[Hodge99]

This is my first post so please excuse me if I have done anything wrong. I also just wrote an essay but it deleted when I uploaded pictures so this may be more concise.

I have bought a 2.5 TDI Auto on a 55 plate that was converted for wheelchair use, the lift and other features have been stripped back but not entirely, and some of the features remain, such as the electronic panels.

I bought the van knowing there was an intermittent fault where the engine will cut out, needing the van to be restarted and then it will run as if nothing has happened. I have read up about this and it could be a few things, this is a problem I will look in to another time, and it hasn't happened to me yet so I don;t want to guess as to what is wrong.

the issue at the moment is I have no power steering at low revs and I need an MOT very soon. I'm guessing the pump is on it's way out, but there are so many oddities with the van that I was hoping for as much advice as possible.

i have attached a few pictures, one is the steering fluid reservoir, not sure why it was changed to this does the standard one have a sensor?I can't get underneath the van at the moment, I am hoping it's just a standard pump would it be anything different?

One of the other pics is a part that is under the dash on the passenger side, the silver bar turns when I turn the steering wheel. I am assuming this has been moved over to there? Don't actually know what it is. Has cables running in the top.

One of the red lights on the pad lights up when I am turning and the power steering goes from being okish to being very heavy.

The battery cable is just loose in the bay, earths to the same one that is actually attached to the battery, no idea where the cable of it runs, only attache this so people can laugh at what I have to get done.

And general advice on if I can change those pads back to anything normal, most of the switches work with out the main panel so probably a case of a lot of hours stripping it back. It has an electric handbrake, how difficult would it be to put back in the mechanical? or at least wire up a different switch so I can remove the panel?

Same with the gear panel? It's not terrible but I would like to change it to something that resembles a shifter in its normal place. Any experiences with this? and what are my options.

...it wasn't any more concise.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[triffic]

That must have cost a fair amount of money to convert! Sadly the only practical way to know how to undo mods like this is to contact the people who made the mods and ask them for details and circuit diagrams. Without that info it would help a lot to have an unmodded van sitting alongside that you can look at regularly to see what ~should~ go where, if unmodified.

There have been a few threads here in the past on disability modified vans and IIRC the converters generally aren't helpful (because there is nothing at all in it for them) but it won't harm to try!

It will also probably help to get a copy of Elsa off Ebay - TBH the circuit diagrams are a pain to follow, but they should be accurate (far more so than Haynes)...

 

[Hodge99]

Thanks for the reply. I would imagine it was silly money to convert, certainly with the lifts.

Would it be worth just repairing the steering and intermittent fault and selling or part ex'ing for a standard t5? I'm not sure if these mods would devalue the van? I am hoping I had a bargain as it has only covered 39k and has the 5 carravelle seats and table in the back.

The people who I bought it off had spent a lot of money but I think the garage was looking in the wrong place, but it's difficult for me to tell when the intermittent fault hasn't happened for me yet.

 

[triffic]

In your position I would get the vehicle fault codes read, make a comprehensive note of them (many will probably be old ones of no interest) and then have them cleared. Drive it until the fault occurs, then read them again. This may give an indication of where the fault lies, and should weed out all of the old irrelevant ones.

 

[Hodge99]

I have a cheap reader that I plugged in last night, but it was showing as no codes found. The van was in the garage not long ago (feb i believe) and had a turboboost pressure code showing. There was a new turbo fitted last year, so In feb they replaced the MAF sensor and air flow filter, the van has only done about 300 miles since.

Recommendations to be looked at by the garage in feb were fuel injectors as I thought before may cause the intermittent fault and high pressure fuel pump.

I am looking to buying a vag com cable and software, but just the cheap ones found on ebay, any experiences with these?

Thanks