townsman
Jr. Member
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Posts: 7
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« on: January 27, 2012, 11:17:21 PM » |
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I have owned two Rascals and loved them
First was a 5 speed pick-up which I ran for 12 months from new. The second was a 5 speed van with windows in the side doors, twin Corbeau high back seats, complete with three point rally harnesses in the load area. To do the seat fitting, needed the exhaust and the exhaust shield dropping from under the floor plus some seriously thick load spreading plates to reinforce the two coats of paint and sheet of aluminium foil the van floor seems to be made from. If you add seats make sure they are easily removed to access the battery which lives a reclusive life under the load floor.
My Rascal also had a loud-ish stereo 160w with eight speakers, loud enough to drown out the engine and road noise with enough in hand to be easily heard by the mopedist in front on more than one or two occasions.
I ran the van for 98000 miles and only had to fit four pairs of front tyres two sets of rear tyres. As the van ran unladen 90% of its life the pigeon toe and steering geometry ate front tyres extremely quickly, I also had to fit a new battery after 5 years and the rear exhaust section needed attention at 6 years. Apart from regular servicing and near constant fuelling these were the only other running costs.
Newbies to Rascals should be aware that there is an air pre-heater in the air intake circuit it draws air from over the exhaust manifold in winter and gives better starting in cold weather, conversely it make starting in summer almost impossible, switching from the right to wrong quickly shows up or clears problems.
I used to changeover the air intake lever in late March and mid-October the engine gets fluffy on starting hot or cold indicating time to swap from 'Summer' to 'Winter' setting.
When starting a warm/hot engine WAIT with the ignition turned on for 5-10 seconds you should hear the electric fuel pump rattle, then calm to a tick-tick-tick at which point turn the key and the motor should kick into life without need for the throttle. On hot days the fuel vapourises so needs refilling from the tank before there is anything available to run the engine, which in part accounts for the mediocre economy.
Do not be tempted to change to a mechanical pump otherwise you will have to 'cane' the engine at every start...just like a Daihatsu Hi-Jet or Piaggio Porter... If you do change fit a quality electronic fuel pump and pressure regulator and any fuel feed problems should disappear.
I also used to haul a 750Kg van trailer (unladen it weighed about 150-200Kg), which was the largest regularly trailed load, giving the Rascal the ability to match a Transit 100 in load shifting. The low gearing helps the lugging but not economy 25mpg being the best I managed with the trailer hitched up and fully loaded. Solo it was possible to get 30-35mpg.
The van trailer was not much wider than the Rascal so the complete unit would fit between most vehicle blocking bollards! I used to deliver and install up to 1000kg's of stage sound and lighting equipment to schools, colleges and other venues. Greatest fun was with the Rascal was its ability to drive down most walkways to access distant classrooms. Much to the confusion of staff and delight/distraction of pupils.
The secret with towing is to have the prime mover smaller than the trailer. The other way round and the tail really does wag the dog so be warned...as when it goes wrong it really hurts. I towed for hundreds of miles and the whole rig never missed a beat.
The only time I felt ill at ease was running down a Welsh mountain track for over 5 miles with the gearbox in third and the brakes in use continuously to keep the speedo at an indicated 25mph. I got brake fade at 4 miles so the last bit was very heart in mouth! That was only time the van indicated it was out of its comfort zone.
I have subsequently owned a Subaru Sumo, yes the 4x4 version, which was an absolute hoot to drive. Easily able to reach 80mph, probably a true 72, but the three cylinder engine was turbine smooth and much better matched to the job than the Rascals unit. I have been tempted to go back to micro-vans but those available are not as characterful as the Rascal/Carry.
However, it was less able to tow due to the rear mounted engine so it was replaced by a Mazda E2200 van which was a whole new learning curve and considerably more fuel efficient in Diesel form.
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