Gromit

Apparently, it comes down to the type of pumps. Lucas ones on 200/300tdi once seem fine, where as CAV ones die. Also, (apparently) merc and BMW seem to be manufactured to be more tolerant, due to the higher use of veg/bio diesel in europe. Again, all apparently, from bits and piece I've read all over the place.

Top Gear veg oil episode in the Video Shack

Has anyone heard about adding white spirits to SVO/WVO to emm, well I'm not sure what it is supposed to do. Then you let it sit for a while before using it. Saw a Top Gear program about it on you tube. Will post in the video shack.

Naw, I've the same problem. Rust has fallen into the lock and prevents it unlocking. As I've discovered, (as presumably so has DSN) you don't need to get the door open to wrestle the door card off.

I think there is a lack of concrete long-term evidence on the subject. I have not seen any concrete evidence of FIP damage by SVO. I did a survey of members running SVO and diesel, up to 50/50. Out of about 15 people who responded, no-one reported any engine damage. OK, so that's not many people. The only negative stuff I've seen in the year or 2 that I've been considering it, is a recent post by someone who changed piston rings in situ (Orange disco avatar, who is that? ) and said, AFAIK that there was some cokeing, as a result of veg oil. Course there is not only the cost saving, but the eco benefits; Something which us 4x4 drivers are concerned about. (Well, some of us)

These are the guys I found a while back. 800e for a 200tdi defender conversion. Scroll down for the English part. http://www.elsbett.com/deu/2tinfode.pdf Here's a pic of how to make your own conversion. Nicked from another forum, possibly here. Hope the creator doesn't mind.

I hadn't heard this now. Any further info/links?

Once you've filtered out all the chips and batter, there are people running it mixed up to 50% with diesel, with no serious ill effects. Otherwise you can crack it into proper bio-diesel that you should be able to run in any diesel vehicle This should get you started. http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel.html There are engine conversions that basically heat the SVO from a separate tank before combustion. You start and stop on diesel and switch to SVO when hot. They are about 700Stg for the bits, when I last researched. http://www.diesel-therm.com/vegetable-oil-kit.htm (Edited to add, I've asked for a conversion quote from these people, as I hadn't come across them before. Will let you know.)

If only we could combine yours and mine into 2 working, accurate gauges.

This is a job that I've been wanting to do for ages. Finally got most of it done this weekend. Basic requirements were having somewhere out of sight to store my tools, keep the noise down and stop everything sliding about the place. I also wanted a large area on top for transporting stuff, and kipping in occasionally. (Tested Friday night outside the bar, works a treat ) I considered a drawer of some sort, but decided that something simple would suit me better. A drawer just seemed like too much hassle; I'm a lazy dog. Details are here so that anyone considering something similar might get some inspiration and improve on it! A shelf across, sitting on the wheel boxes, would have been too low, so I ran 2 4"x2" battens longways, bolted through the wheel boxes. A sheet of 12mm ply on top, split equally crossways, with 5 hinges so that the rear piece can be lifted. The front piece is screwed down to the battens. I added a vertical 'headboard' to stop stuff sliding under the rear seats, and a vertical divider, 1' wide, to hold smaller stuff. The rear piece can be lifted and placed on a stay, or folded completely to sit on the forward sheet. When down, it sits not completely flat, but on 2 'bump-stops'. This is because the carpet on the lower side strains the hinges when down completely. Some anthracite industrial carpet stuck down. I ran out of carpet, but the pics as they are, show the construction better. The pieces on the tub are/will be loose to allow cleaning/drying. Some pics: when folded forward, the top sheet sits on 2" spacers, to try and save the hinges. Full of all my junk. Straps/shackles etc. sit on the wheel boxes behind the batten. Land Rover Special tools #1 and #2 were not required for this job. A first! Some costs: 4x2 baton - 7e carpet - 20e Spray-on impact adhesive - 30e from my local ripoff superstore. Circular saw(!) - 30 quid B&Q cheap and cheerful. Screws, nut & bolts 10e Ply sheets - free (Thanks Da!) Lessons learned, (given I've no experience in such matters): Ribbed industrial carpet makes it a breeze to cut in a straight line. Just follow the rip with the stanley blade. Spray-on adhesive is expensive and doesn't do too far. I used 2 cans so far. It is very easy to apply though. You only get one chance to stick it down, so 2 people is a must. It is preferable for them both not to be hung over which unfortunately was not the case for either party, especially given one had slept in the truck the previous night B&Qs cheepy 'redeye' laser saw was grand for the job, though the laser is a bit difficult to see in the sun. The 30mm x15mm flush hinges were chosen because the screws are a perfect length for the 12mm ply. I hadn't really foreseen that having carpet on both sides of the folding sheet would strain them so much. In retrospect they are not really quite up to the abuse. The stay also strains the nearest hinge. Overall, I'm happy with the result, or will be once I finish carpeting the whole lot. Thanks to the Da for design consultation and for hungover carpet application and em, supervision , of the job.

I had a trolley jack and replaced it with a 10T bottle jack. Much safer as the trolley jack moves as it jacks, and doesn't work on rough ground etc. Bottle jacks are not too expensive.

..or maybe short and see if the light goes out?

off the top of my head, the light will only come on if the fluid level is down (or the sender is faulty), or if the shuttle value that connects the 2 braking curcuits moves - meaning one circuit is low in pressure. You may not have a shuttle valve fitted. Is the peddle ok? Any leaks?

When tightening my nut , I stuck it in gear, put lots of loctite on it, and used a breaker bar with a scaffold pole over it. Standing on the wing, I just hung off it till it moved no more. No problems since.

Mine doesn't wander with the revs, but it reads logarithmically. Reads full for ages. 1/2 tank means 1/4 full. 1/4 means nearly empty. And when the light comes on, you better be rolling into the petrol station. Caught me out quite a few times

Will be doing mine at the weekend as I have to do the handbrake. Having an idiots guide also gives you the confidence to get stuck into the job. Les, if you were a bit nearer and possibly a different sex, I'd marry you

Welcome to the forum. Tis the best place on the web. I could not have kept my truck running with out it. I'm from nearer America than France, so we're not all from South England! Oh, and if you find this forum saves you a bit of cash, why not donate a bit to keep it running! Cheers,

Donation sent. I could not even begin to calculate how much spondoolicks this forum has saved me over the last while. Many thanks to all the mods and contributors. Lets keep it going.

Seems I'm a bit limited in what I can get via mail order and what I can get locally. Anyone using Bearmach blue springs. How are they?

ok cheers, will have a look at what springs are available in +2" Tyre sizes, well I don't rightly know yet. I just wanted to give myself some future manoeuvering room, as I have to replace the springs and shocks now.

Not fitting a winch at the moment. Planning bigger tyres at some point. I don't want to make the ride harsher than necessary. Not looking to spend too much money! So, if I were to get some procomp +2 springs, would I be better with genuine standard springs with 2" packers?

My newly imported (finally!) 110 will need to go for its first NCT (MOT) It's sitting a bit sad on the nearside, the shocks are weeping a bit and the ride is pooey. It's standard height. I first need to determine if the self leveling is working. If it isn't I'll just take it off. I suspect it isn't working, so am gonna load a few blocks in the back and drive about and see if it pumps up. I understand that if it is working, I just need standard springs, if not I'll need HD springs? I've been looking around paddocks/craddocks site at the kits available. I've heard good reports about the ES9000 shock ? Are britpart super gaz shocks and springs rubbish? They do a 40mm lift. How much would this affect the on-road handling? What else would you recommend, spring and shockwise? Also, what other hardware will I need? turret ring, nuts and bolts? Shock nuts and bolts? Thanks in advance for any input. I'm just a wee bit vague on this. Cheers,

Hi Malcy, When draining the coolant, you don't need to drain the whole lot, just pull the lower hose off the water pump. Expect a good few litres to jump out in completely the opposite direction to where your bucket is positioned. The whole system holds about 12 litres. You won't need the injection pump cover gasket as you don't need to remove the cover. It's part of the timing cover, which you'll be removing. You probably don't need the dust cover either, as I think that's in the timing cover too and doesn't normally need to be changed. Well, I didn't I don't know what is in the difflock kit, but I just used a normal puller to remove the crank. I had to fashion another puller from a piece of steel bar and a few bolts to pull the toothed crank and cam pulleys off to get at the oil seal behind them. If you're doing oil seals, you might as well do the camshaft seal too. Be careful removing the timing cover. It's alloy, so don't do too much prying to get it off. Take your time and work gently around it with a small screwdriver if it's stuck. Similarly, don't try and pry the crank pulley off the crank using the timing cover, you'll break it. Take note of what's in the timing chest when the cover is removed. If it's oil, then do the crank and cam seals. If it's diesel, you'll need to do the seal behind the fuel injection pump pulley. You'll need a dial type torque wrench with a 1/2" square drive to tension the belt. You use this to hold on the correct tension on the belt while you tighten the tensioner. Then turn the crank 2 times and re-tension. A clicky torque wrench doesn't work for this. Anyway, a dial type is not too expensive. Don't overtighten the bolts holding on the timing cover and water pump - they can strip. For a full description, see Les' posts in the tech archive. HTH

Thanks Tonk

also you might need a new gasket for the water pump, if the old one hasn't been off in a while. I didn't use any special alignment tools. As said, a 9mm bit for the FIP and a socket and drill bit to lock the flywheel. You can do it by eye anyway. Cam lines up to a mark on the inside of the timing chest.