c15 power steering and general concerns

[edtzxr Newbie Poster Find all posts View Profile Close edtzxr]

Hello all,

New here joined to try and help my Dad out with his new purchase.

My Dad has recently bought a C15 based motor home 54 plate with less than 50k on the clock and as is his usual style did not test drive properly and I feel he may have bought in haste. but that said Its done now and I just need to help him solve some problems he has so here goes:

1. Can you get the c15 converted to power steering my dad is in his 70's and finds it hard to maneuver.
2. It feels very loose in corners is this just the nature of the beast?
3. There is no charging of the leisure battery from the van engine what do I need to fit to have this?
4. Brakes are shocking any advice?
5. I have the feeling this conversion is not romahome is there any way of telling? it looks really nice inside but I think it has been refitted and not very well everything is riveted together not screwed (had to force the cooker shelf out to remove the rivets holding the fridge in place.)
6. Rear suspension seems very soft is there a fix? is it worth doing?

sorry lots of questions but I really want this to end up being a joy for my aged P's and not a disaster and It looks like its going to be down to me fixing the issues and keeping a cheery "oh its ok we'll just do this and that" tone on at all times.

Ed

[jayjay Diamond Poster Find all posts View Profile Close jayjay]

Hi Ed!

My parents did the same with a caravan and there were more than a few niggles to sort out! Don't despair, it will all be ok in the end.

Have the van checked out first, to see if it's safe - I think Ian S. gave you the 'phone number of someone on another post for that.

Can't answer a lot of your questions, but here's a pic of what I had in my demountable roma for the leisure battery if it's any help.

The little box there is what used to sort all the electrics out. Will go hunt to see if I have any of the leisure battery if needed. Although my roma wasn't a C15. There are lots of C15 owners on here who will be along to help shortly!

You don't say where you are in the country, but if you're anywhere near Bristol and Avon Motors, Ant would be able to take a look and see what's what for you.

[ant Diamond Poster Find all posts View Profile Close ant]

Hi Ed.
Firstly, if the C15 is a 54 plate then you're right it is a clone, Romahome stopped doing the C15 long before that. If it doesn't have PAS it is probably a 600 Kg chassis which has some load carrying implications. If the body of the GRP of the Romahome only comes part way down the side of the C15 bit then the body was made for a 600 chassis and is probably late 80's in age. If thye GRP bit is all the way to the sill of the C15 then the body was made for the 765Kg chassis which means your carrying capacity in the van has been reduced by 165Kg.
Now you may have a better Idea what you've got I'll tackle your questions.
1. Citroen made an electric PAS system for the C15 that was fitted to late vehicles. It was expensive and not very nice, I'd buy some heavy duty commercial tyres that will take a high pressure ( some 8 plys will take 65psi) and pump the fronts up to a point that your dad can cope.
2. I suspect its too heavy for its current tyres, a 600 chassis could have car tyres that have very soft side walls, a 765 should have commercially rated tyres ( at least 495Kg per tyre for a C15).
3. You'll need to fit a split charging relay which effectively joins the batteries together when the engine is running, but keeps them separate when the ignition is off.
4. Brakes on a C15 were sometimes thought as an optional extra, they need to be set up properly in relation to the the wt of the vehicle, I doubt whoever did the clone thought to adjust the brakes.
5. If the rear door is original the date of the body will be stamped on or near the top hinge, but as a 54 plate it is certainly a clone.
Having said all that, there is no reason why you P's can't enjoy what they've got providing they're aware of its limitations in carrying capacity. There are loads of clones out there, they are not approved by Romahome and strictly speaking should not have any Romahome logo on them but the concept is the same and no doubt it was far less money to buy than some much older originals.
Ant

[peterholden Diamond Poster Find all posts View Profile Close peterholden]

Because it is a clone you must check with the insurance company. They may require an engineers report to check that the work has been done to a satisfactory standard. You may also feel that a gas check and a mains electricity check are worthwhile.

Engineers reports are not anything to get worried about but are sometimes needed

[aggsnrog Silver Poster Find all posts View Profile Close aggsnrog]

So far as the brakes are concerned they will always require more foot pressure than a modern car. The chances are that there is braking on the front wheels only, because the compensator valve is closing to reduce braking on the rear wheels.

You will find the valve midway between the rear wheels. Simply increase the spring tension by turning the nut. Take some weight off the rear wheels with the steady legs and you will see how the torsion bar operates the valve.

The Romahome body is very heavy and amounts almost to maximum load, especially with gas bottles and camping gear that stays in the van. I doubt that my valve closes at all, and I have never locked the rear wheels when braking.