Welcome to my Honda StepWGN web page

In retirement I thought an MPV Camper would be an ideal vehicle for the following reasons:

Routine passenger transport.
General purpose load carrier for DIY materials, trips to the local recycling dump etc.
Day trips with the occasional overnight stop to avoid returning the same day.
Occasional longer runs where being self contained could be useful if B&B didn't work out.

Why the StepWGN?

I had owned a Honda CR-V (manual) for 10 years which had given good service and my daughter had an automatic CR-V.
I preferred petrol to diesel and wanted to try an LPG conversion.
It could fit in the garage/multistory car parks and under the 'anti-traveller' 2 meter barriers which abound in the area I live in.
A Honda garage is very close to home.

So where to get one and what conversion to have. Didn't really want a full side unit and rock & roll bed fit, as I preferred to have as many seats available as possible. Had a look on the internet, particularly Wellhouse Leisure and Westward Leisure, and visited the Bath & West Show at the beginning of 2009. Was impressed with the quality of work from both companies. However, Westward had a Stepwgn with a rear left side domestic unit, interior spot lights and curtains. Only the rear left seat had been removed, to make way for the fitted unit, which left one rear seat on the right, a centre revolving double seat, a utility seat by the sliding door - folds up for access and makes a useful coffee table with the back folded down - and the 2 front seats (passenger seat on a swivel). A portable table could be fitted between the centre double seat facing rearwards and the rear seat. Perfect, as the seats all fold flat for sleeping with the addition of a padded storage box to fill the gap between the rear seat and the unit - fits across the back when the rear seat back is up. A suitable size piece of foam to unroll over the lot helps to smooth out any bumps!. (See pics below)

The vehicle is a 1998 RF2 (4WD) FieldDeck, so similar mechanics as my CR-V but with an automatic gearbox. The factory fitted elevating roof of the FieldDeck is of excellent build quality - but rather novel! Basically somewhere to stow camping kit - sleeping bags, clothing etc - when on site. Access is via the the cutouts - over front and centre seats - where the sun roofs on the standard model would have been. So no real standing room and you need to been fairly agile to get up there, a good place for the Japanese kids to sleep while mum and dad sleep downstairs!

We drove to Devon to have a test drive and decide on extras. The Stepwgn had a Japanese radio/CD/Sat nav unit in the centre console, none of which was any use in UK! So a radio/CD player could be fitted in one slot and the other bits left for me to sort out later. A side awning (Omnistor) was possible, mounted on bespoke stainless brackets. Finally, the LPG conversion - more below. Only things to make it legal on UK roads were rear fog lights and the speedometer face changed from KPH to MPH (supplied by Wellhouse). A new set of tires, underseal, cam belt change, full service and the all important MOT to finish off. Westward were extremely helpful overall and even arranged to have an alarm system fitted.

The LPG conversion - Prins VSI -involved replacing the spare wheel (space saver) under the rear end with a 65 litre tank and filler connection, mounting a fuel gauge with switch on the instrument panel and control unit/injectors etc in the engine bay. As the Honda 2 ltr engine has a 'soft seat' valve installation it was recommended to fit a Flashlube total loss valve lubrication system to minimize valve seat erosion. The engine starts on petrol but after a short warm up switches to LPG, reverse happens when LPG runs out. Initially, the 'engine check' light would occasionally illuminate only to go out on a restart and the idle RPM on LPG was lower than on petrol. A computer tweak of the LPG supply solved the problems and it has run smoothly ever since. I have upgraded the drip feed Flashlube system with the electronic version which also has a low level warning light next to the LPG fuel gauge. I get about 20-22 mpg from LPG compared to approximately 25-27 mpg on petrol. Looked at another way, with the current petrol/LPG price ratio, that's 36-38 miles for the cost of one gallon of petrol. This is mostly local driving, so a bit better on long distance. There is the cost of the Flashlube to account for and being a 1998 model there is no duel-fuel recognition for lower road tax by the DVLA but it is nice not to be paying so much fuel duty at the pump and it makes me feel a little bit 'green' as the exhaust gas is cleaner - should also mean the exhaust system lasts longer.

Update May 2001: The Flashlube electronic version failed! In fact I could achieve a more accurate flow rate with the manuel kit. However, I have changed to the Prins ValveCare system which only injects, direct into each cylinder, when running on LPG and cuts out when on petrol. The fluid is a concentrate so should last quite a few miles. Instead of a fluid low level warning light the the LPG guage/switch will now beep a code when the bottle needs changing. (See pics below)

I mentioned that there is a Honda garage nearby. I called in initially to see if I could get some touch-up paint for a small chip in the paint work. The very nice man put the VIN number into the computer and bingo there was my Stepwgn and I got my paint. I had a service done based on the CR-V schedule so now I have an up-to-date service book.

I have managed to remove the Japanese sat nav system and fit a digital clock/temperature unit and front and rear fog light switches. The space where the VDU was now has a mounting bracket for my Road Angel sat nav. I also installed an 85 amp hr leisure battery which supplies 12V to a triple socket, interior spot lights and water pump for the sink. The battery is vented to the underside of the vehicle and is charged from the alternator via a Sterling B2B charger which will charge the vehicle battery first and then the leisure battery. Both batteries can also be charged from a 240V hook-up via a 12V-6 amp on board charger. Fitting the B2B unit required routing a 16mm sq cable (red in pic) from the main battery to the unit through an isolating switch. It all works very well as I can now run a cool box and other 12V items for a reasonable length of time all controlled from a switch/fuse panel on the rear of the domestic unit. I have also fitted a Nasa BM-1 Compact to monitor the leisure battery when using 12V consumers on site to ensure that the battery is not discharged beyond recovery. For safety I have mounted a fire extinguisher and gas alarm. (See pics below)

Finally, we needed a drive away awning which ideally would fit over the rear tailgate as that would give direct access to the domestic unit. After a search I found the Sunncamp Handy Moto which is just the correct height to fit the tailgate (see pics). It is even colour coded to the vehicle! We now have an extremely versatile MPV/Camper.

PS: How do I 'strangle' the reversing beeper - which is only heard inside the vehicle?!! Update May 2011: I have now learnt to live with the beeper!

PPS: The speedo conversion is just an MPH face plate, the odo remains in kilometers. However, there is quite a discrepancy in indicated speed versus sat nav speed. The speedo indicates about 35 mph at sat nav 30 mph and 78 mph at sat nav 70 mph. This is also confirmed by these new roadside speed warnings which flash up your speed. At least it is indicating on the 'safe' side but when I have the sat nav in 'Road Angel' mode I tend to use that as the digital speed is nice and clear!

PPS May 2011: I have fitted a small voltmeter under the instrument panel to monitor start battery voltage and an isolating switch on the start battery negative terminal to stop ECU/Ancillary drain when vehicle is not used for an extended period.

Please e-mail me if you want further details: husk@one-name.org

Jun 2010