Mean Green

If I ever want to buy a brand new 90 my time is running out. So, do I stick with my trusty 200tdi that I have owned for almost 16 years and know everything about, or do I make the jump to a new Puma? Decisions, decisions.... There is nothing wrong with my 200tdi and I enjoy it now as much as I always have - my only gripe is the noise and it could do with a tidy up, new tub etc to keep it tidy. But, I have always wanted to 'one-day' buy a brand new 90, so it is now or never! Budget restrictions would mean it would by a standard SW (not XS), but I could probably transfer some of the bits and pieces from my 200 to bring it back up to 'spec' - wheels, heated screen etc. so.... what would you do?

Good. LT77 it is then. Just need to find a supplier.

I need to replace the Gearbox on my 200tdi 90. The obvious answer is a replacement LT77, but I have heard of people going for a R380 instead, what are the advantages and what other mods need doing to fit it?

I am about to change the LT77 in my 200tdi. I have heard a lot of bad reports about Ashcroft recent... Can anyone recommend other suppliers?

Simon ... I got done for failure to display, car was parked on the road outside the house as I was working on the 90 and the old Disco I had, I saw the cops pull up in a van and they say there for about 10 mins while I was working on the drive, didnt even look my direction. When I disappeared into the garage one ran (and I mean Ran!) from the van and slapped a ticket on the car, I was obviously quicker than he expected as he was making his way back to the van when I reappeared, when I asked what he was doing he said no tax. To which I pointed out it was the 5th of the month and a Monday, the post had not yet arrived and the tax had been renewed the previous week and there was 5 day grace period for that very reason. He was not interested and would even let me show him the renewal - by which time his mate was out giving it the whole "is there some sort of problem here". Thankfully in his rush to write the ticket he put down the wrong month and the ticket was invalid, still took a good while to sort out with the court tho! You must have been lucky not to get a jobsworth!

Hi Folks, Very soon I am going to need to replace the gearbox on my 200tdi, it is making loud bangs and judders badly on take off. It was diagnosed as input shaft wear, largely due to not having cross-drill gear in place. So what is most up to date thinking on rebuild places.... the natural place to go has always been Ashcrofts, but is this still current thinking? I have heard a couple of grumbles recently about Ashcroft boxes' letting go very soon after rebuilds and the after sales not being quite what is used to be. Am I hearing the exceptions, or are there other places to consider for a rebuild?

Hi, Sorry if this has been covered before - I tried a search but it came up with nothing. I am considering purchasing a 2002 pre-facelift D2 Td5 GS, which I understand will have ACE fitted. At the moment I know very little about the vehicle but want to do my homework. I have known a few Discos of the same age that have developed ACE faults which are both pricey and a PITA to fix so I am just wondering what needs to be done? If it were to develop ACE issues what is involved in removing it? Can it just be ignored or 'unplugged' and will it still drive ok? and more importantly safely? Is there anyway to test or check the system before I bought it? Or tell tale signs that it is either on its way out or has been fixed in the past? Thanks

That is my thoughts too - but I need to prove it to him. I am trying to convince him that a Discovery would be a better bet for the budget.

I have already check the belt timing with the pins in the pump and flywheel, but the engine guy said that the pump timing needs adjusting not the timing belt. So is he talking shi cra nonsense?

I have a mate who is looking for a shooting hack. It has been about 5 years since I last bought a Land Rover on the open market - so I am struggling to advise him where to look other than the obvious ebay/gumtree etc Where is the best place to look for budget end Land Rovers. Ideally he would like a 90 and spend around the £2-2.5k mark.

And I am talking fuel pumps here!! My 200tdi 90 has been making horrible knocking noises, I had the injectors tested and they are fine but the engine specialist confirmed that it is definately a fuel related knock - you can smell the fuel in the exhaust gases and it is a bit smokey, esp on start up. Before we start stripping the engine to check pistons etc he suggested that I check the pump timing. I have had a look online and found instructions on how to adjust the advance and retard on the pump but just wanted to check out the procedure before I muck something up! I understand it is fairly simple to do and is a bit of trial and error to get the exact postion but the basic method is Slacken off 3 bolts holding the pump and move it clockwise or anti-clock to change timing (after having marked the start point). So, having had a look at the pump, it is simply the 3 bolts that hold the pump to the timing case? and am I right in saying it is just slacken them rather than taking them off altogether? and do you need to touch the pump bracket/brace the is bolted to the block or is there enough movement with the 3 bolts? The pump was changed about 18 months ago (for a 2nd hand part), which on thinking about it is probably when the noise started, but it has been getting so little use recently that I did not connect the 2. And the knocking means I have been even less inclind to use it, in case something was being damaged - but the insurance is due so I either need to get it running well or park it up until I can spend the time on it. All suggestions welcome

Other than the knocking - are there any other symptoms of Big End wear? I have a very similar knock on my 200tdi. I have not worked through all the checks on lump pump, vac pump etc etc but wondering if I can narrow it down any further? It drives fine, with plenty of power. The only other 2 issues that may or may not be related are 1. the battery light does not go out when idling, even with little load and it only when it gets its 1st rev that is goes out 2. I get a fairly big puff of smoke on start-up - especially if it has been sitting overnight or a few days - it is not a definate white or blue or black smoke more a blue-ish grey could either of these be related or am I just getting paranoid?

I just happen to be ready for a service of the 90 and was in ASDA today and noticed there Motor Oil on offer. 5Litres 5W30 or 5W40 fully synthectic £14.00 Has anyone used these oils? And are they suitable for a 200tdi.

Are you 100% sure on this? It is my understanding that it is illegal to have anyone under the age of (I think) 11 and/or under (i think) 135cm on inward facing seats - hence the reason Defenders no longer have them and Disco's moved to fwd facing 3rd row seats etc. It is also the reason that my Defender has only done 4k miles in the last 5 years - I almost always have my kids with me so use my 'car' instead. My daughters are now 7 & 4 and are both into booster seats rather than full car seats and it has made me think about taking the cubby box out and refitting the factory centre seat. But as has been discussed this only has a lap belt. I know that it is possible to retro fit a full inertia reel 3 point system but my MOT man has advised against it - not specifically as an MOT issue but more the fact that the reel needs to be fitted to very precise tolerences to ensure it works properly, his opinion is that were it his children he would prefer a factory fitted lap belt over an inertia that may not work when it was needed. He also suggested a harness rather than a diagonal. Having google'd it for ideas I came across a post on one of the forums about a "lap adapter" that uses the existing lap strap and converts it to a full harness - I was looking at it on my phone and now cant find the link. The post suggested it was available from Hellfrauds and was a securon product, but I cannot find mention of it on either website. Has anyone come across such an item? I have been down the forward facing seat route and in fact currently have one of the older style exmoor trim one fitted (ie not a lock'n'fold). TBH I am not happy with it and feel that it is very flimsy and there is little or no scope to strengthen it - in addition the seat belt cuts across both girls necks. So I tend not to use it at all.

Simon, I think there is still a difference between galv'ing a defender and D2 - I think on a Def it does add value, I am not convinced (yet) about a D2. However as you have said in other posts it gives you the satisfaction of knowing that everything underneath is tip top and probably as close to a new car as you could get. Also I had the 90 fully stripped back to the chassis and the body off so it would only have been a small step further

Land Rover Special Tool #1 - A big hammer

I am not sure exactly what has been done yet but it waa only the rear cross member that was changed so I assume different area. Juat proves I should have gone galv when I had it in bits

Well... it failed not a bad fail just needed at little weld at the rear out rigger. Looking forward to getting it back on the road a using it.

I know! I better have another beer to forget about it!

I dont know yet.. I am on holiday and will find out when I get back next week.

Made the trip on Sunday afternoon and all uneventful. Just need to wait a couple of weeks and see if the NPRs picked me up.

Ha Ha, yes the court confirmed that the officer was mistaken and over zealous, but the incorrectly completed ticket trumped the error and it was dropped. I just scanned and emailed the ticket to the court and they dropped it. However if it had been a correctly filed report it would have been a lot of letter writing and hassle that could have been avoided if the cops had just spoken to me first.

Ah ha... you would think that ... but this is me we are talking about..... Bear in mind, they tried to 'do' me for failure to display road tax... tax disc was applied for online and had not been delivered, it was 5th of the month and the car was parked at the end of my drive and I was working on the 90 in the drive.. Mr plod sat in his van until I went into the garage and then ran (yes he actually ran) and slapped a ticket on it. When I questioned him, his reaction was "well its written now" and then his mate started giving it "is there some sort of problem". They would not even let me show them the online print off. Thankfully the tw@t had put the wrong date on the ticket, so it was void. Typically postie arrived about 10 mins later with tax disc!

Simon, Yes, thats where I am heading.. it was supposed to go in after Steve's P38 is finished but who knows how long that will take!! I was told that since the cameras are linked to the computer system to work out average rather than simply a static film type gatso, that they were also AMPR - as they use number plates to identify the vehicles and hence speed. I think I am happy enough to do it. My only concern is that it will be a Sunday, so the garage will be closed to verify booking. Might ask them to emil me conifrmation of the booked just to be sure.

Thanks for all the comments. Appears to depend on what is considered reasonable. The MOT place is an indy LR specialist who I trust and have used for almost 15 years but it is 20 miles away and the only road to it has average speed cameras with ANPR every mile for the whole journey. I recon I would be ok if I was stopped by a traffic car and could explain my case... but when the computer says NO it could only lead to hassle.