As I work away during the week I managed to spend about 4 hours outside today.
Last week we took a drive down to our daughter, Amanda's place in Woodbridge (about an hour). Outside their house is a large flat parking area which provided an ideal area for opening out the tent and awning and fitting all the sides.
What it demonstrated was that the awning was mounted too low and wasn't sitting straight and level. However it did give a good indication of just how much space we will have if/when we fit everything.
The car ran very well until the time came to switch off. Despite turning off the ignition the engine kept running. Obviously the fuel solenoid had become stuck open. This is really quite annoying as this is the 3rd one I have fitted in 12 months!
As the car is automatic I couldn't stall it so I removed the snorkel top to smother the air inlet. Despite several plastic bags the engine refused to stop (so I now have a leak in the air system
). Eventually I disconnected the fuel line and waited for it to use up what was in the lines.
So today, the first job was to remove the solenoid, clean it up, flush through the valve holder and put it back. I assumed that there was a bit of grit holding it open, so I removed the valve (I have a modified and cut down 21mm spanner for this as it is incredibly awkward to get to. I will add a picture of the spanner next time). Once removed I cranked over the engine to allow diesel to wash out any grit in the base of the valve holder. I tested the solenoid by holding it against the engine (to act as an earth) and turning on the ignition. The plunger operated several times so I was happy to put it back. Unfortunately while I was showing Belinda how the solenoid works the plunger shot out and disapeared somewhere into the bowels of the engine bay. 20 minutes of searching and there was no sign . So I put the body back to keep the dirt out and will order a replacement for fitting next weekend.
I then removed the awning and reshaped the front bracket and re-drilled the front and rear brackets higher to remount the whole assembly about 3" higher. I haven't refitted it because I gave the front bracket a good coat of hammerite and I need to wait for it to dry.
Next weekend I shall refit the awning, in its higher position, and fit the new solenoid valve.
