Anglo-Frenchman

Mark, yes the latter. These are the upside down 'U' shaped brackets which to which are welded on top of the chassis and welded to the channel that supports the floor. It seems to me that when you cut the rear cross member off, the location of the cut falls directly between these brackets which makes me wonder how one addresses the issue of replacing them. My local garage are not particularly happy about cutting these off and trying to reposition them on the new piece of chassis. Interestingly, my UK supplier says that the 90 replacement crossmember comes with the bracktes attached but not the 110 one.

Hi, I've just taken delivery of a replacement crossmember for my 110 which has the extensions to allow welding onto the existing chassis. My local welding person has quite rightly noted that the new part does not come with the floor support brackets attached so I queried this with my friendly parts supplier who explained that this is quite normal and that people generally fabricate these components from scratch or cut off the old ones and re-weld them in place. Does anyone have experience of this and who could offer advice about how to fabricate these or if they can be bought as a seperate part? Thanks Ged

Front and rear props are about 18 months old each as is the big A-frame ball joint. The age and condition of the T/box is not known and this could be the culprit perhaps. The clunk is not always there but most noticeable when pulling away up a steep incline in either fwd or reverse. I have also acquired a second 'clicking' noise when I rock the vehicle vigorously from side to side from somewhere around the rear axle but unfortunately I cannot get under the thing and rock it at the same time to pin-point the source. Need a stronger wife!

Hi Les, I was very interested in your post about wear in the mainshaft diagnosis as I have heard this 'clunk' from mine for quite a long time but as you stated, it sounded like it was coming from the rear rather than around the gearbox. Mine is a 200tdi with a replacement Ashcroft LT77 (box is about 3-4 years old) and I wouldn't have expected this kind of problem so soon. Any thoughts?

I spend most of the time at around 110kph so about the same as you Paul. I have always accepted that if speed was my main concern then clearly a Land Rover (especially a 14 year old one) would not be a good vehicle choice. None the less I feel there is a some little room for improvement without throwing the baby out with the bath water! With regards to the T/box, if you go to the Ashcroft website, there is a list of all the serial number prefixes which denote the ratios of the box. I think I'm right in saying that all Tdi Defenders start with 22D which denotes a ratio of 1:410. What you/I need is either a 28D (RR or Disco 1) or 32D. Ged

Ta James. Most driving is on long, straight & empty French roads so foot to the floor most of the time i.e round trip today of 400kms. Ged

I have no beef with the 200tdi - as an engine it is unfailingly reliable and every moring I turn the key and away we go. A friend of mine once said about his Tdi that if someone told him to drive to Russia tomorrow in it he'd probably check the oil first but other than that he'd get in it and go and I feel much the same about mine. The only thing I 'd like to improve is slightly raising the top end and reducing some of the cabin noise. There are other niggling issues such as a bit of rust on the rear cappings and a rear chassis x-member that needs replacing but otherwise its hard to justify the change. Its just that I saw these new 300tdis and thought that they might be a bit more refined (quieter) and with the R380 a bit faster. of course the alternative may be simply to by a new LT230 box with a 1:22 ratio to get a better cruising speed or a GKN. We'll see. Thanks a lot for the advice NTL.

Thanks Jim. Of course, you are absolutely right - my fear of the TD5 is completely irrational and perhaps I ought to consider it as a serious option. It's just that I once opened the bonnet on such a model and was horrified to be confronted by acres of black plastic rather than the familiar sight of rock rocker cover etc. Are have a look around and see what there is within my price range and then perhaps reconsider my options. Thanks a lot for your input guys. Ged

That's very interesting. I should perhaps have pointed out that the when I said a 'new' 300tdi I meant a brand new one with only delivery miles on it. My main interest was the noise levels and cruising speed but from the replies it would seem that any improvement would be negligable then. I am trying to avoid buying a TD5 becuase being a keen home mechanic I wanted sometihng I could work on - better the devil you know etc....

Just weighing up buying a new 300tdi 110 CSW and wondered how it would compare with my 200 110 CSW? Any significant improvements that would make the swap worthwhile? Thanks Ged

Thanks. By the way Ralph, mine is capillary fed - I don't know if this makes a difference.

Thanks Ralph, thats very reassurring. For some reason I have a bit of a fixation with the oil pressure and always am a bit concerned when I see the needle dropping back. The actual level is between the upper mark and the middle and I don't lose any through leakage or burning between oil changes which is good. Out of interest, what is the pressure gauge actually measuring? I notice that the needle tends to fluctuate depending on whether I'm cornering left or right? Thanks, Ged

That's interesting. What's the prognosis?

Thanks for the reassurance. There is of course the possibility that the gauge is not reading correctly I suppose!

Hi, When I bought my 1993 200tdi 18 months ago it had about 100,000kms on the clock and ran at around 45/50psi when cruising at 110kmh. Since then I have done about 50,000kms and noticed that the pressure has fallen gradually to about 35/40psi. It tends to be higher just after oil changes every 10,000kms but then settles back. What I am wondering is if this is just the result of wear on the engine and if I need to change the oil thickness to help improve the pressure. I normally use Shell Helix Super 15/40 which I have generally considered to be a decent quality oil. I know many of the forum users rave about Difflock oil but for reasons of geography this is not an option. Ta, Ged

I'd have to say that I would offer no more than 2,500GBP (sorry, don't have sterling symbol on keyboard) and it would have to be in VERY good condition at that price. IMHO the bolt-on bits add little value although without the 200tdi I'd give only about 1,500GBP.

I was recently rather peturbed to find that after prodding at the two faint rust patches on the rear of my cross member I ended up with two corresponding holes! These line up exactly with the chassis rails and are obviously the result of rot inside the closed ends. Further prodding (never a good idea with any Land Rover and ALWAYS results is further expense) revealed further holes directly under the rear of the cross member where it joins the chassis rails themselves. Rather than have it plated I am going to replace the whole thing but my question is how do I prevent this happening again? Ok so the 110 is nearly 15 years old and still on its original cross-member so not that bad I guess but none the less I'd like to plan long-term. I'm looking for a way to prevent rust occurring before it is welded in place, while I can get into all the nooks and crannies. I thought about Waxoyl but this is pretty flammable and could result in 'issues' for the poor sod welding it on I presume. Thanks in advance. Ged

Ta Ralph. I was interested in whether Trev had noticed much difference going from the 1.67 to the 1.192 to make the change worthwhile. With regards to the GKN, what is the improvement like? Is it like having the 1.22 or better? Obviously the GKN has the benefit of being selectable but it is a lot more expensive than €250 for the transfer box. Whats your opinion?

Thanks very much for clarifying that. Trev, did you notice any significant improvement in the cruising speed to make the change worthwhile? Ged

Thanks Tony. I don't quite follow what you mean though about the input gear. I thought that the T/box was a complete assembly? Thanks, Ged

Hi, Further to my previous post about transfer box ratios, I have now been offered one which is supposed to be a 1.222 ratio. Having asked the seller for the serial number he came back with 29D0358. According to the Ashcroft, serial numbers begining with 29D are from V8 90 LT85 gearboxes and have a ratio of 1.192. Can someone (perhaps Mr. Ashcroft) what the position is and if this box will bolt straight onto my LT77. I would have thought that a ratio of 1.192 would be better than 1.222 but also there is the issue of age. I would have thought that this t/box might be older then the 1.222. thanks

My 200tdi get VERY hot on long journeys. As Ralph says the cooling effect of the wind helps but still you could fry an egg on it. I am going to invest in some heat shields to help rduce the radiant heat from the exhaust and the g/box in summer. Funnily enough I never have the same problem during winter when the exhaust and transmission seem to generate precious little warmth!

Thanks Ralph. I am contemplating a transfer box swap to change the ratios but wasn't aware that the Disco boxes were actually manufactured to be quieter.

I agree with your thoughts and as a reasonably competent home-mechanic the thought of having to deal with all that fangled modern electrickery fills me with dread. None the less, in the course of my work I am required to cover a lot of kms in the 110 and much as I love my 200tdi and its unfailing reliability I sometimes wonder whether the TD5 would be just that bit kinder on the ears and nerves particularly on long motorway journeys (7OOkms a day is not unusual). I also wonder whether a late 300tdi with the R380 box would be quieter or indeed faster than the 200. Ged

As is my way, I have been looking at what's around on the market as I contemplate (as always) updating my 110 and I wondered what would be the preference; A low milage late 300tdi Defender or a high milage early TD5 Defender? I have found two such vehicles which are of very similar prices. Your thoughts. Ged