dave88sw

I'm well aware, what i'm saying is that the Discovery ecu outputs a different signal to the dash gauge but interprets the reading from the sender the same. Therefore, any alterations to the fueling due to coolant temperature are still happening but the dash gauge will read wrong. If you simply disconnect the original gauge and fit a new gauge wired direct to a matched sender, you will have an accurate dash gauge and an ecu functioning entirely as it should. You must leave the original sender in place and connected though, so that the ecu has a coolant temperature reading. I achieved this by welding a threaded boss to the top hose stub, opposite the original sender and then turning the top hose stub so that one points up and the other down, however, you can buy hose joiners with a boss welded in them for this purpose.

Happens a lot because Discovery ecu's are far more plentiful and therefore cheaper. Defenders don't tend to be broken up often so second hand ecu's are hard to find. Do as above, or fit a matched gauge and sender. I have found that with a discovery ecu fitted, the engine ecu appears to see the right temperature when looking at live data, so it is simply the wrong signal being sent to the gauge.

All 4 hubs have been off, had new discs on the front, 3 out of 4 wheels had new bearings, the 4th was regreased because it was in good condition. I've been right through the whole car, i really can't think what's causing it.

Well, I should have replied to this sooner as the noise hadn't in fact gone, it just seems to be better some times than others. I think it's more of a vibration/resonance issue but i can't pin down what it is. Having found play in the diff pinion, both prop sliding joints and the front output bearing of the transfer box, i have swapped the front diff, fitted 2 new props and changed the transfer box bearing. Both axles have fresh oil, as does the transfer box. The wheels have recently been balanced too. So, any opinions as to where i go next? I'd really like to get to the bottom of it, it worries me that it might be something that's about to fail. Thanks Dave

You say you're struggling with the exhaust bolts? I assume you mean the downpipe? If so, there's no need to seperate the downpipe to renew the gasket, you can pull the manifold away far enough to get the gasket in and out, i don't usually find the gasket leaves much mess behind, clean up is usually just brake cleaner on a rag and a sharp scraper. If you use brake cleaner, don't spray it in the ports, spray it on a rag and wipe round, diesels will run on brake cleaner but it's not kind to them, they knock pretty bad if there's any left in the inlet.

If you find some good quality ones let us know where from 😂. I've fitted britpart ones and sp land rover ones. The britpart ones are sort of ok, they're not great quality, the steel frame is thin and the section of frame where the door is curved is pressed badly, it looks a bit crushed there, it's also 5mm shorter than an original door, which doesn't sound a lot but it looks a lot, because the gap at the front between the bulkhead and door is half the size of the one at the back between the door and tub. The SP land rover ones were a little better made, frame was stiffer and they're the right length but the curve of the door was far too flat, it doesn't match up with the tub at all which meant that it never looked right, regardless of how you adjust it, it you adjusted it so the capping lined up, it looked far too low on the curve, if you adjusted it so the curve lined up, it looked too high on the capping and the door gaps weren't parallel. I don't know of any with galvanised frames other than SP Land rovers seem to have that option, although i've not used them, the ones i fitted were plain mild steel.

I like the look of the monroe shocks, i think i'll probably go with them but i can't see any information about length. Considering mine sits at normal ride height i can't see it being too much of an issue?

Thanks for the replies, lots to think about. There doesn't appear to be a huge amount of choice. Most of them appear to be britpart 🤢, whether that be standard shocks or gas ones. I've read that the cellular dynamic shocks they make are apparently half decent but i hate poly bushes, which they appear to come with (bad experiences of them wearing the parts they're fitted to, the bush should be the sacrificial part). Paddocks stock Monroe gas shocks which look interesting, bonus being they come with rubber bushes and they're black, which is a massive plus. I'm thinking i might give them a go. Cheers Dave

Hi, I'm sure this has been done to death in the past but there's lots of differing opinion out there. I rebuilt my series 3 many years ago onto a galvanised chassis, at the time i fitted britpart parabolics and pro comp shocks. The britpart springs were awful, the bush eyes weren't parallel so they ate bushes and they sagged, swapped them side to side and they sagged the other way. I've sinced replaced them with a nice set from GB springs but the old pro comp shocks are still on there and looking decidedly tired. Tbh, any conclusions about ride quality are pretty pointless, it will never be smooth riding, and really, i don't want it to be, it's a series Land Rover. So, is it ok to use standard shocks? I've read suggestions that they're not well matched to parabolics but is there any reason not to? Or is there anything better available that isn't horrendously expensive, it doesn't get used enough to justify huge expense. Thanks Dave

Sorry for the delay in response, i finally had a chance today to have a look. You were right, the thermostat had dropped down slightly as i'd bolted up the housing, i've now replaced the gasket and used a dab of silicone to hold the thermostat in place and seems to be all good. Thanks for your help

Hi, I've just got my 110 V8 started on megasquirt for the first time and it runs lovely. However, i have a leak from the thermostat housing. I understand the gems P38 Range Rover had a remote thermostat in a plastic housing but i've put one in the manifold behind the top hose stub as it looked the same as the earlier manifolds. Is it ok to install one in that location or have i done something wrong? I fitted the housing with a new gasket and a smear of silicone sealer but it still leaks. When i pulled my old 3.5 carb top hose stub off i noticed the thermostat had no rubber sealing ring around its edge but the new one came with one so i fitted it with it but i'm now wondering if it should be fitted without? Many thanks Dave

Well i found some time this evening to have a look, i drained the front axle, it had plenty of oil, nothing worrying came out. Took the prop off, both UJs are smooth in all directions and have no play. There is a tiny amount of play in the pinion bearing but i really mean tiny and the same in the transfer output bearing. Both are smooth when rotated. So having not really found anything, i greased the prop and stuck it back on. When i took it for a drive, the noise is pretty much gone, if i really listen for it, i think it's still there but it's greatly reduced. Don't know now whether it was the oil change or the prop that's given the improvement but i'll just keep an eye on it for now. I'm not overly concerned, it's easy enough to avoid making the noise and nothing i've found is ready to pack up.

Thanks for the replies, it's useful to get others opinions on these sorts of things. I'll pull the prop sometime this week, check the Uj's thoroughly and check the diff pinion nut is nice and tight. I think, considering the low cost of the parts and the fact I have a slide hammer attachment to do the front transfer output bearing, I'll do that next to rule it out. Thanks again Dave

Brake vacuum pumps often tick when they're giving up.

Hi I have a 1986 110 that i've converted to a 300tdi. The front and rear axles are original (with only 85000 miles on them), the transfer box is in the original location, so the props are original and the gearbox is an R380. The car was laid up for over 15 years (it had never had an MOT logged on the online system, which came in 2005, other than that, i don't know when it was on the road). The problem i have is that, when driving in 4th or 5th (although i think it's speed related, rather than gearbox), at speeds above 50mph, all is quiet and smooth, unless i slowly release the throttle. At neutral throttle, i get a grumbling noise and a vibration that feels like it's under my feet. If i fully release the throttle and it's on the overrun, the noise goes and if i accelerate it goes, it can be difficult to make it do it but get the throttle just right (or wrong depending how you look at it) and it's definitely there. I would normally assume prop uj, but they both have no play at all and i've regularly greased them with grease out of all 4 caps. My next guess would be transfer box output bearing or front diff pinion bearing but has anybody got any better idea? Thanks Dave

In the last picture there should be some long M8 bolts through the body crossmember into the bracket welded to the chassis directly above the rear trailing arm bush.

Thanks for the replies, i think you're right with the gate pattern, there's definitely a longer throw on the R380. I have the benefit of having a few land rovers about to compare, the gear lever itself on a genuine defender r380 is identical to the lt77 one, the top housing dimensions are the same too so i imagine you're right and i probably need the r380 version. Regards cutting the handbrake cable, yes they could, but the using the handbrake lever would be easier . With the pedal lock on and the gearstick locked they will not be able to get it out of gear to tow it or drive it.

I have a 110 i've just finished rebuilding, as part of the rebuild, i converted it from a 2.5na to a 300tdi with r380 box. However, it's a Discovery box, fitted with ashcrofts selector rail adapter and the top housing from the LT77 (with the reverse plunger removed for obvious reasons). I then used the LT77 gear stick with a new r380 knob on the top. It's all fitted as the LT77 would be so that i didnt have to alter the floors. I've fitted an xdefend pedal lock already, as well as a few other security measures but a friends Defender was stolen locally last Saturday and found in a field, seemingly dragged onto it's roof to steal its wheels (definitely pulled over, not rolled while driving) and it's got me paranoid about protecting mine. I like the look of the gear lever lock, as combined with the pedal lock it would be all but impossible to steal without making lots of noise and it wouldn't be towable. However, they are different for LT77/R380, but can anybody tell me what it is exactly that's different? As the parts are clearly all somewhat interchangeable, is it just the throw of the gearstick? Thanks Dave

Make sure you have a good connection on the battery terminals. Then, try putting a jump lead between the battery negative and the engine, the lifting eye is usually a decent place. If that works, you have a broken/poor earth wire.

santorini black has a LOT of glitter in it, up close it has lots of different colours in the metal flake. I think Java and Beluga are pretty much just "gloss black". A friend had a 90 painted Aintree green with a java black roof, looked nice.

The discovery speedo drive gear in the transfer box has a smaller square drive. You need to swap it for the Defender one and make sure you get the correct one to suit your tyre size.

Having taken the nearside wing off a td5 in the last couple of days, one bit of advice i can give you: The alarm siren is mounted to the wing, it'll come with it but if you just disconnect the loom at the multi-plug (clipped to the heater box, you need to slide it off the mount before unplugging it, the tab it's slid on locks the connector together, to get it off you need to lift the little clip that latches it to the bracket it's on. You won't be able to see what you're doing, you do it by feel) the alarm will sound until its internal battery dies. To get around this, you need to turn the ignition on, then off and within 10-15 seconds disconnect the vehicle battery. The inner and outer wing are connected by the wheel arch eyebrow, it's very awkward if not impossible to remove the outer wing and leave the inner behind without removing the eyebrow. You can lift the complete inner and outer wing off as one and that is possible with the eyebrow still on but it makes getting at the wing to bulkhead bolts very awkward. Having removed countless defender wings over the years, i would now always remove the eyebrow. (Buy new plastic rivets, you WILL lose all the centre pins when you push them out, britpart ones are a bit poorly made, i prefer the bearmach ones but genuine are best). I think if i was working alone on a car with nice paint, the safest method i have found is to remove the outer and leave the inner to remove later if it's in the way. Removing the whole assembly requires wiggling it past pipes and the shock turret and presents many chances to scratch the paint.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsDUCdc2pAQ 1:34 in, he shows the injector pressures. I know they will run with a manual pump and edc injectors but like i said, i have no idea what long term problems it would cause if any.

The engine is the same, its just the fuel pump and injectors that are different. Fit a standard manual fuel pump and injectors and it'll all be fine. (Some people don't bother changing the injectors, it will run on the originals but the "pop" pressure is different, don't really know what effect that has though)

You need to allow the belt to return a little while the reel is held in the correct orientation. If there's already so much on the reel that it wont return by itself you need to make sure you keep it in the correct orientation and then with your other hand roll the reel round slightly further, only needs to be about half an inch, then pull it out. If you don't let it return the mechanism won't release.