mahon257

I had the same problem (my model is slightly different to yours - no Spider). My issue was the immobiliser - specifically the starter motor circuit. There is an easy work-around. Get hold of some scotch-locks...this is reversible is it's doesn't sort your problem out - just remove the earth lead. See here (hope this ok Mods - feel free to remove link if not!) Quote ===== heres a starter relay behinde the drivers front pillar cover, behide there theres a few relays its the one of the yellow relays with the orange wire with a black tracer, i earthed that out and mine starts altho been round the world trying to trace it! it eventually goes back to the green alarm imobiliser/rcl box under the pansenger side kick panel!! ======== End Quote

I wasn't able to get a part no. for the banjo bolt - the picture attached shows thread gauge - M12 /1.5mm thread. I went to a local LR parts specialist (JSF in Norwich), taking the original bolt from the plenum chamber with me... they were able to dig out a banjo with same thread type.

submerge the tin / container in a bucket of piping hot tap water for 10 mins or so... will make it easier to apply.

On my 300TDI (1996 manual), the throttle position sensor merely serves as part of the EGR system. If you "ditched" the EGR valve assembly, (and blanked off the manifold), you no longer need the throttle position sensor - it could in fact go into the same ditch. The Bosch pump is indeed mechanical - and the throttle position sensor plays no part in its operation.

I've got the same car (probably?), '96 300TDI. Mine doesn't have a spider ! (I had to take the dash apart to figure that one out LOL). I also had an intermittent starting problem , which was caused by the 1 (or more) of the 3 wires going into the Starter Solenoid. Gave them a wiggle and some WD40 - been fine for a few months. I have the "anti tamper" cover on the fuel pump - yours might be different - but thought it might be worth mentioning.. Good luck getting to the bottom of it.. either way. Nick

Congrats ! Very satisfying I'll bet..

could be this... http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=80730&hl=

I bought a (scrap) Garrett Turbo for my 300Tdi (1996), for £80 off fleebay 4 years ago. Done 10,000 miles since... no probs.

1st check the Master Brake cylinder (MBC) is doing it's job. It's cheap and easy to do. Whip off the MBC, mount it in a vice. Rig up a closed loop.. for example: http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=83293&hl= I recently had a problem with the rear circuit (led to rusty rear discs), which was caused by a failed seal (even though it was a brand new Lucas MBC from Paddocks). Sent mine back - got a warranty replacement - works fine now. You might need to invest in a bit of copper brake pipe, and a pipe flaring kit kit.. (less than £10) but a worthwhile investment for LR owners anyway! Look for evidence of Air Bubbles in the rear circuit when pumping in a closed loop Good luck! Nick

Sent the (new) Lucas Master Brake Cylinder back to Paddocks for a replacement. 3 weeks later... a new one arrived... (this week). With the new one, I followed the same process - i.e. bled it in a vice - with a continous loop setup on both front/rear outlets. This time, no bubbles on either circuit. Thank f**k for that. So... that's 2 Lucas MBCs in a row I've bought that were defective - both on the rear circuit... "Top tip": When installing an MBC, bleed it in a vice first so you can ensure it works properly. In my case I had no idea the rear brake circuit wasn't working properly - only evidence was rusty rear discs. Hopefully this one will last a few years!

Anyone come across this problem before? Been trying to fix a problem with rusty rear brake discs... so bought a new (Lucas) Master Brake Cylinder. After reading around this forum and others, it seems the best way to "prepare" the MBC for installation, is to pre-bleed it in a vice - before installing to vehicle. It's the first time I've tried this.... After 2 hours of trying (in the vice) ... using brand new DOT 4 fluid - I gave up. See photo! I'd rigged up a closed loop system... and allowed up to 30 minutes between pumping sessions - to allow any trapped air to "Rise". For the love of god... I could not get the rear brake circuit free of air bubbles... I've now sent it back for a replacement. The front circuit was perfect - nice clear, bubble free, fluid flowing around the loop... Is there some trick I'm missing?

You could try removing the front prop... go for a drive... if that doesn't cure it, it will at least isolate rear/centre diff?

Solved this.. The problem was one of the 2 plungers in the master brake cylinder was allowing fluid to pass (i.e. broken seal). The plunger/piston/seal in question was the one that operated the rear brake circuit... hence the rusty rear discs! There was no noticeable loss in brake performance as the fronts obviously do most of the work anyway. The Master Brake cylinder (Britpart) was less than 2 years old. I can't put the blame on the part entirely, as when I installed it 2 yrs ago I just threw the Brake fluid in and bled the brakes (I assumed that would be good enough). This time around, with another new MBC, I rigged up a pair of "U" shaped 3 inch copper brake pipes and bled the master Cylinder in a vice (with the fluid being returned to the reservoir with each pump of the cylinder). Took ages to evacuate all the air bubbles (interestingly the problem was the rear circuit again).

There is an alternative to a new servo - a servo repair kit. I'm about to try this too.

Cheers for the reply... I'm not 100% sure that the Defender Brakes I fitted have a different surface area (pistons). I do know that the braking force was at least doubled when I fitted them (nearly popped my eyeballs out LOL). I think there were (at least) two types of the defender callipers, that I could have fitted, in the end I went for the ones with a single brake line - which matched my brake pipe layout. From memory there were also "2 pipe" callipers available. Good to know it's a common issue (i.e. I'm not alone on this), Following on from your points... this leads me to think the following: Pistons surface area differences between front/rear callipers - this "feels" right to me (he says, using "the force"). As everything on the wheels was renewed at the same time (disc, callipers) I feeling inclined to doubt it will be some sort of wear issue. The car has done less than 1,000 miles since the new brakes were fitted. Pressure Reducing Valve - might be seized - though they seem to be quite reliable from reading around? wonder how you would test it? Looks like they're £30 new. Could be worth a punt. Fitting a brake bias valve - could be a nice "customisation". My truck weight 3.2 tonnes (lots of gear added). Sounds like I'll need to find rolling road to get brakes tested (and remove front prop if not a 4x4 rolling road), if I decide to fit this though. Could be expensive! Not sure which way to go yet... I'll mull it over for a while! Thanks again.