Joe has was looking for a parts list that I didn’t have on the resources pages. I thought I’d ad a link to them here as well. Nemega Parts have each body style online here.
Parts resource/catalog for the Mercedes van series
The Campervan Builder: Truma Ultrastore install
So next year will be the year we finish our van (that’s the plan). In the meantime I’ve been loitering on Facebook Sprinter build groups and came across a builder who’s adding videos to his channel as he goes. This week’s video is the installation of the Truma water heater.
Have a look and like and subscribe if you like his work:
In this video, I fit a Truma Ultrastore 10l water heater in a campervan conversion (See links below for items used). The Truma Ultrastore is a 10l water heater which is designed for campervans and caravans. The Truma ultrastore is fitted next to an external wall of the campervan so the flue can be fitted through the wall to ensure all combustion fumes are pushed out of the van for safety. The Truma ultrastore is connected to the campervan water system via John Guest semi-rigid pipe and using John Guest speed fittings. The water is fed from a Shurflo water pump via a Fiamma water accumulator to ensure a smooth flow of water. Once the Truma Ultrastore is fitted, the water is given a test fire and lovely warm water is now available in the van.
Summer is here, lets get cracking!
The summer is here so it’s time to get on with the Sprinter build. Lots to do, a lots of cabinets to build, main wiring, gas and hot water to set up as well. Sadly the spare 200Ah battery that was going to double our leisure capacity died over the winter due to my failed attempts to trickle charge it prior to install as it sat in the garage. I’ve now picked up a decent 20A Ring charger now. My fault, never should have trusted a low ampage charger to look after a huge truck battery!
On a separate note, picked up a book by the name of Van Life by foster Huntingdon in a local shop and was rather suprised to see it had an entire Sprinter section and additions there from blogs I’ve sen and keep an eye on.
The solar panels have kept the batteries charged on the van all winter and the fridge has held up to the repairs made to it prior to it’s install. So it’s not all bad news. Thanks go out to the forums dwelllers for the updated material that I’ve added to the reference section as well. It’s dead easy to find the new material as you can sort the documentation by date.
New files added to reference pages
I’ve added two new files from Keith. One is a set of scans of the training manual, the other is the same files encoded into a PDF document. As usual you can find them on the reference pages.
2007 Sprinter manual and wiring diagram added
A kind contributor has supplied me with a copy of the 2007 service manual and wiring diagram. Both are huge manuals in PDF format and of great use to anyone with a newer Sprinter. I’ve added them to the reference section for everyone.
Adding to the resources
So a couple of things that I will be adding to the pages will be some Garmin Zumo 660/665 reference material and also some material for the BMW F650GS motorbike. Why? Well these are all bits of kit that we’ve acquired and form part of our travel package.
Whilst Google Maps, Waze and iPhone solutions are all brilliant, nothing really beats a functional sat nav that just works, doesn’t need a phone signal and is waterproof. the Zumo 660 is bullet proof, waterproof and works equally well on a motorbike or in a van. Handily I’ve learnt how to refurbish these nav units and know my way around the software for them. I plan to dump my brain onto a sub section here so that I don’t have to remember too much myself!
Secondly the BMW F650GS, it’s a lumpy single cylinder “do anything” baby GS. It’s relatively easy to fix at the roadside and can easily be attached across the back of our Sprinter on a standard motorbike carry harness. I’ve collated several links and places that I refer to, and again I’ll be adding the contents of my brain here as I go.
Anker – Waterproof Phone Pouch, a review
Anker are my favourite brand for portable batteries and cables but they are broadening their horizons. They now sell waterproof bags, which are perfect for going on the motorbike or keeping kit dry on a day out in the van.
For 9.99UKP at the moment on amazon you get two in the box each of which include a lanyard.
The specs from them are listed as :
- Waterproof: IPX8 rating offers complete waterproof protection in a wide range of environments. Keep your phone dry in 32 ft of water and shield against mud, dust, or even snow.
- Effortless Use: High-clarity, ultra-sensitive PVC offers seamless use of your phone’s touchscreen and camera-even underwater.
- Lock and Go: Simple snap and lock mechanism seals pouch securely to protect your phone, while neck strap offers convenient carrying.
- Universal Compatibility: Designed to hold smartphones measuring up to 6 inches. Remove phone case for a better fit.
- What’s In The Box: Anker Waterproof Phone Pouch x2, Neck Strap x2, our worry-free 18-month warranty and friendly customer service.
I found that the neck of the bag has a usable maximum width of around 9cm, although that depend son the thickness of what you want to put in it. It’ll easily fit a small to medium smartphone and the plastic allows you to control your phone through the side of the bag.
To use the bag there are two rotating clips at the top that allow you to undo the two black plastic pegs at the top of the bag that when closed up tight compress the bag top together and keep it waterproof.
I’ve found it handy on the motorbike to keep my essential kit waterproof in the current bad weather. I’m not sure how long the plastic clips at the top will last however given you get two in the box and the price these will certainly last a season.
Webasto HL18 manuals added to reference pages
Not entirely Sprinter related but again I’ve fitted one of these diesel air heaters to our van (kindly donated by a friend) so I’ve added the manuals including the service manual online here. it’s a great air heater for the money, reliable and easy to service.
Ours is currently mounted to the top of one of the rear wheel arches with the exhausts emerging in the when arch at the rear of the vehicle.
EDC light, no power and a quick fix!
So there we were today driving home in our Sprinter when the EDC light came on, we had a blip/cough and then loss power. Engine would restart and then simply die if you touched the throttle.
I managed to coax her into a lay by and safely park up.
Thankfully I was carrying our handy MaxiDiag Elite diagnostic unit (buy one if you don’t have one) which showed up a series of “excess current on common cable” errors on the injectors.
I had read about this error before and have heard of the engine loom chaffing on the mount points. Sure enough, a quick check of the loom running to the top of the block showed up a suspicious mount just to the left of the battery and underneath the loom had worn through and was touching the mount.
With this taped up with some PVC tape and then secured with a zip tie to prevent further chaffing the problem and error codes were instantly gone and we made our way home. If you fancy some preventative maintenance I highly recommend cutting the factory zip ties on these areas where the harness is attached to metal brackets, padding them with some cut down rubber strip then reattaching the cable with some new zip ties.
So from this we learnt, know your engine, read and absorb the content on Sprinter Source and always carry tools and a decent diagnostic tool!
Bear Foot Theory: another random van build related blog
If I don’t add them here I’ll forget them! Bear Foot Theory documents the life of a van dweller in her custom built Sprinter including some awesome kit reviews.
I like the idea of the teak shower deck, hers looks to be a custom fibreglass tray which needed a bit of further work to tweak it.