Renault Trafic III 1.6 115 dci Day Van

[redandwhite]

Recently bought this with a view of eventually turning it into a day van.

Previous carpenters van, few marks and scrapes.





First job was a service
7ltr Comma Eco-R 5w30
Mann Fuel Filter
Mann Oil Filer
Corteco Air Filter
Sump plug and washer
Pollen filter (wasn't used as no pollen filter in my van)

[redandwhite]

From using the van i have noted the following issues;

• poor first start
• diesel fumes in the cabin

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I noticed the van struggles with the first start of the day, subsequent starts of the day are on the button.
Reading the codes i could see
'DTC038096 Preheating unit diagnostic connection. Fault alerted via the control unit.'

Following a bit of research, glow plugs were the likely issue.

Only successfully removed 3 of the 4
glow plugs, however testing the resistance of the cylinder 3 glow plug it seemed fine. This did not resolve my DTC error.

The next port of call was the glow plug relay as it was relatively inexpensive at £25.

Further investigations confirmed that all glow plugs were getting 2.6v via using my TopDon code reader which correlates with what i had been told on the owners club, that each glow plug should receive a small voltage for a few seconds.

Also cleaned up the battery connections to rule this out.





Investigations into this are ongoing, i will endeavour to get cylinder 3 glow plug out for completeness.

Given the time of year with higher ambient temps, the glow plug error could not be causing the poor start. I will investigate the poor first start outside of this DTC.

[redandwhite]

I also have a smell of fumes in the cabin when driving.
Initial research online sees the EGR cooler being suggested as the fault.
However i dont think this is the case, as with a bit of video investigation I can see a visible puff of smoke on the first startup of the day (with extended cranking)
between the turbo/DPF join.

This could be a potential PITA as i understand to remove the DPF the subframe needs dropping.

I have also noticed some oil residue down the back of the block originating from the intercooler hose, combined with a turbo whistle (which initially led me to the EGR cooler as this is a symptom of that). I hope the turbo is not at fault.

The van is booked into a local specialist for investigation/diagnosis around this smell of fumes.

[redandwhite]

Fast forward a little,
I had the Trafic in my local specialist who diagnosed a turbo oil leak and an exhaust leak between the turbo and DPF.

Whilst in, i had him look at the poor first start, the decision was made to replace the glow plugs with NGK items (he also got cylinder 3 out) which dramatically improved the poor first start!

The turbo and oil feed along with oil and filter was replaced to fix the turbo oil leak.

So after spending a few ££, the poor first start issue is resolved and no more exhaust gas leak.

The van runs great, i use it as a car for daily transport, pulls well and returns 40+ mpg

[redandwhite]

With the mechanicals sorted, it was time to look at making some load area changes

At this stage I am planning to have

• Bed/seating
• Toilet
• Basic cooking surface
• Power source
• Laptop Table
• Fridge
• Diesel heater

1. Plywood removal
Unscrewed wood from rear of van side and floor, came across some rounded bolts as-well as some surface rust on the floor.
Leak evident which had caused some of the plywood floor edges to deteriorate. The flooring will be replaced

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2. Floor preparation
Removed rounded screws, wire brushed the rust and filled the holes left from screwing direct into the floorpan.
Surface rust was treated with Kurust and painted with Hammerite Blue.

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3. Locate load area leaks/seal
These were evident around a welded plate close to the rear roof bars, sealed these up from inside the load area, also removed the roof bars and sealed them from the outside too.

[redandwhite]

4.Fit reversing camera
The van has non-working reversing sensors, so reversing really was guesswork - a reversing camera was desperately needed.
The reversing camera was hastily fitted and the wiring will be tidied later, this was powered from the cigarette lighter with a push button switch which allows me to easily toggle the camera on/off.

[redandwhite]

5. Sound deadening
All side/roof panels were degreased and Dodo mat deadn applied

[Doofus]

redandwhite said:

3. Locate load area leaks/seal
These were evident around a welded plate close to the rear roof bars, sealed these up from inside the load area, also removed the roof bars and sealed them from the outside too.

So have you now trapped some water between the two points you resealed?