooner,
they are relatively cheap for a set.
When refitting, always start screwing the plug
back in by hand, only using the socket for the
final tightening, otherwise you risk forcing a cross
thread. If you feel any resistance early on, unscrew
and carefully try again