heater/demister fan in 96 Deffy

[JamesH]

Hi All

My car was parked outside the other weekend during a huge downpour. The next morning I put my wetsuit on, opened the door to let some water, marron and a couple of ducks out and headed off to the local shops. Needed the fan and it worked fine.

Next morning I drove car and no fan. CHecked the fuse and it had blown so I replaced it and still no fan. So I am guessing some moisture got in somewhere and cooked the fan and the fuse blew after the event (to protect rest of the electrics/battery or just becasue that's what happens with British electrics).

My question is could it be anything other than a new fan for around $250? I'll be taking it at an auto lx and I always like to know a few things before going in.

cheers

J

[vnx205]

When I bought my 2nd hand 98 Defender I didn't realise it came with about a litre of water in the fan housing.
A new fuse blew immediately.
The little rubber vent at the bottom of the plastic air inlet had filled with dust that had turned to mud.
After draining the water I found that the fan was really struggling to turn over as it had probably been half full of water for some months and was almost seized.
Lots of WD40 and spinning the fan by hand freed it up and it works OK now.
As yours was working the day before, it's obviously not quite the same problem, but maybe yours is still full of water. Check that little drain on the air intake.

[JamesH]

When I bought my 2nd hand 98 Defender I didn't realise it came with about a litre of water in the fan housing.
A new fuse blew immediately.
The little rubber vent at the bottom of the plastic air inlet had filled with dust that had turned to mud.
After draining the water I found that the fan was really struggling to turn over as it had probably been half full of water for some months and was almost seized.
Lots of WD40 and spinning the fan by hand freed it up and it works OK now.
As yours was working the day before, it's obviously not quite the same problem, but maybe yours is still full of water. Check that little drain on the air intake.

It should be ok because that was the panel I recently replaced after pranging into a rock but it is definitely worth a check bad installation etc could be an issue. The Amazing Zook led me to that drain with an earlier problem known as the "Smell Of Mouse P1ss Incident". He correctly diagnosed a mud blocked drain.

[JamesH]

By the way, VN

I have a mate with a 110 tray back who has wondered about those slide on campers. Do you have any pics or details of your set up?

thanks for your earlier reply, btw.

cheers

J

[vnx205]

By the way, VN

I have a mate with a 110 tray back who has wondered about those slide on campers. Do you have any pics or details of your set up?

thanks for your earlier reply, btw.

cheers

J
I have lots of pics and lots of details I can offer, but I'm not quite sure where to start. Like most people who are happy with an important purchase they have made, I am keen to talk to anyone who shows the least bit of interest in my camper.
My wife and I are very happy with the setup and in the last 7 months have spent 2 months in NT and a month in Vic and Tas.
My unit is 2nd hand, about 3 years old and in VG condition. (No I am not trying to sell it.)
Does your mate want to know about the camper itself, the way it is set up on my Defender or how the Defender behaves with it on the back?
If you can narrow the subject a bit it might reduce the chances of me boring you with heaps of irrelevant pics and info.

[JamesH]

Thanks Allan

They are currently using swags and loading up the tray with all their gear, Engel, gas bottle etc. They are getting to the age where in the future Mrs in particular might want a bed but they are not interested in towing anything. It's not just the bed but the convenience of a sink and bits an pieces all ready in drawers etc etc. Do they have a toilet or shower?

They want to keep it basic but will be ready soon to step up from the swag albeit reluctantly. Comments regarding the handling would be ineresting though he loads it up a bit already. We take our own chopped firewood.

cheers

[Cameron_Def]

Anyone got any images or more details where this drain hole is ?

Thanks in advance ;)

[vnx205]

Thanks Allan

They are currently using swags and loading up the tray with all their gear, Engel, gas bottle etc. They are getting to the age where in the future Mrs in particular might want a bed but they are not interested in towing anything. It's not just the bed but the convenience of a sink and bits an pieces all ready in drawers etc etc. Do they have a toilet or shower?

They want to keep it basic but will be ready soon to step up from the swag albeit reluctantly. Comments regarding the handling would be ineresting though he loads it up a bit already. We take our own chopped firewood.

cheers
James
I think I recognise the stage your friends are at. We had a SIII LWB with tent and 15 litre Engel etc etc for about 23 years and did some interesting trips including crossing from the SE corner of Aust up the Oodnadatta Track, through the Lambert Centre through the Tanami to Broome.
I was lucky (or well organised) enough to have had very few occasions when I had to pack up a tent in pouring rain. I think what started my wife hinting about wanting more luxurious, more convenient or more secure accommodation was the night we spent at Sandy Billabong in NT (just before that German tourist was taken) thinking that it might be nice to have something more than canvas between us and any crocs that might wander out of the Billabong.
Last year a few things fell into place and we finished up with the Defender and the Trayon camper.
What I like about it is that even with the camper on the back, the Defender will still take me anywhere I could go without the camper.
Even though my Defender is a single cab, as I was buying second hand, I have a dual cab camper. That means I have lost one set of storage cupboards and a bit of floor space. As there are just the two of us, neither of those things is a problem. I have the optional annexe, but have not needed the extra room at any stage, so haven't actually used it yet. I might use it if the weather was miserable.
The fridge is about 90 litres. Mine is 3 way, but you can have an Engel or Waeco. 90 litres is so much bigger than the 15 litre Engel I had been using before, that I have not come close to filling it yet.
The stove is 2 burner + grill and a gas outlet outside lets us cook outside under the annexe if we want.
The sink with 12V pump and 80 litre water tank are very convenient.
I could sleep on anything but my wife is very fussy and she finds the bed very comfortable.
Dual cab models have rails underneath to allow the top to clear the cab. Mine was originally on a Hilux and the previous owner had some heavy duty aluminium trays welded up to slide in between the camper and the tray. That was a stroke of genius. They are ideal for storing the annexe, the legs, tools, recovery gear , the BBQ plate and a host of other heavy items.
My tray has a higher lip at the back than the tray on the previous owner's Hilux, so I had to raise the whole thing on some strips of timber. I could have raised it about 20mm, but chose to lift it 45mm because it simplified a couple of other things.
The design is very clever. There is a lot of internal and external storage. It is really easy to get lunch out of the fridge without setting up. The fridge is just inside the door and it is probably easier to stand on the ground and get things out of the fridge at eye level than it is to be inside and bend down to get them when it is fully set up.
Setting up is a really quick and easy one person job. So is packing up.
Of course there are compomises. The thing I think is most likely to annoy me one day is if I have to pack up too many days in a row in the rain. Apparently the bedding eventually gets wet unless you protect it with a tarp or plastic. I haven't had to do that yet.
We have only once stayed in one place long enough to make it worthwhile dropping the legs down and driving the Defender out from underneath when we spent a week in Alice Springs for the Masters Games last year.
On the highway I am conscious of the fact that camper is on the back. Offroad it is not as noticeable.
I guess everyone has their own limits and I might be on the conservative side of average for a LR driver, but I can honestly say I don't believe there is anywhere I would be prepared to go with the Defender empty that I would not be able to tackle with the camper on the back. Some of the Arden Hills Track in the Flinders was fairly rocky and steep and I'm sure the camper was not a handicap there.
They are very well made and a couple of my friends who have the same product are also very impressed with the quality.
There are a lot of other things I could tell you.
The company's website is worth a look.
http://www.trayon.com/main.php
Fuel consumption without the camper is usually around 10 litres/100k and about 10.5 with the camper. I tend to sit on about 90kmh. I think a lot of the difference is wind resistance. Because of my dual cab/single cab setup and the trays, I have the camper a bit higher than normal. On the NT trip I used 10.5 and in Tassie, where speeds are much lower, I used just under 10.
I reckon this camper is the best I have seen as an intermediate stage between tents or swags and something like a big caravan or motorhome. I have all the conveniences important to me (and the wife) yet I can still go offroad including places where any sort of trailer would be either a nightmare or just plain impossible.
No toilet and shower though.
Don't hesitate to ask if I have missed anything important.

[vnx205]

Anyone got any images or more details where this drain hole is ?
Thanks in advance ;)
I'll go out in the rain and check if you really need me to, but from memory it is impossible to see.
It is hidden behind the windcreen washer bottle.
The air vent in the passenger mudguard is connected to the fan by a plastic tube about 100mm diameter.
At the lowest point very close to the fan housing and behind the washer bottle there is a smaller version of the dump valve which is fitted at the lowest point of the engine air intake.
It might be possible to feel it even though you can't see it. You can certainly feel it when the washer bottle is removed.
Does this help?
If not I'll try to organise a pic.

[Cameron_Def]

I'll go out in the rain and check if you really need me to, but from memory it is impossible to see.
It is hidden behind the windcreen washer bottle.
The air vent in the passenger mudguard is connected to the fan by a plastic tube about 100mm diameter.
At the lowest point very close to the fan housing and behind the washer bottle there is a smaller version of the dump valve which is fitted at the lowest point of the engine air intake.
It might be possible to feel it even though you can't see it. You can certainly feel it when the washer bottle is removed.
Does this help?
If not I'll try to organise a pic.

When its not raining would be fine ;) is there something on RAVE ?

[JamesH]

When I cleaned mine out I just took the intake vent cover off, had a peak and sure enough found a swamp. I poked aound trying to find a drain hole and sure enough found it right at the back and either cleared it by poking it with a stick or a finger and the water came out all over the road. I have never done what Alan suggested and had a proper look around the fan housing etc but will do so.

Alan I'll digest your post over the weekend - got to fly now, Western Force are playing at home tonight.