MMM – September 2019

166 Need technical advice?[email protected] 2019

TECHNICAL MMM recommends ApprovedWorkshops

Wehavea campervanwitha small

fridgeandoven andhob. I regularly

run out of fridgespace, sois there any

way I canutilise myovenasit’s already

insulated?Say with freezer blocks.

Would that work, doyou think?

SandraHumphries

A

Finding space for everything is

always a challenge, especially in a

small campervan.

I’m not sure a few fr eezer packs

in the oven will be successful. he

insulation qual ities of an oven will be

woefully below what a go od fridge will

of er. An oven will haveventilation for

the gas burners and the doubleglass

door is very unlikely to come anywhere

near the insulation of a tr aditional

fridge do or.

hetford has since conirmed

the insulation of the two appliances

is totally dif erentand this would

make the oven cavity unsuitable for

refrigeration. h ere is also concern that

if anything should leak this could allow

water to enterthe gas burners with

dele terious efect on oven perf ormance.

Not fo rgetting the caution about

leaks, I thinkthe use of the oven for

refrigeration is more likely to be

successful if the oven is lined with

blocks/ sheets of polystyrene, in cluding

inserting in sulation in the do or

between the doubleglass front before

placing food and freezer packs inside.

Alternatively, you could consider

removing the oven (but use a qualiied

gas technician to ensure the gas supply

is left sa fe), which will providea larger

space for aproprieta ry coolbox. his

could be a passive coolbox using

freezer packs or a th ermo-electric un it

powered by 12V, or mains.

BarryNorris

Q

I havelimited fridgespace –could Iuse the oven

asa temporaryfridgewith freezer blocks?

Q

Why does my ABS warning

light keep coming on?

I ha ve a 2013Auto-Sleeper Symbol based on a Peugeot Boxer that

has anintermittent ABS fault. When I first turn the ignition key,

the ABS warning light stays on. If I turn the key to off andthen

back to on, the light go es out andthe sequence continues like this.

When I’m driving, the ABS light never comes on.

I ha ve taken the ’van to the main dealer , who foundfault code

P0500, andsimply wants to replace the ABS un it at a cost of

£1,500.It was unable to explainwhy it can be working perf ectly

after Iswitch off andback on!

I ha ve contacted a firm called ECU Testing which ad vised that

it is a commonproble m andthat I should fully check the electrical

system before re moving the ABS un it for testing andpossible

repair. Do you ha ve any knowledge of this proble m?

Ray Caws

A

Alth ough a fault with the ABS control unit is possible, it is

extreme ly r are and I have never had toreplace one. Nor ha ve

I heard of anyoneelse havingto.

Most of the ABS faults that occur andcorrect themselves

originate in the sensor wiring tothe rear wheels. hecab les are

not particularly robust and have been kno wn to chafe, which

leads to apoor connection and thennone at all. h e connectors

are also not great.

I amsure tha t a little examination work and continuity testing

of the wiring from the sensors fo rwards, andparticularly where

they run across the rear axl e, will reveal some damage. h is can

be easily repaired without the need for new andexpensive lo oms

from the manufacturer. Be sure to use heat-shrink toprotect any

new joints.

NickFisher

Nick’s sugges tion that I investigate the rear wheel sen sor

connectors proved tobe correct. I foundno damage to the

cables and the connectors were clea n. I did not ma ke any

disconnectio ns, ju st simply gave each one a twist andbend. Hey

presto, no fault lights! It was the nearside connector, which to the

eye lo oked perf ect andnot stressed.

Coincidentally, if I did start up and drive with the ABS

warning light on I also had the handbrake light on, butno sound

indication, no outsid e air temp and the speedo did not work,

either.Modern vehicl e electrics are amystery to me and,it would

appear, some main dealer s also.

Ray Caws

It’s worth making the point tha t modern vehicl e electron ics

are far more re liable than older mechanical systemsitted to

many previous-generation vehicl es. It’s just tha t ther e aremore

electrical connection s to c heck.

However, a go od tip is to a lways check the wiring/connectors

thatare most exposed to road dirt, heat, wa ter spray or debris.

So, for anABS fault, always start at the wheels (and usually the

nearside wheels as they’re more likely to get more dirt from the

gutter at the e dge of roads). Equally, when c hecking wiring under

the bonnet, look for things exposed to heat (like the lambda

sensor wiring on exhausts) or water (any wiring at the fron t of

the e ngine exposed to spray).

Also always check e ngine earth straps as these can throw

up all sorts of randomelectrical faults. Nine times out of 10

‘electron ic faults’ are down to mechanical connection s or

physical defects near components (such as chaing wires).

Peter Rosenthal