Tips for removing the drivers-side hatch and the hand-brake

HI,

Over time, our petrol Hiace has had a minor oil leak around the distributor. I'm going to replace the o-ring seal to fix it but as it's been seeping for a while, the engine is filthy with greasy black grime over the front and front sides of the engine. Also, I assume because of the environment it must have been in when in Japan (it was imported earlier this year) the rest of the engine is dirty with dust.

I want to give it a really good clean but that's difficult with it being accessible from the cab. So an old fashioned engine bay steam clean is out of the window. When I replaced the fan clutch - which also involved taking off a few belts and pulleys - I got the chance to get a better look at the exhaust side which is was just a mucky. Getting the engine clean will also give me a better chance to make sure there are no more little oil leaks I've missed that might have exacerbated the dirt.

With the fan and belt off, I tried cleaning some of it down with brake cleaner but that's not going to cut it for more areas. So, I've found a local car detailer with a good reputation that will try to clean the engine up but ideally I should remove the engine cover on the driver's side so he can get to more of the block to clean (I'm also going to get a load of plastic sheeting to cover the inside of the cab and doors to minimise any spray-back damage.

I'm yet to remove the panel and I understand the process is to remove the driver's seat and them unbolt the cover (watching our for any electricals). But from what I've read and seen, the hand-brake cable attachment needs to be unbolted from the engine cover, for the cover to be completely removed. Everyone seems to say this is really difficult - but it's unclear what the complication is and what the best way to do it is.

So really, after all this essay, I'm after the best tips to unbolt the handbrake - and re-attach it later.

Thanks

Hello g00se.

All cleaning is imperfect.

When starting on my refresh I contacted my local bus company as my local MOT garage (and others) said they offered an excellent vehicle cleaning service. Sadly I never took them up on this but I really wish I had. I’ve seen other people’s results and they would have been very well worth the £40 it would have cost me.

The bus company have the type of brick ramps that allow vans and lorries (and buses) to be driven up off the ground and cleaned from underneath with a great steam cleaner. I spoke to one of the guys who does the work when thinking about it and latterly when other people I know have taken a Land Rover to be cleaned. While they didn’t let me or the LR owner wield the cleaner they were very good at general steam cleaning and allowed us underneath to tell them where to clean (with suitable warning and waterproofs we brought obvs) and check. They allowed 20 mins per vehicle and the results were excellent. Many busses and commercial vehicles have to have some maintenance from underneath and my local one offers this (and MOTs) to the wider public.

An interesting point of their MOTs is that they are not allowed to work on vehicles other than the fleet they maintain so many people regard these to be very fair.

I really wish I’d got my van cleaned in this way (from underneath and when complete) but sadly I didn’t. You’d just have to be prepared for lots of water where it might not ideally get. The mechanics at the depot I saw were very conscientious and didn’t use more pressure that I’d have, but you’d have to do some prep and be prepared to check a few things before running and especially parking up, plus allowing the van to air off properly as a lot of padding etc will get wet.

On the panel, from memory it’s basically remove the seat, remove the carpet (as much as you need to) and ancillaries then remove the panel. It’s not difficult. Take your time and take lots of pictures. I don’t think you need to detach the handbrake but expect you’ll find enough reason to do so as the driver’s seat area is a magnet for all sorts of muck.

Practise partial reassembly as you take things apart and/or use ziplock bags or other useful things and you’ll be fine.

Good luck