Not sure yet if I really want to do that or use the space for an aux fuel tank. Or maybe a little of both if I can find the right sized tank.
Looking at a 4wd van, need some advice
- Thread starter ert01
- Start date
Not sure yet if I really want to do that or use the space for an aux fuel tank. Or maybe a little of both if I can find the right sized tank.
My father needed some new headlights for his truck so he purchased a set of LED's for himself... And one set for me at the same time 
Will install them this weekend and see what they're like. I've been wanting to try a set of these for a while now and this was just a good opportunity.
Will install them this weekend and see what they're like. I've been wanting to try a set of these for a while now and this was just a good opportunity.
Last edited:
volcomsurfer
Adventurer
Damn that's a killer color
Neither unfortunately.
I have the composite headlights so I don't have the option of using those units. I had to go with an LED conversion kit. If I find I'm getting flashed a lot or that there's weird light pattern, then I'll just swap them into some cheap knockoff Hella 7" foglight housings and use them as offroad lights.
This is the kit I got:
Got the lights installed... Light output is awesome, but I'm not convinced that I like the pattern. I'll have to give them a good test at night sometime before I decided if they will stay in these housings or get transferred into some offroad lights.
On an unrelated note, I had a new issue pop up last night when I was out for a test drive.
The brake light came on and didn't go off. I figured I was low on fluid so I checked it and topped it off when I got home. Light is still on.
Brakes feel odd too... Pulls to the left when braking. Sometimes the pedal feels hard with lots of braking power, other times it feels really soft and like there's no grab at all.
At idle, I can push the pedal and it will feel good, but the pedal will slowly keep sinking if I keep constant pressure on it.
Any ideas where to start? I was thinking of doing a full bleed on them to ensure there's no air in the system but that was on my todo list anyways and is not really the issue here I don't think.
On an unrelated note, I had a new issue pop up last night when I was out for a test drive.
The brake light came on and didn't go off. I figured I was low on fluid so I checked it and topped it off when I got home. Light is still on.
Brakes feel odd too... Pulls to the left when braking. Sometimes the pedal feels hard with lots of braking power, other times it feels really soft and like there's no grab at all.
At idle, I can push the pedal and it will feel good, but the pedal will slowly keep sinking if I keep constant pressure on it.
Any ideas where to start? I was thinking of doing a full bleed on them to ensure there's no air in the system but that was on my todo list anyways and is not really the issue here I don't think.
djbonsu
Adventurer
Have the same issue and my brakes are fine! I think most that have this van will agree that there is an electrical gremlin or bulb issue in the dash. Mine started off with the brake light constantly on and then it randomly went off. Another time it started to flicker on and off....Like you i checked the fluid levels, pads, etc...and everything checked out fine. Double check your system components to make sure you are good to go (as I believe you probably are)
I replaced the vacuum pump. Now the brake light has finally gone out. I was going to take it for a test drive and make sure it's all working good, but my Water in Fuel light just came on so I won't be test driving it until I get that sorted out.
I pulled the release under the hood (to drain the water from the separator) but I didn't see anything drain out. And the dash light is still on.
I am thinking I should replace the fuel filter anyways so I'll have to check on the water issue when I get around to doing the filter.
So no test drives for now...
I pulled the release under the hood (to drain the water from the separator) but I didn't see anything drain out. And the dash light is still on.
I am thinking I should replace the fuel filter anyways so I'll have to check on the water issue when I get around to doing the filter.
So no test drives for now...
Last edited:
Got the code read and it's showing P0720.
I think I need to clean the pins on the PCM a bit better this time around.
But the WIF light went out. I'm glad that there is actually no water in the fuel. This little ordeal showed me that the drain valve is stuck and that it needs to be replaced so I've ordered the parts to do that and the fuel filter at the same time. But at least I know it's not an urgent issue right now.
I think I need to clean the pins on the PCM a bit better this time around.
But the WIF light went out. I'm glad that there is actually no water in the fuel. This little ordeal showed me that the drain valve is stuck and that it needs to be replaced so I've ordered the parts to do that and the fuel filter at the same time. But at least I know it's not an urgent issue right now.
Last edited:
I removed the PCM and cleaned the pins really good on top and bottom (pulled the PCM case apart this time) and plugged it all back in yesterday.
Water in fuel light comes on when the chip is installed still. Didn't get a chance to test drive it to check the transmission code but I hope to do it this afternoon.
These error lights are definitely related to the chip but I still need to truly determine if it is the chip itself or my prep work on the PCM.
Water in fuel light comes on when the chip is installed still. Didn't get a chance to test drive it to check the transmission code but I hope to do it this afternoon.
These error lights are definitely related to the chip but I still need to truly determine if it is the chip itself or my prep work on the PCM.
We got out today to do a little playing on the ice with the van...
It's been a Christmas tradition of ours for years to go do ice carvings on the lake.
We use chainsaws to cut cubes and to check the thickness of the ice. Then use tongs to pull the cubes out. (Yes, just like in Frozen).
My oldest daughter playing with one of the test blocks we cut out.
We got a bit ambitious and pulled out our largest slab yet. Approx 7' x 7' x 14" thick. 2500lbs of ice (+\- a few).
It was a cold day so my daughters had a lot of fun warming up in the van and exploring all it's nooks and crannies. They found my wallet and decided that money is fun to play with. I have no idea if I found it all yet or not. 20's still seem to be popping up everywhere in the van.
Anyways, we had that large piece of ice out of the hole, but we were having trouble figuring out how to stand it up. We settled on using the logs and manpower to get it leveraged and propped up on some ice scraps to start it on its vertical journey.
Then once it was started, we cut a small notch in the ice at the base of the slab. Using a recovery strap, we slowly started to pick the ice up. The slab caught on the notch we carved and stood itself up really nicely actually.
A little bit of axe and chainsaw work turned it into a couple of trees.
And obviously it needed a forest fire afterwards to help polish the ice smooth and clear.
I have more pictures I'll post up later. And maybe some cool videos if I can make them work.
It's been a Christmas tradition of ours for years to go do ice carvings on the lake.
We use chainsaws to cut cubes and to check the thickness of the ice. Then use tongs to pull the cubes out. (Yes, just like in Frozen).
My oldest daughter playing with one of the test blocks we cut out.
We got a bit ambitious and pulled out our largest slab yet. Approx 7' x 7' x 14" thick. 2500lbs of ice (+\- a few).
It was a cold day so my daughters had a lot of fun warming up in the van and exploring all it's nooks and crannies. They found my wallet and decided that money is fun to play with. I have no idea if I found it all yet or not. 20's still seem to be popping up everywhere in the van.
Anyways, we had that large piece of ice out of the hole, but we were having trouble figuring out how to stand it up. We settled on using the logs and manpower to get it leveraged and propped up on some ice scraps to start it on its vertical journey.
Then once it was started, we cut a small notch in the ice at the base of the slab. Using a recovery strap, we slowly started to pick the ice up. The slab caught on the notch we carved and stood itself up really nicely actually.
A little bit of axe and chainsaw work turned it into a couple of trees.
And obviously it needed a forest fire afterwards to help polish the ice smooth and clear
.
I have more pictures I'll post up later. And maybe some cool videos if I can make them work.
Last edited:
Looking for opinions on soft top vs hard top... lets pretend the price is the same for a manual sports mobile top and for a 28" fiberglass hightop. Hightop would come installed for that price, soft top I would have to install.
Now if everything was the same price-wise, what would you choose and why?
I'm leaning towards the hard top myself, but my wife likes the idea of a soft top. Ideally I would like to check them both out side by side and test drive them, but that's not an option... so I will have to make a decision based on what I find for opinions here... I'm not a fan of doing things this way, but I don't have much choice unless I want to travel a long ways to check out the pop top.
Pros/Cons for the hard top:
+Insulated
+No setup/take down each night
+No extra noise (or very minimal)
+Easy to mount extra lighting and an awning securely
+Local installer could do it for me for a very negligible sum
-taller driving height (makes city navigating maybe a bit worse?)
-worse mpg (not sure how much though)
-uglier (or so says my wife)
Pros/Cons for the soft top
+Slightly higher setup height
+Low driving height
+more visibility (when setup) inside the van
-rattles (don't know if this is actually a problem, but I can imagine it might be)
-worse insulation for cold weather camping
-setup/takedown each night is slightly annoying
-harder to mount an awning securely (I am just not a fan of the options I've seen floating around on the internet so far, but maybe they're more sturdy in real life?)
-have to install it myself
What am I missing here? Is a manual sports mobile pop top louder on washboard roads? Is it annoying to set up? Is the hard top annoying in the city?
This van is going to be used as our "base camp"... I plan to tow my XJ or motorcycle or mtb bikes behind it for exploring. That said, we haven't really camped in one spot for more than a few days at a time... we like to find a neat area, play around for a day or two and then move on. Setup time takes away from the amount of time we can spend enjoying each area we stop at.
Now if everything was the same price-wise, what would you choose and why?
I'm leaning towards the hard top myself, but my wife likes the idea of a soft top. Ideally I would like to check them both out side by side and test drive them, but that's not an option... so I will have to make a decision based on what I find for opinions here... I'm not a fan of doing things this way, but I don't have much choice unless I want to travel a long ways to check out the pop top.
Pros/Cons for the hard top:
+Insulated
+No setup/take down each night
+No extra noise (or very minimal)
+Easy to mount extra lighting and an awning securely
+Local installer could do it for me for a very negligible sum
-taller driving height (makes city navigating maybe a bit worse?)
-worse mpg (not sure how much though)
-uglier (or so says my wife)
Pros/Cons for the soft top
+Slightly higher setup height
+Low driving height
+more visibility (when setup) inside the van
-rattles (don't know if this is actually a problem, but I can imagine it might be)
-worse insulation for cold weather camping
-setup/takedown each night is slightly annoying
-harder to mount an awning securely (I am just not a fan of the options I've seen floating around on the internet so far, but maybe they're more sturdy in real life?)
-have to install it myself
What am I missing here? Is a manual sports mobile pop top louder on washboard roads? Is it annoying to set up? Is the hard top annoying in the city?
This van is going to be used as our "base camp"... I plan to tow my XJ or motorcycle or mtb bikes behind it for exploring. That said, we haven't really camped in one spot for more than a few days at a time... we like to find a neat area, play around for a day or two and then move on. Setup time takes away from the amount of time we can spend enjoying each area we stop at.