Peaklander

In that rear interior light there are three connections. Black is to ground and there are two "lives". One (purple) is permanent +12V and the other (Purple - White) is controlled by the 10AS. So with the switch in the ON positions the +12V should illuminate the bulb and in DOOR it's the 10AS. Therefore check if there is a loom connection at the rear lamp unit and if so, there should be 12 volts between purple and black. Is the front interior lamp working correctly in DOOR and ON positions?

It comes from the front right hand side near the top of the A pillar or a bit further along above the right side (drivers door on RHD).

Both interior lights via the door switches and ignition sense, plus the indicators when you set/reset the alarm.

Doubt he’ll be back as it was just a three day visit to the forum. A tag or post-quote might be the only way to attract attention. @Nigel Brown as that way I think he gets an email.

The overhang will be a nice feature and provide a lot of shelter (as long as the wind isn’t in the wrong direction). The weight of the slates / tiles might be significant though. Round here, Hardrow slates are used and with the overlaps they are very heavy. So ensure your overhang wood sections are up to it.

Happy Christmas everyone 🎄

Yep good idea @western. That's easy as the binnacle isn't screwed in yet. This was first power-on since upgrading the alternator and cable back to starter. Plus I added some big spots on an A bar and added a tell-tale lamp and relay for them with their own fuses. Thanks again everyone.

They are fitted and are an improvement again on the globe type leds that have been in for a few years. There’s a lot of light leaking backward though so definitely not in far enough. I think I’ll drive it a bit and monitor. At least I can see the dials properly now. It’s so long ago since I removed the filament bulbs that I’ve forgot how bad they probably were.

I tried a little harder and I think it’s going in far enough. I’ll report back once power is on.

Ah ok guys thanks. think that the green and the white screw together now I’ve had a closer look. So that would mean a loose bulb holder with the green removed I think

Here's a quick question about the green filters that are fitted to the lamp holders in the speedo (x2), fuel and water temperature gauge. I have previously changed these to leds and expected a brighter result than I achieved. I blame the green inserts! Now I have an even better set of leds that shine forwards and sideways. However the green filters are stopping them inserting fully. I don't have a pic but they are found at the bottom of white tubes (bulb holders) which unscrew from the metal cases - except that I don't want to unscrew completely as something might fall off the front end into the interior. So can I get the green things out? I can't seem to find any definitive answer with a search.

Yes I remember that post from @Daan but I don't have a link handy. I also wonder if a little bit of heat, just a little, would help stuck grease to move??

Not sure if this is widely known but I just came across this article stating that JLR have bought Bowler out of administration. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2019/12/18/jaguar-land-rover-rescues-off-road-racer-bowler-administration/ Here is the text of the article, as it might need an account to view: Jaguar Land Rover has bought niche car manufacturer Bowler out of administration. Founded in 1985, Bowler hand-built small numbers of vehicles for rallies and offroad racing, turning Land Rovers into high-performance all-terrain vehicles. The company had struggled for the past few years. It collapsed into administration earlier this week, with JLR’s special vehicle operations (SVO) arm buying the business for an undisclosed amount, saving the jobs of Bowler’s 26 permanent staff. Micahel van der Sande, head of JLR SVO, said: “For almost 25 years the Bowler name has stood for innovation and success, with a reputation forged by its participation in the world’s toughest off-road motorsport competitions. “Adding the Bowler team’s skills to ours is a key step in our strategy to create and exciting and diverse portfolio of products.” JLR said that Bowler’s expertise in “all-terrain vehicle dynamics, low-volume production techniques, and proving the durability of components under extreme conditions” is “highly sought after” and a “natural fit” for the carmaker’s specialist arm. Founder Drew Bowler, who died suddenly in 2016, produced race-winning vehicles that competed in events including the Dakar rally, and claimed several prestigious wins in motorsport. JLR linked up with Bowler in 2012, forming a partnership that led to the creation of the Defender Challenge, an event to prepare competitors for the Dakar rally. JLR said that Bowler would remain at its base in Belper, Derbyshire, for the “foreseeable future”, hinting that it could in future relocate to JLR's technical centre in Warwickshire, where the SVO unit is based.

@Yostumpy is correct. It will feel much better and the contacts should make and break much more quickly, eliminating that little arc. Just be careful not to break the clamp as you get it over and around the steering column.

It's a bit late so no time for a big reply. The discussion and experiences is interesting. I am an older driver with a long no claims and no accident history and my premium is cheap. So casting around for competitive quotations isn't something I normally do for my 110. It was just the annoyance of a reasonable hike when I added the items I mentioned to an already modified and declared vehicle, that prompted me to look around. The contrast between Flux and the NFU was stark and it was Flux's insistence on details that NFU are not interested in, that really got me wondering. They are brokers after all not underwriters. As usual with renewals across the insurance industry, a slight push back following an increased premium usually produces a revision. It was the attitude of Flux and the need to specify everything that really shocked me and for what ended-up being a few pounds, it just isn't worth the risk. Academy insurance is a new one. I'll put them on the list for next time.

I recently challenged NFU, the insurance broker for my 110 300 TDi about the premium increase this year. I had declared my Eberspächer heater, Roamerdrive and heated front windscreen and the price went up more than I expected year on year. During the to-ing and fro-ing whilst they thought about a reduction (which they eventually provided), I asked Adrian Flux for a quotation. They have a great system where they won't quote on-line and instead will do a call-back, seven days a week. I had to go through the whole details stuff with the call-centre person of course but it is a lot quicker than filling-in an online form. Eventually we got to modifications. So I mentioned the heater, OD and windscreen. Also the removal of seats, oh yes and the heated mirror upgrade I did. Anything else sir? What other things are modifications I asked? Well anything none standard. OK well there's boost alloys with 235 tyres. OK, anything else. I've just fitted an A bar. OK. How much detail do you need to know? Everything. Right so what's defined as everything? Everything that has changed. Even if you have added a sticker. A sticker? Yes. Are you serious? Yes. So I listed everything and got my premium cost and paperwork. They undercut the NFU quotation but I didn't like the look of the paperwork such as "if the vehicle isn't in a locked garage after 10pm and before 6am we will not pay for theft". Or something similar. So I got the feeling that actually making a claim might be a huge challenge and decided to stick with the NFU. Has anyone else been advised or felt the need to state absolutely every nut and bolt that's been fitted as non-standard? Or did I have a conversation with a slightly OTT operator?

CB is at 27MHz so around 10m wavelength which at quarter wave is 2.5m If the whole length of a CB aerial, including that coil, is about that then that's why those look like that as they'd be too long as a straight whip. However I have no idea how the shark fin is constructed and how it can provide omni-directional reception without compensating by boosting the signal with an RF amplifier. Also I imagine that there's a lot of variation in RF sensitivity between different DAB radio units.

That's nice. Pricey but nice.

I imagine that a shark fin needs some sort of RF amplifier. I don't know how the fin is constructed but they are quite small and can't be much in there in terms of the element length, even for 125MHz or whatever it is (~1m wavelength). Cars probably have an amplifier in the back wing.

There’s quite a high load on the switch contacts so a high current is flowing. That current would like to flow for a bit longer or a bit sooner than when the contacts are properly closed. So it tries to jump the air gap, hence the spark. In addition, if there is dust, dirt, grease or something else coating the contacts, it is easier for that current to jump. That’s why @FridgeFreezer has suggested the contact cleaner spray. @simonpelly suggests a further step which is to re-wire so that those high current contacts are moved into a proper relay that is better suited to switching. In addition, the cabling will be much improved. There’s loads of info around on how to do this.

You say that you have an engine stand, so it should be possible to invert the engine whilst it is mounted on it.

No they definitely aren’t cheaper in store. They won’t apply the discount code either. You have to click and collect. It’s a right pigs-ear of a business but can be handy if in a hurry and sometimes prices are ok 😀

Ian, In my limited experience I have found that Tayna are very competitive although for a little Toyota car the local factors in Sheffield were just as good. However Eurocarparts might be worth a look if you are ready to buy. Their prices are only ever in the correct place with a discount code and even then you need to be careful. Anyway here is their email for today!

Don't have a handy photo. On my 300TDi the cable goes directly out of the right / inboard end of front face of the battery box and then squeezes between the chassis rail (inboard side) and the transmission tunnel - going direct to the starter. It's a thick cable so doesn't like anything other than a straight line anyway.

That's really good. Just what's needed. Can you share more details like the hall effect sensors and also that nice programmable display? Does the STM32 drive that directly and you write code to address it and produce what you want? I would like to read more around how you do this.