Worth sorting my seat inca v reg 1.9 deisel van?

rictus123

Ok i got it for discounted rates but its had a good few problems since. First i had to replace brake discs and calipers, about £60 i think. Then the exhaust burst so that was £60 plus an advisory note saying cat needed done soon(i only found this out 3 weeks later) when the exhaust burst again. Its not been sorted so far(£150 part+fitted, is it worth it??) Theres 2 chips in the windscreen(heater is needed to stop gummy window. Theres dents in the side of the van(passengers side), just above the wheel. Also the back door doesnt lock as the top latch doesnt catch properly as the van door seems to be sagging a little bit(dont use it much anyway, once a week if that)

So now todays problem is frost killed the battery last week, charged it up and its dead again after about 20-30 miles. So a new battery is needed. Been told its £75 from local Autoparts. Any other places i could get one from for less but asap? MOT is due in 2 months so i dont know what to do as im thinking theres no way itl pass, i need transport for work and have little funds just now Any help/advice appreciated thanks.

duncan303

well first thing is you have to work out whether it is the battery or the alternator, even a good battery will suffer after 20-30 miles on headlights.

This may change the decision process, but remember you can always keep a battery, and swap it amonst vehicles, especially if you are going to buy another old vehicle.:money:

then at least you will not have battery problems for the next few years.


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rictus123

The alternator got replaced recently so i wouldnt think it was that.

Pete*G_4

get the battery fully charged up & then get it checked at your local garage or Halfords. it should be free to get this done.

if the battery's fine, then you have a problem either with the alternator or with the power cable running from the alternator to the battery. In either case, you should replace both, and ideally uograde the power cable with a larger gauge of OFC (oxygen free copper) cable to make it more efficient. if you do this, also upgrade the two earth cables (battery to earth & alternator to earth) to make the circuit more efficient as a whole.

once your charging system is sorted, move onto the other problems. A secondhand cat shouldn't cost much more than £30 on ebay, or look online for an owners club forum or similar as there will be a ready supply of parts. Don't forget that the Inca van is based on the Ibiza (someone correct me if I'm wrong) so a lot of the parts will be compatible from that.

re: the dents - are they affecting the performance of the van? if yes, then get them looked at. if no, then why bother at the moment if funds are tight? give the car a good wash & a polish, and it'll look 10x better with or without dents.

back doors on vans can "sag" as you say, due to the weight involved in them and the pressure it puts on the hinges. check the bolts on the hinges are all tightened up etc - worst case scenario is a new set of hinges - but that shouldn't break the bank if you look on ebay or similar. Alternatively, pick up a complete back door from a scrappy or someone online breaking one - it'll be no more than a case of undoing a few bolts and a central locking plug to get it swapped over.

not sure what you are saying about heaters/windows etc, but if you can elaborate then I'm sure we can come up with a solution.

don't forget, most problems on cars have a simple effective fix. almost all can be fixed after a bit of research and a bit of time getting your hands dirty.

EDIT - Just read you said the alternator got replaced recently. ok then it suggests that the wiring's knackered, in which case get yourself 4-5m of 4AWG (4 gauge) OFC cable from ebay or a car audio supplier, and one-by-one replace the three cables that make up the vehicles charging system on a like-for-like basis. This upgrade is commonly known in car circles as "upgrading the big three" and can be found on car forums the world over lol

duncan303

Pete*G wrote: »

A secondhand cat shouldn't cost much more than £30 on ebay, or look online for an owners club forum or similar as there will be a ready supply of parts.

But will they hold a charge:eek:

rictus123

Cheers Pete im looking into it now. It just looks a mess and its cost me so much money already im not having to spend even more. Had to get a new ratiator, front grill, splitters, indicator casing etc after a bump and now i just feel like giving up on it. Seems i have no other option but to stick with it. I do need my van however the money im spending and iv got nothing to show for it leaves me so unmotivated to do anything about it or anything at work. Working to pay off debts as it is.

duncan303

Simple test without equipment for alternator and connections.

get the van started and warm up to a fast tickover. turn all electric euipment on full beam heaters etc etc.

then rev the engine, do the lights visibly dim and brighten as you do so.


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Pete*G_4

duncan303 wrote: »

But will they hold a charge:eek:

a cat, holding a charge?? !!!!!!? the cat is the CATALYTIC CONVERTOR - which reduces emissions in the gaseous waste system: the exhaust.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter

rictus123

Cant start the van duncan

Pete*G_4

rictus123 wrote: »

Cheers Pete im looking into it now. It just looks a mess and its cost me so much money already im not having to spend even more. Had to get a new ratiator, front grill, splitters, indicator casing etc after a bump and now i just feel like giving up on it. Seems i have no other option but to stick with it. I do need my van however the money im spending and iv got nothing to show for it leaves me so unmotivated to do anything about it or anything at work. Working to pay off debts as it is.

stick at it mate, keep your chin up. you can do most of the work yourself, but in reality most of it isn't required - like the dents for example. doesn't matter what it looks like, it's whether it works that counts.

rictus123

New battery today. Keep the back door shut for time being. Then il need to get the second hand cat. And can i ask how much is the cat going to cost just to get fitted?
Then after these 2 i think il work on getting it through its mot. I would love to run it as its such cheap insurance. Hopefully after the battery and cat it wont need much else but i dont hold out too much hope to be honest. Anywhere i can find a list of whats required for mot?