Rotten front crossmember 1998 Peugeot Boxer

I have just bought a 1998 Autotrail Peugeot Boxer based Cheyenne 634 motor home after a couple of years away from caravanning. We intend to give Motorhoming a try so we can take our dog to France on holiday with us.

Having no real knowledge of the history of the vehicle I decided to start a base line and gave it an oil and filter change, air filter etc. The vehicle has done 56000 miles so a second cam belt change will be done soon for peace of mind.

I decided to grovel underneath and check out the chassis for rust and apart from some rust to the supports for the water tanks and towbar it was surprisingly good for its age. I have already started a process of waxoyl spraying of the cavities which will continue when the weather is warm enough to let the waxoyl spray properly.

The major problem found was right at the front of the vehicle just under the plastic bumber.There is a crossmember which supports the radiator and has the tow loop attached which is held in place with six large bolts, three at each end. I put my fingers over the top of this susbstantial piece of metal and found very large amounts of flaking rust and a rusty split in the hollow section. The vehicle has been MOT'd a few months ago and it was not mentioned so this is why I am writing to warn others.

After research on the internet I found it was a common problem on Boxer vans especially motorhomes. Another owner described his horror at finding it and the process of replacement which is fairly easy. The cross member is available new or second hand( rust free!!!) via several different van parts suppliers, so I have now got a perfectly good piece of metal ready to fit. I have cleaned it up and painted the outside with hammerite and the inside has been soaked in engine oil to avoid further problems. A friend will help me fit it in the next few days. You basically have just to support the radiator using a piece of wood across the wings( application of rags on wing surfaces) unbolt the six bolts , unclip any attached wires and refit the new member. I will report back any problems when we do the job.

The engine on my Boxer is the 2.5 Turbo for reference. I can email any one else the downloaded fitting instructions I found on the web and it is suppose to be an easy two man two hour job including painting the replacement..

Not sure if this problem has been mentioned before as I cannot find a search function to check, but it is worth having the cross member checked if you have a similar aged van.