getting a bit wound up when it rains... (1 Viewer)

[Ricardoe]

Hi everyone..got a funny one with my Hymer 544 classic..first noticed all sorts of strange readings when we were driving through the wildest thunderstorm last year..e.g.the water temp went to red and the brake warning light came on.After almost crapping myself i realised it must be moisture getting in the engine compartment.Gave it a good spay of WD 40...but it started again last week in heavy rain.For such a quality camper van it really does have the most pathetic bonnet and I was wondering if anyone knows of a fix to keep the rain out ,all there is ..is a rubber flap which the bonnet sort of sits on...any words of wisdom greatly appreciated...cheers lads and lassies

 

[movan]

I don't know if it helps at all but I am going to pay £150 to have my mh sealed underneath as I couldn't afford something to go wrong.

 

[EX51SSS]

I don't know if it helps at all but I am going to pay £150 to have my mh sealed underneath as I couldn't afford something to go wrong.

£150 is cheap particularly to keep those little ones away never mind the benefits

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[TUCANO]

Hi everyone..got a funny one with my Hymer 544 classic..first noticed all sorts of strange readings when we were driving through the wildest thunderstorm last year..e.g.the water temp went to red and the brake warning light came on.After almost crapping myself i realised it must be moisture getting in the engine compartment.Gave it a good spay of WD 40...but it started again last week in heavy rain.For such a quality camper van it really does have the most pathetic bonnet and I was wondering if anyone knows of a fix to keep the rain out ,all there is ..is a rubber flap which the bonnet sort of sits on...any words of wisdom greatly appreciated...cheers lads and lassies

Take it back to the dealer if it is a fairly new purchase or if not, can you buy a new rubber seal for the engine compartment.
I have an 06 plated B584 and have never experienced it on my van, lots of similar trouble with my previous Fiat x250 but that was another story !!
The best of luck and please keep us informed of the outcome.
Norman.

 

[DanielFord]

£150 is cheap particularly to keep those little ones away never mind the benefits

That is cheap, where are you having it done? I'm thinking about getting ours done, I was going to do it myself, but if I can get it done for £150, I'll get someone to do it for me!

 

[138go]

Take it the £150 is to have it undersealed .. Waxoil or something similar to stop the rot .. Don't think it will cure the electrical gremlins though but should keep the rust bugs away. Electrical gremlins are terrible things to find. Suppose best thing to do is get out when it starts and have a look with a decent torch and see if you can see whats getting wet. Wiring diagram maybe helpful as it may give you a clue where to look. More than likely the body computer terminals getting water on them. Wiring diagram will tell you which computer is connected to what. My guess is temp and brakes goto the same computer. Then it's just a case of keeping the water out.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Figaro]

I`m sure there was a thread on here a while ago about corroded terminals in a block connector, I think that one was going to the ECU so maybe a different one.
Cant remember where it was or anything else but it may be an indicator as to where to start looking

 

[GWAYGWAY]

My Transit cylinder head and injector were always wet as it pooled on the head when rain came in the front grill panel under the screen, the injector plugs were absolutely soaked. I made up a head water diverter and that cured the problem.

 

[tonyidle]

I've used black plastic to blank-off the 'HYMER' cutout (from the inside). The engine now stays clean and dry.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Ricardoe]

Thanks Gwaygway and Tonyidle..thats very interesting..any more details on keeping water out from where the bonnet sits, under the the winscreen would be great..Maybe I could see your van to check what you've done,if you're not too far from west mids!!..

 

[Ricardoe]

My Transit cylinder head and injector were always wet as it pooled on the head when rain came in the front grill panel under the screen, the injector plugs were absolutely soaked. I made up a head water diverter and that cured the problem.

Any chance you could show me what you did? Was is it for a Hymer

 

[Bart]

been there done that got the T Shirt with my X250

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Ricardoe]

You wouldn't like to enlarge on that ..would you sir?

 

[Ricardoe]

I've used black plastic to blank-off the 'HYMER' cutout (from the inside). The engine now stays clean and dry.

Any clues about how you fixed it..and what do you do with it when you check oil/water etc..thanks

 

[Charlie]

I don't know if it helps at all but I am going to pay £150 to have my mh sealed underneath as I couldn't afford something to go wrong.

Sealed in what way ?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Charlie]

That is cheap, where are you having it done? I'm thinking about getting ours done, I was going to do it myself, but if I can get it done for £150, I'll get someone to do it for me!

Word of caution.... Having the underside of a vehicle "sealed" can unless its done absolutely perfectly and in dry conditions with the treated areas absolutely clean and bone dry can cause huge problems ! I cannot emphasize this enough !

 

[JeanLuc]

What vintage is your B544? The engine compartment in my 2003 B630 always stays relatively dry. I did, however, have a problem a couple of years back when I repeatedly found quite a lot of water in the engine bay. The foam that sits up under the top was often soaking and I though the problem was the bonnet seal. Then I discovered that the water was coming in from the windscreen and running down the inside of the side wall at the front. Autoglas sent their HGV/motorhome team out to reseal it and the problem was solved. This applies to the 2000-2005 vintage B-class with a rubber moulding that holds the windscreen. 2006 > vans have a bonded windscreen. The job cost me just over £100 as I recall.

 

[Ricardoe]

Hi..JeanLuc..Its a 2002 Classic and I'm pretty sure the windscreen doesn't leak,but this morning I'll whip the bonnet off and check.cheersmate

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[movan]

Sealed in what way ?

Hi Charlie ... I am not sure what they using will find out next week by phone and let you know .. if you don't mind .. would appreciate your opinion.

They DID say that if I booked in and the weather bad that they couldn't do it and in any case would have to keep in for two days ... (which gives me palpitations ... I have to trust my baby to someone else to drive )

Aside, the small 'garage' ie locker outside ghe van which goes under the rear bed in the van .. is showing signs of damp and mildew ..poss coming up from road when driving .. I presume that a seal will help stop this?

 

[Charlie]

Hi Charlie ... I am not sure what they using will find out next week by phone and let you know .. if you don't mind .. would appreciate your opinion.

They DID say that if I booked in and the weather bad that they couldn't do it and in any case would have to keep in for two days ... (which gives me palpitations ... I have to trust my baby to someone else to drive )

Aside, the small 'garage' ie locker outside ghe van which goes under the rear bed in the van .. is showing signs of damp and mildew ..poss coming up from road when driving .. I presume that a seal will help stop this?

Sealing the underside of a vehicle requires work carried out to an exacting standard.

The underside needs to steam cleaned extremely well. And areas that have even the slightest signs of surface rust need careful preparation to eradicate it . The underside then needs to be absolutely dry ! No moisture must remain whatsoever !! This is vitally important because and moisture or rust will get trapped and will in time cause far more problems than if the vehicle had been left alone.

This is not quite as vital if waxoil is used but waxoil is not classes as a sealer. Anyway waxoil requires doing every couple of years .

With respect £150 is nowhere near enough to do even a small car let alone a motor home. The sealer alone would cost at least half of that. It must be ensured that something like Dinitrol is used. Use a cheap sealer and it can cause simply massive damage.

Sorry it's all negatives but this is a very important thing to get right !

 

[movan]

Sealing the underside of a vehicle requires work carried out to an exacting standard.

The underside needs to steam cleaned extremely well. And areas that have even the slightest signs of surface rust need careful preparation to eradicate it . The underside then needs to be absolutely dry ! No moisture must remain whatsoever !! This is vitally important because and moisture or rust will get trapped and will in time cause far more problems than if the vehicle had been left alone.

This is not quite as vital if waxoil is used but waxoil is not classes as a sealer. Anyway waxoil requires doing every couple of years .

With respect £150 is nowhere near enough to do even a small car let alone a motor home. The sealer alone would cost at least half of that. It must be ensured that something like Dinitrol is used. Use a cheap sealer and it can cause simply massive damage.

Sorry it's all negatives but this is a very important thing to get right !

Thanks Charlie .. your honesty is appreciated .. don't know what to do now.

You have given me something to think about. Around what price should I expect to pay for say the Dinitrol?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Charlie]

Thanks Charlie .. your honesty is appreciated .. don't know what to do now.

You have given me something to think about. Around what price should I expect to pay for say the Dinitrol?

Dinitrol is a good quality product. The cost depends on the size of the vehicle. The trade should be able to buy it at half the cost we can. Nevertheless I reckon between 70 and a 100 quid for the Dinitrol alone. That's if of course it's Dintrol they are using.

The real cost of a job like this is the preparation. The results of the job are entirely dependant on the quality of the prep. .

 

[Ricardoe]

Take it back to the dealer if it is a fairly new purchase or if not, can you buy a new rubber seal for the engine compartment.
I have an 06 plated B584 and have never experienced it on my van, lots of similar trouble with my previous Fiat x250 but that was another story !!
The best of luck and please keep us informed of the outcome.
Norman.

So Norman at the w/e me and the missus fixed a cover(like a windscreen sun shield) from underneath the rubber seal down over the engine,so that the wet coming down on to the seal behind the bonnet runs off .What has totally bemazzled me is..with a gap either side at the ends of the seal,how there wasn't actually a bigger problem when it rains!

 

[Ricardoe]

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[TUCANO]

Ricardoe,
That seal looks well due for replacement and if it was my van I would attend to the bracket above it, bonnet catch is it !!
I don't know too much about your van but the bonnet appears to have the Hymer logo mounted on the bonnet face whereas my van, as tonyidle was suggesting, has the logo cut out of the bonnet with just a mesh behind it, lots or rain has free access.
Good luck with the problem, there is always something.