Engine Light

Hi I have a 2001 1.3Litre Pick-up with a Romahome demountable body.
ince I bought it a year ago I have done about 7K - during the summer a trip from home (Cornwall) to Scotland as far as Pitlochery.
The front end has been restyled by Steve Deacon at Style_A_Van so it has the mini dub look. This has solved the atrocious headlight problem I used to have - it now has 7 inch Lucas units and a 2 tone spray job.

However I do have a problem. An intermitent amber engine light comes on sometimes constant - and flashes under load climbing hills - no problem engine running sweet as a nut - no power loss etc. How do I fix it or do I just leave it?

Jon

Spend a tenner on an OBD reader, plug it in and find out? EML on will now fail the MOT. My guess is the tps.
And welcome, there's a wee section for introducing yourself, makes things seem so much more polite.

Had the same problem with mine. The truck would run fine for weeks, then under load the light would come on. Bought a cheap OBD and readings said a couple of misfires in cylinders. Put in decent plugs and (touch wood) no reoccurrence.
Steve

welcome
like logi said why not introduce yourself?
7 inch lights are the same as my carry, you have a lot of cool aftermarked lights you could fit.
like vw golf 2 lights they sell angel eyes/crosshair/blackedout/chrome etc

i would love to see some pictures from your pickup.

Hi posted in the Intro Board.

I have already replaced the plugs, air filter, and oil filter each change. I will put an OBD reader on or use the analyser when I am in Ubique - a DiY Garage in Helston - I am changing the clutch but Reg has all the gear which is included in the bay charge. And FREE COFFEE!!!
Jon

I always thought that the EML when lit will only go out when the code had been cleared by an OBD? Certainly the case with past problems on my Porter and Ford Connect
Steve

Hi Steve. Long time no talk. I don't suppose you have got LPG on your van Steve. I can't remember. If you have then flick over to LPG for 5 to 10 seconds and the light will go out. LPG burns hotter and burns the soot off the Lamda Sensor which keeps putting your Orange Magic Light On.

If you don't have LPG then two other alternatives - give it a good hard flat out blast for a few miles. Then stop and turn it off and then restart and usually the light stays out. It usually comes on when idling from cold or stuck in traffic idling.
Going uphill in too high a gear can cause it too. Let the engine rev.
Second option is change the Lamba sensor. That should sort it.

Third option - and this was told me by Daihatsu UK when I was Service and Warranties Manager for Romahome - regarding brand new vehicles bare in mind -

IGNORE IT. IT WILL GO OUT EVENTUALLY. I had this on my MPV on a trip from Milton Keynes to Tamworth and I had no LPG to switch over to so just ran on with
Petrol and the light eventually went out. It comes on now and again now when I have left the van warming up on a cold morning. Flick over to LPG driving up the road for 5 seconds and out it goes.

Woodie So I need a new Lamba sensor? - Is this the one in the exhaust?

LPG I am intrigued is it worth fitting? my truck is like yours Romahome demountable body on 1.3 petrol. I get about 30 to the gallon - 33 on Mways some say I am heavy footed. On the up side I would also save by plumbing the cooker in - cheaper than Camping Gaz!
I am trying to think where the LPG and small petrol tank would be mounted.
Jon

In two words. FORGET IT. Its far too much work. I have got three Pick-ups here WITH LPG Set-up. There is only one man in the Country who is authorised to fit and repair Prins LPG Systems and he is in Poole in Dorset. He is the business but as one of your Cullompton, Devon, Neighbours found out very expensive as one would expect of a Specialist.

The LPG Tank sits on the chassis in front of the rear wheel on the Drivers side. Petrol tank remains the original one with the spare wheel under it.

You have two Lambda sensors on your vehicle. One on the Exhaust Manifold which can be a right pig to get undone. The other is on the Silencer after the Cat. Much less trouble than the front one to Undo.
But as regards the wiring up of a non-genuine Lambda I am not getting drawn into that discussion again.

You could remove the one on the Silencer and give it a good wire brushing and then blow out with an Airline ( Compressor - not a Boeing 747 as some of the comedians on here may point out). If that does the trick for a while then start saving for a couple of Lamda Sensors.

When that presumably does the trick - you can dance the LAMBADA all around your van.

Woodie thanks for the reply
OK so I start looking for Lambda sensors - I assume from your post they cost an arm and leg.

So LPG is OUT deffo out as that space in front of Right Hand rear wheel is occupied by my 110 amphour leisure battery. I'll do a search for the posts on non genuine Lambda
Jon

Have you got WhatsApp on your Mobile? Send me your your mobile number or at worst send your email address.
thehijetmaniow@gmail.com
I will send you some places to buy from.

Hi Woodie , still around! Mine is a Porter pickup, petrol. Don’t get the light problem with mine anymore, changed plugs and ‘drive’ it now instead of being lazy and letting it Labour up hills. I also keep it pretty loaded.

It's not too hard a job to put the battery on the passenger side anyway. All you need is another original Daihatsu carrier and using Threaded Crimp Rivets fix it to the chassis. That is what I did with mine. I made up a new loom and strapped it alongside the out side of the chassis until it comes to the tube welded through the chassis rail from one side to the other and threaded the loom through to the original 7 pin socket fitting to the chassis on the offside rear. That is the safest way to do it if you did decide to go down the LPG Route.

I always thought that having a 12 volt battery inside the living quarters was a dodgy idea anyway. Hydrogen gas can escape from the battery and in an enclosed area like a bunk you must have ventilation holes with plastic grilles on them. I have got hundreds of the original Romahome grilles.

Original Romahome's had the battery in the offside rear bunk in a Plastic Bread Box essentially anyway, with a cloth strap to hold the lid on. A plastic box ain't going to contain an exploding battery.
I have had my unfair share of them over the years. LETHAL!!!

Woody decided LPG not worth the problems.
My big battery is fine on the RH side of the chassis - could not agree with you more on the subject of onoard batteries being a stupid idea. On smallmotorhome forum someone who has a NuSurf has his battery in the same underseat locker as his blown air heater. Some sort of "brain fade" on the part of the designers.

My split charge wiring follows the same route using the cross chassis tube. Is your Romahome the same as mine - fixed windows? The build number on mine is only a 3 figure number 142 but most appear to have a 6 figure number. As you live on the IoW maybe you know more than we do. On the smallmotorhome forum we have been trying to compile a register.

Jon

For romahomes Woody is you man! He was the service man for Romahomes and dealt with well you name it, build, develop, maintain etc. He has a wealth of info... most of it locked inside his head.

Raggy wrote:For romahomes Woody is you man! He was the service man for Romahomes and dealt with well you name it, build, develop, maintain etc. He has a wealth of info... most of it locked inside his head.

Thank you for telling me that Raggy, I had guessed Woody might have links to Romahomes which is why I mentioned the smallmotor home forum of which I am also a member a part of Small Motor Home website.  There are alot of Rpmahome owners and even a section for the Romini caravans which Island Plastics (makers of Romahome) also produced.  There are also self builders on that site you may find it worth a look - not so good on the HiJet side although among the downloads available is a full HiJet workshop manual , also downloads of many Romahome manuals.

BTW I thought your spoiler is pretty good - it would not suit my van but then driving with a shoebox on the back is not everyone's thing  Once again thank you Jon

Yes, seen that website before and the downloads. Woody might be interested in it re the Romah9me history.

I have just written a huge essay out for a second time - the first time I had a phone call on this my Sony Z4 Tablet and lost the whole ruddy lot. I am not writing it all out again for a third time. I am so peed off with this useless sites ability to save a message when something else crops up - like another post that I have had enough of the aggravation this causes and the time I spend answering members questions is just a waste of my time. Can't be bothered anymore. Now I know why Highly-Jetted went underground and Logi has all but done that and many more I can think of like Rich the Mechanic, D1noh, Waz and many others gone completely.

What about using the app instead of the website?

Don't waste your money on an OBD2 Meter. Yours is a 2001. The Diagnostics Socket wasn't fitted until 2002.

Woodie wrote:Don't waste your money on an OBD2 Meter. Yours is a 2001. The Diagnostics Socket wasn't fitted until 2002.

I thought so according to my workshop manual there is a socket behind the dash and I connect the brown and Black/white wires to tread fault codes as flashes. There is also a socket under the dash below where the master cylinder is - I'll get a photo and post it. There appears to be a sticker relating to this socket on the passenger door.

Jon

Woodie wrote:I have just written a huge essay out for a second time - the first time I had a phone call on this my Sony Z4 Tablet and lost the whole ruddy lot. I am not writing it all out again for a third time. I am so peed off with this useless sites ability to save a message when something else crops up - like another post that I have had enough of the aggravation this causes and the time I spend answering members questions is just a waste of my time. Can't be bothered anymore. Now I know why Highly-Jetted went underground and Logi has all but done that and many more I can think of like Rich the Mechanic, D1noh, Waz and many others gone completely.

Woody what I do is write lengthy things using OpenOffice writer, save as rtf and when finished, and editted. choose (select all) (copy) and then paste onto the opened post.

Jon

Don't be stupid!!! You might just as well talk to me in Urdu. Only thing I have got for cutting is a huge Chop Saw and Polycel for pasting.

I have just about forgotten most of "War and Peace" I wrote you last night. I had a really tough day yesterday. My mother in law died exactly 2 weeks ago up in Peterborough so wife is like a time bomb, and my mum is in Hospital down in Merthyr Tydfil ( the epicentre of the Earthquake in Wales yesterday) having been diagnosed with a brain tumor ( my baby sister also has one). I had spent 45 minutes on the phone to the hospital yesterday afternoon and got nowhere despite a Password having been set up and never got to speak to her first or last.
No criticism of the NHS Staff at all. They do a wonderful job but just need 3 times the amount of trained staff and their wages doubling - the lower paid ones I mean.

Anyway I will try again to answer your questions. The Mk1 Romahome body you have is most certainly from an early Honda having got fixed side windows. I have got new Window Rubber and Expander Strip in stock if yours is pretty Manky.

I also have two BRAND NEW STABLE DOOR DOUBLE GLAZED UNITS TOO. I have new back door handles and lock, the black metal turn locks on the inside of the Stable Door for when you are inside at night for additional security. New electric water pumps, foot operated water pumps, a couple of Sink Top Covers/Worksurface, Aluminium Swivel Taps, Number Plate Lights, cupboard door catches ( the little white Nylon ones) Outside black Stable door catches for holding the top of the stable door open, the folding table support legs, and even the Body Cab Window blanking plates to seal the body up should you need to Demount the body AND THE DE-MOUNTING LEGS, Rear wind down corner steadys, lots more bits and pieces AND a ROMAHOME SUPPLIED complete STAINLESS STEEL TWIN SILENCER EXHAUST SYSTEM where the tailpipe exits IN FRONT OF THE NEARSIDE REAR WHEEL rather than covering the Fibreglass body work of the Galley wall with black soot and cracking the Fibreglass.

Back to the Stable Door and frame. The build number and date of completion was always stamped on the top left of the Aluminium Door Frame by the upper door hinge. 142 would have been the number of the one produced that year. It SHOULD also have the 3-4 digits of the month and year, ie: 10-83 October 1983. If yours does not have that then it was most likely rear ended and a complete new 3 piece Door frame Assembly fitted. Unless it was Cowboy fitted with a used frame and the year buffed off. Have a look in the nearside cupboard for any Fibreglass repairs. If you don't have the fridge check inside that cupboard as well

Another giveaway that it came from a Honda is the rear Engine inspection cover with aluminium angle frame around it. It slides just under the rear nearside bunk, which has a raised moulding to accommodate. If it was off a Hi-Jet 850 or a 993cc or a Rascal ( yours is unlikely to be any of them) then the inspection cover will be in the front of the pod for access to the rear of the engine and the gearbox.
If you have any further questions then let me know on here or on my Email address.

NOW YOU UNDERSTAND WHY I GOT CROSS LAST NIGHT. THERE WAS MORE BESIDES BUT I HAVEN'T GOT THE PATIENCE TO WRITE ANY MORE FOR THE MOMENT.

This will fit the normal 1300 pick-up - not just a Romahome, so if you want an Exhaust System that will outlast your 1300 Hi-Jet Pick-Up then this is for sale at £125. + £15 carriage

Woodie wrote:Don't waste your money on an OBD2 Meter. Yours is a 2001. The Diagnostics Socket wasn't fitted until 2002.

I beg to differ.......

Mine's has one, early 2001.

It's most unusual Logi. All the ones I have seen have always been 2002 on.
Just looked again at Jon's post and he says that he also has got the Diagnostics Socket.
Certainly makes that easier then. Should be a able to locate the fault then.

Woodie - re engine cover - I am surprised - it is at the front end of van - access to the gearbox / rear of engine.
re Silencer - I would like it but at present I must concentrate on the delinquent engine light -
Jon

So I the body is off of an early Daihatsu 850 or a Bedford Rascal in that case.
A Lamda sensors can be found on Ebay with the correct Daihatsu plug for around £25 each so is hardly going to break the bank for both of them.