General What's my van?

[Crossingkeeper]

and whether it be a maxi or not.

I believe that pre X250 that maxi chassis had 16" wheels (plus uprated brake components so quite important to know if DIYing)

EDIT just seen that in your op you said you knew it was a maxi!

 

[camionpilot]

Majority of Maxi and later L4 vans come with 16in road wheels as standard fitment and with extra leaves in the rear springs .

 

[Philblack]

I'll certainly take a look but the year wasn't something i was doubting, afterall the V5 says 2000 and the registration is W which is correct for 2000. The model was the thing in question, and whether it be a maxi or not.

As previously mentioned the date of registration is not the date of manufacture, it is very possible that yours was built in the factory in 1999 but not registered until the following year. This is even more likely given the vehicle was originally an ambulance, the conversion to which would most probably have been undertaken by a specialist conversion company, not at the factory. My own van is registered 2009 but was built at the Seval factory in 2008.

 

[Snailman]

EDIT just seen that in your op you said you knew it was a maxi!

Everything has been called into question now to be honest, and while the input of others is the only way to learn, they have thus far been contradictory and what some say is truly what they believe, but not necessarily correct.

Majority of Maxi and later L4 vans come with 16in road wheels as standard fitment and with extra leaves in the rear springs .

Well mine definitely had an extra leaf, having 2 where as every second generation van I've seen like mine has 1. Mine also has 16" wheels. Does this conclusively mean it's a maxi?

 

[Snailman]

As previously mentioned the date of registration is not the date of manufacture, it is very possible that yours was built in the factory in 1999 but not registered until the following year. This is even more likely given the vehicle was originally an ambulance, the conversion to which would most probably have been undertaken by a specialist conversion company, not at the factory. My own van is registered 2009 but was built at the Seval factory in 2008.

Makes sense, however even if it was a 1999, this wouldn't help confirm anything model wise as the same shape and options were available in 1999 as 2000. One point (if true) is mine has an airbag, which wasn't an option until 2000. Really appreciate your suggestion though, have to explore every idea.

 

[Womo793]

As to whether it is a maxi van, my understanding of that era of vans is that there where three weight ratings, Q10, Q14, and Q18 (maxi), which denoted the payload of the van (1, 1.4, 1.8 tonne). So if yours is a maxi it should be the highest category Q18 which as I understand it equates to a GVW of 3.5 tonnes. Of course, the convertor may have uprated it to a higher GVW, but you would assume they would start with a Q18 chassis. If it has been uprated it may have stiffer springs on the front and an extra leaf on the back.

From my experience, I have a 2000 2.8 turbo diesel Hymer. The engine looks identical to yours. I have always assumed, rightly or wrongly, that the terms 2.8 TDI, idti, and TD all refer to the same turbo diesel engine with mechanical fuel injection pump, SOFIM 8140.43.

Buying parts can be tricky at times. I usually start by looking for the original part number, eg. on the shock absorbers, brake drums, whatever, which will usually confirm you have the Q18 chassis. EPER Is very handy but can be a little confusing with all the part number changes over time.

As an aside, looking at your pictures above, I must say it is exceptionally clean for that age of van.

 

[Snailman]

Unfortunately I've had no joy trying to use this ePER, getting this error on phone and laptop, trying Internet Explorer, Opera, Chrome and Edge.

 

[ben]

View attachment 412725
Unfortunately I've had no joy trying to use this ePER, getting this error on phone and laptop, trying Internet Explorer, Opera, Chrome and Edge.

It's still doing this?

My monitor is saying all is ok. (I get an email if it's down for more than 5 minutes)

 

[Snailman]

It's still doing this?

My monitor is saying all is ok. (I get an email if it's down for more than 5 minutes)

Seems it only happens if you press configuration, I'm not sure why i was pressing that, but that's the reason I've just learned.

 

[Snailman]

Well that's progress, putting in a few known details and the "Load capacity" auto fills with 18, so i guess that confirms it's a maxi. Additional evidence to support this is the double leaf and 16" wheels.

 

[bugsymike]

I had a customer with a 1998 Fiat Ducato Maxi van, high top roof etc, the engine was the SOFIM 2.8 122Hp turbo intercooled, it was one of the last pre ECU versions and looked just like your photos. When they updated their fleet of vehicles I bought it and put the engine in my boat, after adjusting the Bosch injector pump, increasing the turbo boost and altering the valve and injector timing slightly I was able to almost match the original V6 3.75 litre petrol engines 150 Hp and at less than half the fuel consumption.
The reason I bought it was I ran Iveco Daily vans and pickups using basically the same 2.8 engine and liked the strength , reliability and ease of working on them, the only difference was they were all RWD not front wheel drive like the Ducato with it's transverse and slanting position.
One thing I do remember was due to it's size and integral chassis (Ivecos had a separate chassis and were stiffer) every Mot I had to replace cracked windscreens due to their ambitious drivers with heavy loads.
I had a 1996 2.5 version which was indirect injection and only 80 Hp non turbo etc. but from then on mine were all Direct Injection turbo intercooled 2.8s. 100Hp -110Hp - and the last was rated at 130Hp. The SOFIM versions in the Fiats were all slightly higher HP rated than the Iveco ones, but definitely the same general engine design apart from sump etc due to FWD.

 

[Snailman]

I am curious about the plastic bolt caps in several locations. The rhetorical question is why bother to fit them?

Afraid I'm a bit OCD and added the caps plus i did other things like braid the cables. As daft as it is, and i know it is, i sleep better feeling everything is need and tidy in all aspects of life. I need help.

As an aside, looking at your pictures above, I must say it is exceptionally clean for that age of van.

Thanks, i appreciate feedback, see my comment above =D

 

[ben]

Seems it only happens if you press configuration, I'm not sure why i was pressing that, but that's the reason I've just learned.

Ah sorry yes you're right, I didn't read that whole error screen.

Config is blocked so people can't muck up the install, it's not needed for eper usage