I left it a bit late to have my caravan serviced at a dealer before December.

Does anybody have advice on how I could undertake a self-service on the most important elements of my caravan? I am not very technical minded so would appreciate some simple advice on what to check and do.

I have a Jurgens Penta.

Good morning Fugly

Welcome here, hang your hat, sit back & enjoy.

Relax, unless something major happened reciently or your van is really not in good condition, It's not likely that something's going to go wrong, but it's obviously good to cast your rheumy right eye over things

1) Won't you post all the number's  on the side of your tyres, so that the age of your tyres can be determined.

2) Jack (with a jack not your steadies) the wheel free from the ground on each side. check the play on the bearings, by pushing & pulling (not rotating) at the top of the wheel. There should be a little play but not a knock-knock.

Then Rotate it and listen for grinding noises)  let us know what you find, before you get in too deep.

While the tyre is off the ground, sit on your bum facing the tyre and examine each tyre carefully (while rotating slowly by hand) especially in-between the treads for things that have got stuck into them, even if the tyre has not deflated. Keep your eyes open for micro cracks running parallal in the bottom of tread grooves. HUGE indication that your tyres are perishing. Do this especially on the spare as it gets left out of the natural replacement cycles... Tyres last +- 4 years Feel for "flat spots" around the diameter... Any defects I would replace.

3) Grease If you know how, remove the grease caps feel the grease. It must be greasy & not gritty. Not to worry if it's black & not greenish. If it is hard & lumpy or gritty it must be replaced. If not just put the grease cap back and leave it alone. Don't add, the grease cap must not be full... Again let us know what you find and you will open encyplopedia Britinnica... Check both grease caps.

5) Run a wheel spanner over all the wheel-nuts, especially the kerb-side wheel (Long story why, but never mind) must be tight but it's not neccessary to go over-board. Apply a dollop of common sense)

5) while your hands are dirty, run a little LM grease on the threads of your steadies, run them down & up again. 

6) Coupling. Hitch up, (While hitched see point 8). Put a klip / half brick behind the wheels and get the missus to slowly reverse while you watch the coupling it must move freely but not too easily If it does not move you got an issue if it can be pushed in easily by hand you got an issue... Let us know what you find.

8) Spray a squizzzzzz of sillicon spray into both sides of the electrical plug and check the lights.

9) Crawl under and look at everything. Let us know if anything that does not look right.

10) All thing's being equal, a sensable towing speed (80 - 100Km), correctly loaded, not overloaded (the old GVM - TARE thing) and you should be good-to-go... Just watch the kerb side wheel, It tends to take a hell of a lot more punnishment than the other side due to debree that lands up on the edge of the tarmac, as well as edge-breakouts on narrow roads...

And that's about it... A quick not-to-technical once over to put your mind at ease...

Oh, the battery... Don't forget to charge it, and to test your trip switch.. (mains connect & push the test switch)

My 2c worth... Everybody else gonna add to this... Watch... Great bunch of fundies here...

Chech that your fridge works of gas aswell. We never know when ESKOM is doing what they must or not.

I would replace the grease on the corner steadies with silicone spray or Q20. The silicone does not attract that much dust and sand same with Q20 after awhile most of the sprayed oil has also evaporated leaving just enough for lubrication.

On the tow hitch there are two grease nipples. You can grease these until new grease starts to come out.

All good advice. There was a recent thread about bearings running hot. It is more technical than one might think. My advice would be that if you know what you are doing, go ahead. If you are not sure, you can do less damage by just leaving the bearings alone. This is not a boat trailer going into the water regularly. The grease will not have evaporated and this is something you can leave for a service after the December holiday.

On holiday you won't have all your tools available. Basic camp repairs: If it is stuck and shouldn't be, Q20 it. If it is loose and shouldn't be, duct tape it!

Don't stress too much. A caravan does not travel nearly as far as the average car per year and actually has few moving and complicated parts. Mainly focus on tyre condition and pressures and enjoy the camp.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for replying to my post. I already learned a lot from this and will undertake this task on Saturday. Will keep you guys posted.

And if there are any more ideas, please feel free to advice.

Groetnis!

Riaan welkom op die forum.Kyk ook na die seelwerk dat daar nerens water kan in kom nie

It is part of the holiday starting all the preperations and service injoy it

HAd mine service at Leisureland in Bellville a week ago. I did book it  a few weeks before, but if you call today you may still get a spot before you leave.

I am not that technically skilled so I leave it to the pro's. I jsut did the basic service (outside of the van only), cost me R1000.

Hi Tjola.

If you have it hitched up, just take it for a short test drive. If you brake, you will immediately feel if the van is braking properly and evenly. It is much better than picking up problems on holiday, fully loaded with the family in the car.

You don't want to start your holiday in the early hours of the morning driving back home to adjust your van's brakes.

Somer Kamper wrote:

Hi Tjola.

If you have it hitched up, just take it for a short test drive. If you brake, you will immediately feel if the van is braking properly and evenly. It is much better than picking up problems on holiday, fully loaded with the family in the car.

You don't want to start your holiday in the early hours of the morning driving back home to adjust your van's brakes.

+ What he said..

Trying to keep things simple for non tech heads, the "rotate the jacked up wheel and listen for grinding noises" test will be a basic brake binding and "running a bearing" check, but obviously not test if the brakes are engaging.

If you have towed before then you will know if the brakes are engaging, so a short trial tow is a good quick test.

The bigger concern is that the brakes are not disengaging from the drum after standing for a couple of months, especially if the mistake of pulling up the handbrake when parked is made.

For non techies, if you go to a dealer, get down on hands and knees and shed crockodile tears out of your third eye and ask them "just to check the brakes p-l-e-a-s-e" You will probibly come right, as that a heck of a lot less than a service.

Baie dankie almal. Ek het nou baie geleer.

Wat die hoek stutte betref, hou ek ook nie van grease nie. Ek gebruik chainlube wat vir motorfiets kettings gebruik word.

Groete

Andre Steyn wrote:

Baie dankie almal. Ek het nou baie geleer.

 

Wat die hoek stutte betref, hou ek ook nie van grease nie. Ek gebruik chainlube wat vir motorfiets kettings gebruik word.

 

Groete

Just my opinion.... But then I'm daft... And old....

Silicon spray....

I'm not a fan of applying it where there is the likleyhood of water. It get's washed off easily...

I would prefer to use "tool-in-a-can" and spray where the threaded rod enters the nut...

Chain lube..... 

The only advantage of chain lube would be it's adherence properties (won't get thrown off) seems a bit expensive to use for this application, and not many non-biker's / cyclers carry this in their gararge

Grease...

Looking at the options here, and remember the OP is not a tech-head I would still stick with LM grease, but perhaps explain that only a small amount on the threaded rod up against the nut on both sides of the nut, to minimise dirt & dust is needed....

Now copper-slip........ Ohhhh boy....That be another kettle of fish....

Super duper stuff that but expensive..... 

Just my 2c worth...

Hi Herman

Na my sin, is Q20 nie die regte ding dit word te gou afgewas... Dis goed waar water ENS nie maklik bykom.

Copper slip, of gries... maak n plan vir a cover uit a stuk binne band en cable ties om die stof en sand uit te hou todat jy die regtr boot kry....

So te praat, n ou CV boot????

Herman

Gebruik eerder daai spuitgoed wat die ouens met die motorfietse gebruik op hulle se kettings, dit trek nie so stof soos gries en olie nie.  Ek gebruik dit op die hoekstukke se skroef draad met groot sukses.

Sorry H

I was thinking of my "casper-se-kop" Jurgens, a Avion LT, hy het n boot gehad, weet nie van Jurgie, maar glo nie....

Ja, Chain lube does not attract like grease and you can spuit diep tussen die twee...

How???? I thought that was what I said.......