Introduction
Recently purchased 2008 3.0 Maxi to convert into an off grid campervan.
Interesting. Please keep us updated. More photos would be good
We were looking for a face-lift L4 H2, but when this one popped up, with the 3.0 and awesome colour, it was a no brainer. The bodywork is very straight and it was almost half of my proposed budget, so win win.Yes I would have chosen the L4 H3 had one been available
But then I would have probably filled the extra space with clutter and been overweight
As it is, my L4 H2 comes in at just under the 3,500 kg limit
Only once been waved in for a roadside weight check though
Soon as I opened the side door the guy said 'Oh its a motorhome, we don't weigh those, you can go'
So I never got on their weighbridge.
I just got it weighed by driving on to the weighbridge at the local scrapyard then politely asking the clerk to tell me what it weighs.
Looks very promisingI wouldn't do any more to the exterior because I prefer it to look like an ordinary van, not a motorhome - makes it easier for wild camping (moaning NIMBYS, 'not a campsite' etc)
Depends where you park though.
I wouldn't do any more to the exterior because I prefer it to look like an ordinary van, not a motorhome - makes it easier for wild camping (moaning NIMBYS, 'not a campsite' etc)
Depends where you park though.
It's immaculate apart from a tiny scrape, which I'll sort when I'm fitting the vents.Looks very promising
What state is the roof paint in?
Thank you for that. What are the symptoms? I have hunting idle sometimes.Nice colour and rims. I have a 2007 3.0 and converted it into a campervan back in 2020. Make sure to check the throttle body and EGR solenoid on this engine/year. It's a known weak spot. Good luck with the build!
Thats brilliant information, I'll check your videos out too. Thanks for that, it gives me something to get my teeth intoYes, that is one of the symptoms! I made a video on YT that became quite popular on replacing the throttle body. You can also take it off and clean it and potentially save it, if it's not too far gone already. I tried to save mine but for the sake of reliability, I got a new one from Pierburg, don't forget to buy the overpriced adapter cable: the connector is the same but the pins are different... The Pierburg TB is better equiped against all the moisture that gets in the engine bay.
When you shut off the engine a healthy TB will make a difference: the TB closes completely and the engine will just stop instantly, with a stuck valve it will take a second to shut off (because it still gets oxygen), but it's hard to tell the difference if you don't know how it's supposed to sound. The TB only has 2 jobs: it closes partially as the EGR is opened and closes completely when you shut off the engine. So technically you can drive around with a TB that is stuck in the open position. I know people who disconnect the TB and EGR solenoid and drive with no EGR, but with a check engine light on. I personally like the engine to run like it was designed.
A bad earth strap (also a weak point) can also hurt the idle + charging/starting. This is an easy fix, replace the strap or add some additional (thick) wires between the engine block and the chassis. If I disconnect those wires, I will immediatly get an unstable idle again, but if I recall correctly, it was way worse with the stuck throttle body. I would start by checking the earth strap since it's an easy fix. You can also easily diagnose this by measuring the voltage drop between engine block and chassis.
Oh, another issue I had recently, and a weak spot, is the cable loom. I had a corroded wire that leads to the high speed fan, which made the ECU throw a code when running the A/C. Took me a while to find that one... Lots of schematics and pin testing. Apparently the loom gets slowly damaged by shaving against the chassis, but in my case the broken wire was actually in a 180 bent of the loom, far away from the chassis. I retaped the whole thing to protect it from the elements in the future.
The glow plugs are probably dead too, you will notice a blinking coil light on your dash when starting in colder weather. This is not a big issue, but if you disconnected the broken ones you can still fire up the working ones. I have now 2 working ones and it makes a huge difference in starting in sub-zero temperatures. It will start anyhow but with dead glow plugs it will take a few seconds and produce a lot of smoke... I also have a vid on that one.
Sorry, this is a lot of information but hopefully it can save you some time or troubles. The engine itself never let us down: it took us all the way through Europe, always started, sometimes a bit rough but it always did its job. Got it at 114 000 km and now we are close to 160 000.
Thats how it looked three weeks ago. Already done lots to it. Hopefully ordering windows etc this week.
The work has mainly been on the outside, just as important in my book. Fixed some leaks, etc.I see 10 photos of the outside,
but none of the inside where the work is being done
I see you are installing a swivel seat. I was told by a store that it won't turn in combination with the bench. Does it? Or are you planning to replace the bench?The work has mainly been on the outside, just as important in my book. Fixed some leaks, etc.