Custom build - 2020 Westfalia Club Joker 4Motion - Offroad build thread

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

It’s now solar noon without clouds. As the Winter sun is low in the sky this test proves that the rear and side panels were worth it. Double the power va the flat panels on the roof. So far so good!

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[Maeve]

Hey Webbah...enquiring minds want to know...well maybe just me enquiring...how do you handle the penthouse mattresses, have you found someone to source fitted sheets for each section of the Froli mattresses or, like me are you using a topper on top of them?

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Hey Webbah...enquiring minds want to know...well maybe just me enquiring...how do you handle the penthouse mattresses, have you found someone to source fitted sheets for each section of the Froli mattresses or, like me are you using a topper on top of them?

Haha! The struggle “was” real. I took measurements and found fitted sheets that work. Bought 4 of them and rotate. Some are cotton for summer and some are thicker flannel type for winter.

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[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Hey Webbah...enquiring minds want to know...well maybe just me enquiring...how do you handle the penthouse mattresses, have you found someone to source fitted sheets for each section of the Froli mattresses or, like me are you using a topper on top of them?

I also upgraded the mattress to a thicker one. It’s in this thread for reference. World of a difference and I hate toppers. 7cm thick.


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[Maeve]

I also upgraded the mattress to a thicker one. It’s in this thread for reference. World of a difference and I hate toppers. 7cm thick.


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Did 7cm with the sheets fit on the "bottom half" when you slid the top half back? That sounds interesting...I will try to find where you did that...

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Did 7cm with the sheets fit on the "bottom half" when you slid the top half back? That sounds interesting...I will try to find where you did that...

I had him make that section in 2 layers. One 5cm and a 2cm top piece. That isn’t really needed though as although it’s a bit tight it slides back fine with both pieces. If I did it again I’d just go with the 7cm all around. I might even ask them to make that section again in 7cm.


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[Ch1pbutty]

(Thread hijack!)

Anyone know how to reset the camping heater on a club joker before I book it in with the dealer.No ‘clicks’ for usual ignition cycle.

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

(Thread hijack!)

Anyone know how to reset the camping heater on a club joker before I book it in with the dealer.No ‘clicks’ for usual ignition cycle.

First the obvious, have you made sure you have enough diesel in the tank? Otherwise it won’t turn on to prevent running the tank dry. If yes, try turning off the main power with the large red switch in the sliding cabinet. Wait a minute or so and then turn it back on. Set the time in the control panel and ensure no timers are set (shouldn’t be as it’s likely back to defaults). Try again.


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[The Merle]

(Thread hijack!)

Anyone know how to reset the camping heater on a club joker before I book it in with the dealer.No ‘clicks’ for usual ignition cycle.

Also check there’s coolant/fluid in the heating system (behind the bench seat)

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Have fluid, have fuel. Dealer here I come!

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Have fluid, have fuel. Dealer here I come!

Last thing, but doubtful. If the Leisure batteries are low on voltage it will also fail to start or cutoff.

Finally, make sure you go to a Westy dealer that has experience with these heaters. I had a real struggle finding one capable in Switzerland. Finally my mechanic and I just decided to rebuild it ourselves and learned a lot in the process! Let me know if I can help further. The bleeder valves are in a totally stupid place for example. Under the plastic next to the bench seat in the front “basket” part. We ended up cutting a small hole so we can always access the bleeder valve quickly if needed and cover it with foam tape otherwise.


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[Ch1pbutty]

Last thing, but doubtful. If the Leisure batteries are low on voltage it will also fail to start or cutoff.

Finally, make sure you go to a Westy dealer that has experience with these heaters. I had a real struggle finding one capable in Switzerland. Finally my mechanic and I just decided to rebuild it ourselves and learned a lot in the process! Let me know if I can help further. The bleeder valves are in a totally stupid place for example. Under the plastic next to the bench seat in the front “basket” part. We ended up cutting a small hole so we can always access the bleeder valve quickly if needed and cover it with foam tape otherwise.


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Leisure battery is fine. Luckily we have a Westfalia dealer about a mile away so will get it booked in.

If you struggle to find in Switzerland - boat / yacht specialists tend have a lot of knowledge of these heaters.

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Leisure battery is fine. Luckily we have a Westfalia dealer about a mile away so will get it booked in.

If you struggle to find in Switzerland - boat / yacht specialists tend have a lot of knowledge of these heaters.

Hope they take care of you! Perhaps I am partly masochistic but the good thing is I now know extensively how this heater inside and out and how to rebuild it when required for maintenance. Multiple Westphalia dealers tried to get my mechanic and I wiring/build diagrams directly from Westphalia but failed to do so as they were unresponsive. So we took the hands on and initially more painful route of disassembly and mapping it all out ourselves.

This included slight modifications like moving the external temperature sensor for example. Westphalia installs this quite close to the heater and heater exhaust which would often show inaccurate external temps on the control panel. When it was 0C outside it would show 10-15C on the control panel due to the heat proximity. The temp sensor has plenty of extra cabling that they simply coiled up with a zip tie. We moved it to an alternate location and now the control panel shows much more accurate temps. Perhaps I'm old school and fall back to "if you want it done properly do it yourself" mentality.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

My water pump failed yesterday so I got busy making a small mod replacing it. The original location is a bit difficult to reach and replace so I moved the power and water hose to the removable top cover. Also added a Silver ion thingy to keep the germs at bay:

View attachment 98556

View attachment 98557

Just changed the pump on ours, those stupid cable clips should be banned! & what idiot decided on its location!

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Just changed the pump on ours, those stupid cable clips should be banned! & what idiot decided on its location!

Fuel pump or water pump? I had to change my water pump a year ago.


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[Ch1pbutty]

Fuel pump or water pump? I had to change my water pump a year ago.


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The water pump for the sink / shower

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

The water pump for the sink / shower

Ahh yes, I’m an early post in this thread I posted about how I changed the location of the pump to make it easier to maintain in the future. I plugged the old hole and moved it to the center of the main water tank opening. Works a charm now. I also upgraded the pump to a Reich with 1.8 bars of pressure. Pure heaven for the shower pressure now.


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[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Sun is shining! Finally solar irradiance up to 700 or so. Great for another test of the new panels.

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[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

Nothing like a fresh meal cooked with an air fryer powered by the sun. No mess and no fuss.


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[Ch1pbutty]

(Thread hijack!)

Anyone know how to reset the camping heater on a club joker before I book it in with the dealer.No ‘clicks’ for usual ignition cycle.

+ update +

Fixed

Was booked into the dealer this Thursday, but tonight I pulled the fuse whilst it was ‘on’ on the control panel (but not working) then put the fuse back in….turned if off/on the control panel and it fired back into life!

Have since found a manual online and it says to do the same to clear a lockout.

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

+ update +

Fixed

Was booked into the dealer this Thursday, but tonight I pulled the fuse whilst it was ‘on’ on the control panel (but not working) then put the fuse back in….turned if off/on the control panel and it fired back into life!

Sounds good! Keep in mind that these heaters have a “feature” where if they fail to start up 10 times in a row they go into locked mode. Only way to fix it then is to use one of their diagnostic tools to unlock the firmware. That tool is about 500 pounds. Or a dealer visit.


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