Hi, new to the forum

[Paco]

Hello everybody, I have just joined this forum. I'm interested in buying a second hand Piaggio Porter and, while doing some search on Google about it, I got some interesting results from this forum so, given that I'm on an Android phone, rather than posting from the web browser like I would do in a computer, I installed the Topic'it app for my first time and here I am, posting in the forum!! hehehe

Greetings.

[Guest]

welcome Paco

[Logi]

Hello

[kernowjon01]

Hi welcome to the forum.

[ex-whitevanman]

hi paco and welcome. buy one, you won't be disappointed!

[Raggy]

Welcome to the mad house!

[Paco]

Thank you all for the welcome

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[Buffy54]

Hi all. As mentioned last week in my intro I bought Hi jet romahome 1999. Temp gage went up after 10 minuets . Was idling up and down. On way to MOT water burst out just as I arrived at garage. I don’t have a clue how much this will cost me. Is it possible the engine might be ok. Engine has 67000. I want to try and find someone local who works on theses vans. I’m in Swansea. Any advise please .

[Guest]

Hi Buffy. Most overheating problems on Hi-Jets are due to incorrect filling and bleeding of the Coolant System. Don't let the garage tell you that it is Head Gasket and DEFINITELY do not take any notice and put your foot firmly down if they try to tell you that you need a Water Pump.

This is one of the biggest cons that Garages pull.
A water pump is ONLY needed if it is actually leaking because of a worn bearing. In breaking over 250 Hi-Jets, I have never come across a Hi-Jet with a faulty Water Pump. Just a faulty diagnosis by a garage that is either useless or Con Artists.

There are numerous threads on here how to CORRECTLY fill and bleed the Hi-Jet Coolant System, posted by myself, Raggy and Highly Jetted.
I would definitely recommend that you have 2 new radiator pressure caps fitted and make sure that the seating on the metal pipe underneath the Passenger seat is clean and rust free.

If the engine overheated as you got to the garage then presumably you hadn't driven far to get there. So any Cylinder Head damage is unlikely. They will tell you that the Head Gasket has gone and want to saddle you with a £400 bill for the privilege. INSIST THAT THEY FILL AND BLEED THE SYSTEM AND FIT 2 NEW CAPS AND GET THEM TO TELL YOU EXACTLY HOW THEY GO ABOUT FILLING AND BLEEDING THE SYSTEM. IF THEY DO NOT FOLLOW WHAT YOU READ ABOUT ON THE VARIOUS THREADS HERE MAKE SURE YOU SHOW THEM THE THREADS ON HERE.
Don't let them bully you into work that doesn't need doing. Take a big Male friend along with you so they aren't so likely to con you. Garages are dreadful for trying to intimidate Females.

If you need further assistance get back on here and ask for advice.

[Buffy54]

You have really cheered me up. They said radiator has blown out needed replacing They said they can order and fit new pump, he said it had been badly fitted. I was online for hours last night trying to find someone who knows these vans. I found a local mechanic who was amazing on the phone. He was selling two vans on eBay, so I thought I would ask him if he was interested in taking a look. He told me don’t part with a penny, he is meeting me at 6pm tonigh. He was saying the same as you about how all the above things needed to be done. I was horrified at the price of rad. Garage said head around £500, £600 and to get timing belt done etc etc. I feel peed off as I asked him to check for airlock befor driving. It traveled max 2 miles. Another thing I did as only have a little knowledge. I checked water level and condition, all clean, checked dip stick, normal, checked oil cap and all ok befor this happened. I only had engine running a few times. It was racing high and low. Then was ticking over sounding sweet. But each time the temp went up just under high. If this chap can put me right I want to get it fixed. I love this little Romahome. Bought it for me and my young grandson who I care for, so let’s hope. If I do need a few bits I found someone breaking one up,for £200 it’s the same engine but in a van. So finally any thoughts how much I should be looking to pay for repairs that have been stated, and is it worth the outlay. I paid a £1000.00 for it and I think this was a good price. I have seen so many vans with similar mileage (67000) going for a lot more. I realised it would need money putting into it, but not so much so soon, it hurts. Thank you ever so much, I’m glad I found this forum. Will keep you posted. I’m guessing I follow my original post for it to land in the correct place. I’m not so good with my posting lol

[Guest]

Well ask them how if the radiator has blown out, when you put water in get them to show you on the ramp where the water is coming out of the radiator and where the water is leaking from "the badly fitted water pump". Don't say anything about it on the phone. Just turn up there. If you did need a radiator, I have got several.. The water will have come out of the Rad Cap underneath the passenger seat or from the radiator cap at the front behind the grille. Lift the seat up and look for signs of either rusty water or antifreeze coolant.

Take a man with you as I mentioned. They will sting you for every penny they can by the sound of it. I have got to go out now but I will look at what you have to say when I get home around 9-45.

[Buffy54]

Hi let’s have another go. Met up with a great local machanic. He spent a good hour checking the van over. He filled it with water, let it run to see if the rad had gone. Not a single drop from Rad. He said they are trying it on. He said the water was coming from water pump. He also noticed that a pipe had been fitted to bypass something, (can’t remember what he called it) think it was some kind of sensor. He thought maybe the seller had fitted this to hide something. He had van running for around 10 mins and temp stayed perfect. He felt that it may not need head gasket doing, however cannot be 100% as he could smell fuel in header tank. What he said we could do was either change water pump that was pushing out water, or strip it all back and do the head gasket. He was very much saying that he does not want me to have all the expense as he feels it’s a cases of putting new pump and setting up the system correctly. He has worked and owns his own van, which he is selling this weekend on eBay just in case you want to have a look. Really nice tidy van, its immaculate. He also said that in the end it could cost more by doing plan A, as if this does not resolve the issue I will then be paying for him to start a fresh procedure to to the head gasket. In his opinion he thinks best to go with plan A. So it’s my choice, is it plan A or plan damm B .
Just lost final piece. Hope I’m not repeating myself. Off to see the con artist garage. Going to ask them to show me the big hole in rad

[carljames]

I've fitted an Ally 3 core Honda civic half rad with fan and cowel to mine cost £84 , works brilliantly.. had to slightly mod the body and pipework... think a standard half rad( £40) would fit easier you just have to move the rad carrier mountings.. a descent mechanic should be able to do this.. the rad for mine was between £170 - 400 !!!

[Buffy54]

Now that’s amazing. Well worth keeping in mind. However my rad is ok it would seem. The garage lied to me saying mine had a big hole in the bottom. My new machanic checked it and seems to be ok. I will keep your info just in case I ever need one. Thanks for that.

[Raggy]

Good luck with it, glad you got someone to advise apart from here. When you said coolant was clear, I hope you meant pink and clear. If it was just water, that’s not good.

[kernowjon01]

Buffy I have a theory - Tap water has so many addatives that in some areas it can cause serious damage to the engine (like eating gasketts) it is best to fill the system using 50% deionised water 50% antifreeze. Alternatively only use the premixed coolant you can get 5 litres in Halfords for £20 a bit expensive but peace of mind. Topup 1 litre bottles you can get in Tescos etc.
Jon

[Buffy54]

Hi thanks. The water in the header tank was not pink, just clear but had a slight smell of petrol. I’m wondering if this was because it lost all the water and had been refilled with more water to test the rad that was surprised to have a big hole in it. Lies people tell you. The only place it was coming out from was the water pump. So the plan is to fix this and set it all up . I’m still not sure if I should just go straight for plan B and strip it all down to check head gasket. When my new guy filled it up with water to test for the leak, it was running steady for 10 at average temperature, he is almost sure head gasket not gone, but no gaurentee. It’s a hard one as could cost me twice if I just go for fixing water pump. And yes I will make sure when it’s fixed it had the best. My guy can’t start the job till Monday week, so it’s a waiting game till then. Rather frustrating but all good things worth waiting for.

[Raggy]

He could do a pressure test on system once leaking coolant pump replaced. That would give maybe general indication of systems ability to hold pressure ie not leaking via gasket. It is possible to do a gas test on the coolant but with hijets this has not always been conclusive. When was the cam belt last changed? If he is changing pump might be worth while him changing belt as it has to be removed to do the pump if it’s not been changed recently. Is it away from the garage now?

[Buffy54]

Hi Raggy
Thanks for that. He will do pump next week. I will ask him to do the belt at same time. It's not been done, do yes great idea. I guess my concern is a fuel smell in expansion tank. He said we won't find out much more till he does pump this first then like you say he can then do pressure test. Have you ant thoughts why it might smell

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[Guest]

In theory I can't think of a reason how mechanically speaking petrol can get into the water system.


But and I have come across this before, some unscrupulous "Car Dealer" had a vehicle on which the Head Gasket had gone and the camshaft lubrication oilway were very close to each other in the Block/Head and oil had got into the Waterway next to the feed.
You end up with the awful congealed white "Lathe Slurry" in the Coolant. The way he had cleaned the oil/water mix out of the cooling system was to flush it through with Petrol. Of course the smell will linger for quite some time.

Have you actually smelled Petrol in the Cooling System, or have you just taken his word for it??
I hope that this is not the case with your van.
But if you have done such little mileage in it or it overheats just ticking over then you have got to fill and properly bleed the Cooling system before you can make a decision on what is wrong. I have heard and had this rubbish from Garages that say " Your head gasket has gone". On both examples from two Island Garages - all I did was fit two new Radiator Caps and bleed the system. £7.00 for two caps. Job done. Van sold. £350 profit thank you very much James Garage Services. Due to total ignorance of the Hi-Jet Cooling system and them wanting to make a Mountain out of a Molehill. They actually fitted a Water pump to it and charged nearly a £100 for a job that didn't need doing.

Your second opinion man sounds nearly as bad to me as the first garage.
As I said at the beginning - I cant think of anyway that petrol can get into the Cooling System mechanically.

[kernowjon01]

Buffy,

slight smell of petrol?
Was this an impression when you were looking at the coolant in the expansion tank
Or had you drained the coolant into a container and you smelled this in the new container

If it was the first, it maybe there was just a smell of fuel from the engine.
Jon

[Buffy54]

Neither. I just got my nose down and had a smell. It was not oily, just a smell of petrol. All will be revealed next week. I shall follow up then. Thanks.

[Raggy]

Look forward to hearing good news.

[Buffy54]

Hi All. Been a while since was last on forum. The update on Hijet Romahome. The new mechanic had family issues so never showed up to investigate or fix head gasket. I’m now on the hunt to find the right man for the job. What do you think about using a website that advertises mobile mechanics.
I had to drive it away from con artist garage, around a mile. It overheated. When I turned engine off . Water came out from pump ( badly fitted) but it seemed as though it was also dripping from bottom bottom of radiator. Has anyone got any thoughts for me.. I need someone in Swansea area if anyone has any recommendations.I have been told by another garage it will cost £600 + for head gasket. The previous guy that never followed through recommended to do water pump first and see if this resolved over heating issues, if this failed then head gasket. I’m wondering if it’s just best to go straight for head gasket otherwise I will be paying twice. I just want this fixed properly, so I can feel confident. The plan was to put it in for MOT first to see what els needs doing. Like us all it’s not a bottomless pot. The breaks are not brilliant, MOT out in August.
I took it through power wash to see how it stood up for leaks. I have started to work on inside whilst waiting to find a good reliable mechanic. After taking the grey carpet off walls I found all the timber absolutely wet and rotting , must have been going on for a long time. It just crumbled in my hands. I’m wanting to know if I can rip it all out and rebuild. Would imagine it’s been getting in from top of windows. I would imagine when I take this wet wood out I will have to replace with new timber as it surrounds and supports the windows. The skylights had no leaks. However I found a small circular vent in the roof over the cab that was leaking. . This just had a small air vent over it, problem is I can’t see this vent from the outside on the roof. Anyone know the reason for this vent, and how can water get in when it’s not visible from outside. I’m miffed. Sorry to ask so many things. I have struggled to find a way to start new thread with all my questions.

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[Raggy]

First now its power washed look exactly where leaks are, why blame head gasket when water is comming out elsewhere? Change radiator caps inside and out and make sure seats where they fit are in good condition. Sort leaks first and see if it works any better. If it is leaking from pump or seal to engine get it fixed. Sort all leaks, see how it goes before spending on engine dismantles for head gasket.

[Guest]

L
This is what you should have on top of your Luton front. It is Self Solar Powered Air Extraction Fan designed to remove the warm air inside the body when it gets lovely and sunny outside. When it gets nice, hot and sunny outside......... In theory - in practice they were pretty useless - if they actually worked.

I think that I have 3 boxed new fans in my store.
My email address for anyone to contact me is thehijetmaniow@gmail.com
DON'T BOTHER PRIVATE MESSAGING ME ON HERE. I NEVER CHECK THEM.

[Buffy54]

Thank you Woody. I'm going to do just that. Was no water in the seats underneath. The second merchanic started get up after filing with water and said the large black hose was easy to squeeze !! and if head gasket gone would be solid if gasket gone. He suggested doing pump first and getting water system correct. Shame he had family problems. I trusted him. I just got to find someone now. It's hard to find honest workers. I live in his van lol. You want to see it. I'm making great progress on inside.
Wish I could show you pictures. I'm going to put new window seals in as perished. One side was completely soaked on the only panel. Must of been leaking for years. Any thoughts best site for buying new door and window rubbers. ? Hope you are enjoying the weather. Be nice bit cooler, gets hot working inside. Thanks for all your help. X

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[Buffy54]

Thanks Raggy. I am going to follow advise as soon as I find a decent mechanic. That’s half the battle. Was reading Woodys post about checking if it’s the right water pump that’s been fitted. . Hope to come back with good news sometime soon. All help much appreciated.

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[Buffy54]

Oh dear sorry I left my reply elsewhere. I’m not good at this. Hope you find it. Thank you.

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[Guest]

I find it impossible to think that someone has "Fitted a water pump badly". You have two flat surfaces to mate together. Simple!! Only thing that I can think of is that he did not fit a new gasket.

I am picking up such "Motor Trade Speke" from the rubbish you are being told and sold. Get the water pump fixed and then fill and bleed the water system using the guide I have put on here a couple of times and a couple of years ago. Fit 2 new Rad caps - most important thing.
The heater is above the level of the Rad Cap filler neck so the system has to be filled under a little bit of pressure from a watering can with a hose taped to the spout, held up at well above the level of the bottom of the windscreen.
I haven't got time to go through it all here so email me your mobile number and I will talk with you about it. But not today. Very busy day. Saturday morning 9ish will probably be best.

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