Water pump problems and access Duetto.

Hi all,am having problems with my water pump,I I think. Decided it was time to sterilise the water system so put some in the tank run it through the taps(pump working fine obviously!)drove round the block to slosh it around the tank, then left it for 10minutes or so. Then drained it out put some fresh water in tried running it through the taps ,and nothing, pump is running but no pressure, so I am thinking air lock,though have tried sucking on the shower hose ,easiest to get a seal on,but nothing. So need access to the pump which I understand is behind the lower fridge vent cover but am unsure how it comes off . There is a screw at each end and a plastic screw head on the left end as you face it undid those but no joy I'm reluctant to put too much force on it as seems somewhat fragile. Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.

hi
          Lower external vent cover is usually attached by plastic turn button screw,turn throo90' to release and it should come away ,unless it's had extra fixings added ........if pump running suggest give it time to clear air lock
                  Hope this helps
            Dave h

nigaly wrote: There is a screw at each end and a plastic screw head on the left end as you face it undid those but no joy I'm reluctant to put too much force on it as seems somewhat fragile. Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.

I am assuming that you have a Duetto on either the MK6 or the MK7 Transit (from your saying that the pump is behind the fridge vent).

The covers are only secured by self-tapping screws at each end and the quarter-turn plastic turn buckle on the left.

I think that you will find that the cover is slightly stuck by excess sealing mastic and that gently sustained pulling will free it. You could always try using a hair dryer to soften the mastic and when you do get the cover off, don't forget to clean off the excess.

Hi 
      With respect the screws and mastic secure the surround,the turnbuckle holds the grill inner!
            Duetto mark 6
Dave h

I see you joined nearly 3 years ago and this is your first. If that means you have had no problems during that time, then that's brilliant. Hope you sort this problem easily , then please come back and tell us a bit about yourself and your Duetto here...


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

tallslimdave wrote:Hi 
      With respect the screws and mastic secure the surround,the turnbuckle holds the grill inner!
            Duetto mark 6
Dave h

It total we have a) a frame which is fixed to the body of the van by screws and mastic (this is usually never removed) and b) an inner grill which is secured into the frame by a turnbuckle and two screws (for additional security). It is possible for some mastic to find its way onto the grill, hence my suggestion about the hair drier.

That's the way it was on our MK7 Duetto.

Mind you, we sold our MK7 a year ago and my brain cell just might be malfunctioning a little by now in the memory department, but certainly after undoing the turnbuckle and the two screws, the grill should come out.

Thanks all for your helpful advice , I thought that the grill should come out but I could feel it start to crack as I tried to easy it out and as it was starting to rain I thought that was a good time to give up. I have managed to solve the problem now,had a rethink while I was supposed to be working! I disconnected the water pipe underneath rerouted the bit leading to pump up out of the wheelarch then attached a bit of hose to it ,then a watering can full of water to that(with the aid of a big chunk of gaffer tape)then held the can up as high as I could then turned the pump on. It then managed to prime itself , it was a bit tricky (and wet) rejoining the hose without losing the water from it again! But all done now and seems to be working as normal.
I haven't actually had the van 3 years I joined when I was thinking of getting one to suss out potential problems. It's true haven't had any real problems with the caravan side(touch wood!) , did have a problem with the van in that the inlet manifold split on the way back from Wales luckily it was still drivable just a bit slow! And took a while to figure out what the problem was , at the time I was quite glad it was that and not the turbo ,which was my first thought!