bought a 109 series III

[xychix]

Hello, thanks all for the help in my several topics and the complete rest of the forum.

I've just aquired a 109 series III with double roof (safari style) and roofrack. 5 doors. with solid chassis only the outriggers holding the front of the rear leaves are sort of rotten. Next to that the front diff leaks into the brakes leaving the car with almost no breaks at all.

Gearbox and clutchplate where changed 2000 km's ago. Vehicle has only done 70.000 km's.

It's right hand drive and on it's second motor.

After starting there's a plume of white smoke but after driving it's all good. Coolant looks good, oil was a bit low. There seem to be oil leaks at the front of the crankshaftseal and maybe at the rear.

The owner had a fierce black stain where the car was standing but it had been there for years (dry spot onder a roof) and he said he filled about a liter a year with only few km's.

the 4x4 engage lever worked fine, additionally there where lock/unlock front hubs installed (does anyone know if this was a genuine option?)

Also there is a sunscreen on one side and 2 folding rear seats are with it. Normal rear seats / couch is missing.

No overdrive installed, maybe a nice to have option as it now does 80 km/h downhill, on the other hand why should I wan't to go faster with only drumbrakes...

wireing seemed working but not to neat, a extra key to cut down power was installed in the middle console. Extra fuel tank under the vehicle (not connected at the moment).

Some dent in the chassis bottom but in general good. I couldn't poke trough anywhere no thick bitume/tectiel was applied only factory black paint as it looked.

[De Ranged]

Nice, this was pretty much what I wanted to start with for my next project lol instead... well thats a story for another thread

The free wheeling hubs are aftermarket, but here in New Zealand you could get them fitted off the show room floor...a good addition especially if your doing lots of road K's as they will improve your fuel economy

So what are your plans?

[xychix]

First plan is to get it on my name and make sure it get's it Controle Technique (Like MOT in UK). Since it's registered as a 'vehicule collectoin' it needs only a MOT once in 5 years.

Inner frame of the doors start to rot, I'll replace that in order not having to replace the whole doors anytime soon.

I want to lessen the oil leaks on the front axle into the brake drums and fit rear seats and improvise some belts.

Then enjoy driving it for a while and make new plans

[FridgeFreezer]

Congratulations on purchasing the finest vehicle Land Rover ever made!

I may be slightly biased

[seriebil.dk]

Welcome to the STW owners club!

[craig-derby]

That looks fantastic!

[xychix]

Ok got the car @home.

Last french MOT was done yesterday.

- new tyres

- 4 lights don't work (mass problem i guess)

- steerplay

- left front brake doesn't work (brakes are new but there's a lot of oil in the brake).

after that a long list of remarks.

All help is welkom regarding the common electric problems / steer play / oil in the brakes (from swivel or from axle) and quick fixes for these problems.

I need to re-visit MOT within 2 weeks in order to get in arranged (thereafter I'm not in france anymore within the 2 months period i have to fix this)

[xychix]

Thanks all for the help in the different topics. In this topic I'll keep posting the general progress.

Just had my 109 series III trought french MOT (valid for 5 years as it is a 'carte grise collection').

My new tyres are Fedima F-MUD's 7.50R16.

Now up to all repairs.

my list:

1. replace seals in front left diff as oil gets in the breaks.

2. remove (broken) AVM hubs and replace with standard members

3. all oil levels

4. electric vacuum and remove butterflap in air intake (diesel engine)

5. have a good drive offroad...

[xychix]

Soo... now there is a unused britparts hub seal lying around. I'll have to order more stuff in the near future....

- do I fit the britpart and replace it when leaking in a few years (years I hope...??) or do I throw it away and buy bearmach as I need to order other stuff as well....

[xychix]

My chassis number is 939-31243-C, looking here: http://www.seriesdiesellandrover.com/identification%20numbers.html%C2'> that should fall in the 1975-1979 - 109" Station Wagons serie.

Is there any way of telling if the original block was a 5 or 3 bearing model?

[Bowie69]

More than likely a 3-bearing at that age, was 79 or even 80 onwards I think for the 5-bearing.

[xychix]

Bon, replaced 1 hub seal, replaced clutch cable, redid some electrics (still not good as from time to time all electra goes off, flipping the dashlight makes the 2 direction indicators light up a bit...)

But i got the chance for some driving here in the wet french grasslands and was happy with the cababilities. over a sumpy grass lane even in 2wd, down a muddy hill.... piece of cake.... and back up that same long hill, a bit slippery and could feel the slowdown while my M/T tyres where searching for grip but in 2nd LOW I made it up

running 7.50R16 Fedima F/MUD

[Les Henson]

Clutch cable? You have a hydraulic clutch, so pipes all the way. Your biggest problem is likely to be the wiring, which no doubt has been hacked about over the years. Fortunately the wiring diagram is basic and easy to follow.

Les.

[xychix]

Clutch cable? You have a hydraulic clutch, so pipes all the way. Your biggest problem is likely to be the wiring, which no doubt has been hacked about over the years. Fortunately the wiring diagram is basic and easy to follow.

Les.

I ment flex hose against the firewall, was leaking fluid.

[xychix]

I'm not that affraid of the wireing. all did work a while ago, something must have changed (hotwire dashlight shorting against hotwire indicator?? or a mass issue so using the least resistant path to mass, trough the indicator bulbs?? )

pretty sure when I open it alle up and it's 'hanging' relaxed all will be fine

[Serious Series]

Probably a bad earth behind dash.

[xychix]

Probably a bad earth behind dash.

likely, Is there 1 earth connection behind dash? I've found one on the right side (i've got a Left Hand Drive)

But I've also removed over 2 meters of unused cable (all white, whether is was signal,12+ or earth.. all white) already.

Seems the glowplug-button and mass-key in the center of the dash aren't factory default? correct?

There have been several new cables put in that do 'hot-at-key-on' and 'always-hot' and 'hot on mass-key'.

I'd rather opt to tap into 1 hot-on-key-on wire, fuse that 2A, and have that steer a relay that eats straight from battery (fused 60A). This way you can keep it all apart and undo is easily.

I've found 1 wire (running from behind dash to center oil pressure meter) that seemed to carry 12V at ignition that was worn and bare metal over 1cm.

Other than that is looks like spaghetti but ok.

Only a number of cut wires

1 bypass for headlights, checked it and this WHITE cable taps back into the right cable under the hood.

1 'dead end' purple/something. As it all worked 'a little, for a while'. It just goes off and on.

problems:

- headlighs tend to turn off and go back on when flipping the switch off and back on.

- fuel and temp worked... just of after today they broke)

- turning lights are fooked (work / don't work @random)

- headlight flash works, perm-on differers, seems to work on even days and doesn't on uneven......

- volt meter in dash did work until today....

[xychix]

well, the MAIN 12+ (even used for the starter) goes trough the dash (and the main kill switch in center of dash, appears not to be a mass-switch but a hot-switch after all).

seems the 12+ for all the rest is tapped from the 12+ on the starter and goed back up to the dash.

the 12+ for the starter solenoid falls of when you blow at it. (no time to fix it now but good to know for when it won't start.....)

I wanted to fuse all but seems the wire from starter + get's into dash right behind the dashboard which is hard to reach, i might fuse it immediately after the starter motor + (not before ) at 60A.

What I haven't found yet is the alternator/dynamo feeding back to +, might want to keep that outside the "inside carp" as well..

one molten wire. Brown-Orange, appears to be the heater.... but what is electric at the heater... the fan I assume?

main goal is to fix the indicator lights to hit the road. (likely the indicator relay is dead now...) rest will follow after I've finished the garage (10.5 meter x 6 meter, ~6 meter high from concrete blocks that will be the house of my beast, I'm at ~4 meters now)

I'll keep a licht, a multimeter, some copper wire, and some red biking lights for the rear in the car. Just to make sure I can go to fancy restaurants in my LaRo and blame the car for the horrendous smell.

[xychix]

bon, suddenly direction indicators back working.

indicator left + dash indicator left work perfect. (same for right), however if i enable the dash-backlight the left indicator blinks, the left-indicator-dashlight glows and the RIGHT-indicator-dashlight blinks....

Other than that all seems to work, even center dash voltmeter, fuel, temp etc.

on stationairy oil pressure stays low at ~10 lbs, pushing the trottle a little lowers the pressure even more. Do i need to take action on this?

[Serious Series]

The earth for the dash lights needs cleaning .

[xychix]

The earth for the dash lights needs cleaning .

Where should i find this? on the outside under the hood? against firewall where seems to be some sort of thick coil where quite q few wires go.

I thought this was a resistor but as I measure no resistance to ground I assume this is the main ground connection of the firewall?

please don't say "behind the dash"... it's like a birdsnest there.

Most color coded wires seem intact other than a bypass for a heater and a bypass for headlights and some extra wires leading to center dash for radio/cb-radio.

[Serious Series]

Usually on the gauge clamps lots of them then 1 wire away to earth

[xychix]

Usually on the gauge clamps lots of them then 1 wire away to earth

Thanks, I think I've seen that wire dangling somewhere

[steve b]

if they are original , they will be black with 5mm ring terminals , and should connect the speedo and fuel/temp housings , also

the -ve power plug back to the loom - black as well . Check for continuity with a meter after connecting ,one probe on housing metalwork and one

to battery -ve

bon chance

Steveb

[xychix]

Steve, thanks, fixed the earth... after studying the diagram for a while this are my notes:

ELECTRICS:

- find brown wire from starter to main ALL. FUSE @60A / 100A? (just to prevent fire, however main killkey-center dash should take care of this, still...)

- check fuse 5-6 and wire to direction-indicator lights. (often don't work. sometimes do! broken relay?, bad contact before split Left/Right)

- Fuse extra hot-wire from battery for aux.

- [nice to have] relay box for headlights.

- wee whats fuse 3-4 is used for as its empty by design

- find rear GR to G (direction indicators) to pull a signal for trailer socket

- find rear GP to GP (stoplight) on one of the two sides to pull a signal for trailer socket

- find rear RB to R (tail light) on one of the two sides to pull a signal for trailers socket (note modern vehicles have often 2 feeds from both taillights)

- [nice to have] relay box for trailer

note originally unfused:

- horn (connected to fuse on but on the wrong side.)

- inspection sockets on dash

- lights (dip, main, tail, side, dashboard, ) NOTE: Break lights and warning beam (main beam on pull of steering switch) ARE fused

WHY WHY WHY?

why 2 brown wires from alternator to 12+ on starter? 1 thick one would be better I assume.

still no idea how the oil pressure gauge should work as there is no mentioning of it in the charts, the oil pressure light seems to work and goes on at an emergency stop and if the brakes have a good day

A dangling red wire appeared to be my side lights (we call them city-lights in holland city&dipped&main), they aren't on the side after all