redhotchilidog Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I just bought my first land rover! A 1997 Defender 90. The manual is in Japanese and I only know english but on base has unleaded plus gas, is that good enough for it? I don't hear any engine knock when I am using it. It has the 4.0 V-8 in it if that helps. Also is there any general Defender things I should know about owning it? And how do you work all of the vent levers? Every one I try to use feels like I'm bending it and I've tried every which way to work them without breaking anything. Any help is appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Bonjour ! Unleaded "normal" will do. Get online and find the operators manual, the partsbook and workshop manual - in English. Have Fun !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Drumstick Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 What country are you in? For the UK market Rover V8's require 95RON unleaded or better. Although they probably won't run any better on higher grades. I suspect this was true for the JDM models too. You should be able to find some manuals online, plus vids on YouTube how to operate the controls. Not really that difficult, but a basic understanding of a 4wd system, what a diff lock is (not in an axle) and what a transfer box are, will help you out no end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 for manuals look in our Technical Archive index in the 'manuals' section, lots of weblinks to go to & read in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchilidog Posted July 20, 2016 Author Share Posted July 20, 2016 What country are you in? For the UK market Rover V8's require 95RON unleaded or better. Although they probably won't run any better on higher grades. I suspect this was true for the JDM models too. You should be able to find some manuals online, plus vids on YouTube how to operate the controls. Not really that difficult, but a basic understanding of a 4wd system, what a diff lock is (not in an axle) and what a transfer box are, will help you out no end. I am in Japan currently and I understand a 4wd system; I have a jeep wrangler back in the states that is my absolute life with all the money and time I have put into it! The manual I have here my buddy used a translating app and it supposedly said premium but with my experience in the translator apps they do a poor job so thats why I don't exactly trust it. I contacted Land Rover so they will hopefully send me an english manual but I will check the archives in the mean time. I'm sure I will have a million more questions (I actually do right now to be honest!) but I will wait until I look at the manual before asking here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchilidog Posted July 20, 2016 Author Share Posted July 20, 2016 Actually I'll ask just to be sure but for engine oil 15w-40 is what I need (I can't find a definitive answer online, everyone has their own opinions apparently), for transfer case Im assuming regular atf fluid will be good, and what do you guys recommend for differential fluid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 Freak Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Hi and welcome to the forum.... For a Rover V8 I would suggest 20w-50 engine oil. Transfer box and axles - EP90 Manual Gearbox - MTF94 Auto - ATF Have a look through our tech archive.. It's all there for you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Drumstick Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 For oil, use semi-synth IMO. That age of RV8 won't be using pure mineral oil. Weight wise, I agree with the others. But there is no right or wrong really to a larger degree. Just nothing to thin. As for the fuel, do you know the octane rating used in Japan? There are essentially 3 main standards for octane rating. In the UK we use RON, but there is also MON and PON ratings. The fuel will be the same, but will give a slightly different number. PON is sometimes called AKI, which is what I think you use in the USA. It's essentially an average of RON & MON (RON+MON)/2 Anything 95RON or better will be fine. 95RON is about equal to 91 octane USA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating As for the 4wd system. The Land Rover Defender is actually quite different from your Wrangler. The Wrangler just has a 2wd/4wd selector and low range, a bit like an older Series Land Rover. A Defender actually has a centre differential. This means it is 4wd all the time, even on the street. The centre diff splits power 50:50 front/rear. When you want to off road you'll need to lock the diff. Sometimes people confuse this with axle diff lockers. But sadly Defenders only have open axle diffs as standard. With the diff lock engaged the 4wd system will act just like your Jeep does in 4wd. The front and rear wheels will rotate at the same speed (well the output shafts on the transfer box will). You do this with the small lever by moving it to the left. A light should light up on the dash when diff lock is engaged, normally an orange light. To disengage move the short lever to the right. Engaging and disengaging difflock doesn't have much feel or feedback on the lever. But it should be working. Sometimes disengaging difflock can be a bit sticky. Even to the extent that you have to put it in reverse and sharply reverse 20 feet and slam on the brakes (it normally helps disengage it). But try it first. You can select or deselect Diff lock at any speeds or while stationary. If it's not been used much or ever, it might well need provoking or freeing up. With difflock disengaged you still have AWD, but because the centre diff is open, it will still essentially go to 1wd off road. The advantages are, it reduces strain on the axles for road use. And makes the vehicle far more stable and drivable on wet roads or semi slippy conditions. You need the difflock, because on the road, like your Jeep in 4wd, if you try turning tightly on high grip surfaces, it'll wind the driveline up and likely break something. Because the front wheels need to be able to rotate at a different speed to the rear ones. The short lever also selects high and low range. Pushing it forward will select low and pulling it back will select high. You ideally need to be stationary or sub 5mph to do this. And it may clonk/grind if you are rolling, even at sub 5mph. Again, if it's not been used, the level might be a bit stiff to select either Low or High. There are no warning lights for selecting low. You can leave the main transmission in-gear or in neutral, it doesn't matter. The lever should have a more positive clonk and feel when selecting low or high. If it doesn't want to go into low. Pull to a halt and gentle add a couple of hundred rpm while pushing the lever forward, it sometimes helps. You can use the Low range and difflock in any combo, i.e. High diff open High diff locked Low diff open Low diff locked That's pretty much all there is to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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