Jaroslav

I did it! I just cut two openings in the plastic shroud and pulled the wheel using the regular gear puller. The plastic is really soft (polyethylene?) and bears no load, other than the wheel cover box. The cuts are limited in scope and won't spread (I believe and hope). Thanks a lot for the suggestion to leave the loosened central nut in place, otherwise wheel would shoot straight in to the air. Huraaah!

That's where I got the M6 bolt. The thread on it was about an 1.5" long, so I had to thread it all the way to the top to make it into a stud. I don't remember seeing anything with UNF on it. Perhaps I can buy on the internet a set of dies and make the stud myself?

Could it be that mine is also UNF - whatever the hell does this mean. The M6 bolt I got in the hardware store is too loose. It doesn't hold and pops up when I start tightening the nuts. :-(

Well, this makes a lot of sense. Actually, this is similar to what I've decided to try after typing this post. I wanted to get to bolts of the right length and wind them instead. Using studs is obviously much more elegant. Thanks a lot! Jaroslav

Hi All, I'm out of ideas... I am trying to install a new signals switch on the steering column, but I can't remove the steering wheel. I have a little pulley tool (in the picture below) that, as I understand is supposed to pull the wheel up using two M6 bolts. The pulley's shape is such that the bolts turned out to be quite long, so when I tried to rotate the pulley's middle bolt, the two long thin M6 bolts got all twisted. I was even afraid of breaking them with the ends stuck inside the holes. I thought I might try to enlarge the holes on the steering wheel and make thread for a bigger and stronger bolt, but I'm not sure if that would work. Thanks in advance for any help, Jaroslav

Hi all, I just replaced the air filter (paper insert) on my Diesel 110, 1987. I noticed that there are two strange sensors the purpose of which I can not possibly guess. I don't know what they are supposed to do and how to check if they're still working. The top seems to be a small pneumatic device. It's connected via a thin rubber pipe to the air tube that goes from the top of the air filter to the engine. There is a reset button on this device. I would guess that it shows the measure of vacuum in the air intake, so, if, for example, the negative pressure is too high, the filter must be clogged and needs to be replaced. There is some text printed on but I can't read it because half of it is smudged with paint. The second sensor is an electrical one. it's connected to the bottom of the air container. The container itself is kinda rusty and there are holes outside. When I opened it up, it was full of ash seeds. I can not think of anything that could be possibly measured there. Could somebody please tell me what are these? Thanks /Jaroslav

OK, this I can connect with the picture in the WSM. Well, we're back to my original question: why there are rubber cups in the first place, especially that they are supposed to keep the gear oil inside? Oil is much more liquid than grease and can get hot. If they are not for regular maintenance, why didn't they make them from metal and permanently attached? The rubber is just so flimsy. A tree of a stone could scrape it off. The other question is this: now that I've filled the cap and covered the splines with grease, should I go back and clean the whole thing? Thanks, /Jaroslav

There are no machined bits on my shafts; they are simple cylindrical rods.

I am at loss here. Mine doesn't have any oil seal. Nor does the workshop manual. Maybe we're talking about different matters? I am saying that the half-shaft is inserted inside the stub axle, which is attached to the axle flange. The oil could then travel along the shaft all the way to the end of the axle flange. It then can go (a) outside, via the splines of the driving flange and into the rubber cup (and mix with the grease); and (B) inside the driving flange and ultimately into the bearings. Looks like a strange design. Where are the oil seals? Maybe inside the stub axle? If so, it's really screwy that the the workshop manual fails to show them there. What's wrong with using the grease on the splines? /Jaroslav

Hi everybody! Could anybody please explain it to me why the heck there are rubber cups on the wheel hubs of my 110? I can't think of any possible use for them: sure you can remove it without a tool, but then what? You'd need to take out the flange if you wanted to replace a half shaft anyway, so what's the point? Another mystery is this: what happens when the rear axle becomes tilted? Let's say 30 degrees. Will the oil that is contained in the differential reach the hub cap? None of the pictures of the rear differential I have would show any kind of washer that would keep the oil in the middle part of the diff. I've just replaced the half shafts. I put a liberal amount of grease on the splines of outer side of the shaft, but didn't put anything on the splines of the inner side, assuming that it's splashed with the gear oil anyway. But now I'm thinking that maybe the gear oil doesn't get there and I should have greased it as well? /Jaroslav

Carbon or not! The real question is what is going to happen to the synthetic polymers, additives and all kinds of enhancers they mix into the engine oil nowadays? Also, dirty engine oil has microscopic metal particles that it's supposed to remove from the engine to prevent them from grinding the gears. It will end up in your fuel system. Vegetable oil can also contain all kind of carp, but at least that would be non-abrasive organic carp that stands a good chance of getting burnt.

Well, don't know much about sun; it's the snow that worries me I just bought this ex MOD Defender, 1987 with a soft canvas top (painted in camouflage colors). I don't know for sure, but it looks like it's an original one. The previous owner used to keep the truck outside year-round for the last 6 years, in rain and snow. And how did the army store it in the winter during the first 15 years, I don't know; probably outside as well, plowing though shooting ranges somewhere in Alberta. Is it possible that this canvas top is all original, i.e. 21 years old? It looks very good (save a few worn straps). If so, I could probably keep keeping it outside for the next 20 years? As an alternative, I could park it inside my garage, since I'm not planning on driving it in winter. The problem with that is that it's too high, so I would probably have to disassemble the top bars. The question is this: will it rot? /Jaroslav

This page states that British cars use natural rubber in brakes seals, which necessitates the use of a vegetable-based fluid, and that of all NA brake fluids only Castrol GT LMA is like that. But other threads, notably this one, seem to be implying that it's, in fact, just an urban legend and that Castrol GT LMA is no different from others and that all break fluids are synthetic. Here is another long but inconclusive thread on the topic from www.landroversonly.com/forums.

I just bought my truck and I have no idea what kind of fluid is in the gearbox. But I do know that I have difficulties to shift into the 2nd gear, which is kinda annoying. I thought that using a Redline ATF would fix this problem, but you seem to be implying that the Redline MTF will do just as well? Am I correct? This would be good news because Redline does say that MTF is better in protecting the gear comparing to ATF.

This page seems to be implying that Redline Synthetic Hi-Temp ATF is suitable for manual transmissions.

The following posting is buried deep in this thread, but I think it deserves a thread of its own. My summary: using synthetic fluid is a must for LT77 and R380.

So, if nor with diesel or kerosene, how do you wash parts then, using what product?

Maybe it was just old decomposing grease?

Thank a lot for the help! I am going to summarize all the recommendations: Engine - Shell Rotella T 15W/40 (an NA Diesel doesn't need synthetic; regular changes to remove grit are more important) LT77 - Red Line Synthetic ATF, if I can find it here Transfer box & diffs - Castrol Hypoy C, 80W-90 or Redline Shockproof Gear Oil, when feel fancy Brake fluid - Castrol GT LMA Brake Fluid (less than 500F, but is less water absorbent) Grease - Lucas X-tra Heavy Duty Grease (because outlasts lithium grease 4 times) One thing I don't get. If I use the truck only occasionally, i.e. make less than 5000 km a year, should I still replace the oils regularly? I understand that brake fluid needs to be replaced because it ages, but what about engine and gear oils? Do they age too? Is there any difference between mineral and synthetic oils? BTW, I have an unrelated question. How do you clean old parts? Back in Russia, 20 years ago, we used to drop old parts in a bucket of diesel fuel to get it clean of dirt and grease. I don't like to use the break cleaner for this purpose because it's very expensive and it stinks. /Jaroslav

And so I did, although I forgot to pull down hard on the flange (damn!). Rotating the flange was smooth and I could feel no roughness. However, I think there is a point (points) where something drops inside the diff with a little knock. Maybe it's a satellite pinion wheel sliding on the cross-shaft? The wheel flanges and shafts need to be replaced as there is a significant free play. Even if there is a problem in the diff itself, I won't know it for sure until I replace the half-shafts and the flanges. BTW, there was a small amount of oil coming from the wheel flanges when I was removing them. Is it normal? I put some grease on the shaft ends, but now I think I shouldn't have done this. Well, it depends on how the half shafts are lubricated. Does the gear oil come all the way along the shaft to the wheel flange or, perhaps, it's contained inside the central diff enclosure?

According to this page http://www.fourfold.org/RoverWeb/OilFAQ.html Red Line, Shell Rotella w/XLA and Valvoline Turbo beat Castrol on every account in the 15W-40 category. I am not sure what is the price premium though.

Hi Harv, thanks for the reply! Well, DOT 4 does not provide the minimal boiling point of 260C (500F). Perhaps it's just a mistake and they meant DOT3 or even DOT5.1? Is it based on somebody's recommendation? I do want to use the best materials, because nobody pays me to do this job, so whatever I do I want it to last. I am concerned that just going with the most expensive stuff could be counter productive. I could be wrong, but I think most of "exotic" oils market is directed towards high-speed/power racing stuff, whereas my goal is longevity. I ain't gonna street-race in my Defender. Redline is offering Synthetic Gear Oil as well: 75W90NS. Can we use synthetics in Land Rovers? I just bought a used BMW and I was shocked to learn that the synthetic oil I have is good for 25,000 km or a full year! As I said, I am looking for longevity first. Do you just drain the old mineral oil and fill it (engine, diff, whatever) with new synthetic oil? I remember using synthetic oil once on my car and I think they've charged me with "flushing" the engine, which I was told needs to be done before you put the synthetic stuff. Would be interesting to hear comments on that.

Hi all, It seems that here in Canada they don't sell the fluids that my user manual recommends. There is a lot of stuff, but it's all not exactly the same as in the book. So far I've been to Canadian Tire and Wal-Mart, but I suspect what they sell is probably representative of the local market. Well, the truck (and the book) are 21 year old, so maybe the brands they are referring to do not even exist anymore. My truck is 110, 1987. I just bought it and my plan is to replace all fluids, filters, grease whatever I can reach etc. I do not drive it in winter, so -10C to +35C temperature range is probably enough. Anyway, I would greatly appreciate if somebody could confirm that I am not doing something silly: Engine (Diesel, 2.5L NA): the book recommends Castrol GTX 15W/50, “Castrol Deusol RX Super 15W-40”, “Castolite 10W-40” and a whole bunch of others. What is available here is “Castrol GTX, Diesel, 15W-40” and “Shell Rotella T 15W/40”. Close, but not exactly the same. I am not sure if using 15W-40 instead of 15W-50, is acceptable. Gearbox (LT77): the only familiar brand name I saw was “Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle ATF”. The book recommends “Castrol TQF”, “Mobil ATF 210”, “Shell Donax TF”. Transfer box and differentials: we have “Castrol HYPOY C, 80W-90” here, but book recommends “Castrol HYPOY SAE 90EP”, “Mobile Mobilube HD 90” and others. What’s the key attribute here – the “90”? Brake fluid: the book says that I need FMVS 116 DOT 3 compliant fluid having a min boiling point of 260C (500F), but according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOT_3, only DOT 5, which is silicone-based, has these characteristics. Now I am really confused Grease: of the mentioned brand names I could only find “Castrol MP Grease”, while the book mentions “Castrol LM Grease”. Don’t know if it’s the same… I am probably being ridiculous at this point. Dextragrease Super GP. The book says I need it for the ball joint assembly, top link. Haven’t seen anything like that. Thank you in advance, /Jaroslav

I think I know why my battery light keeps glowing until I rev the engine up. It's because the alternator fails to get excited, and why is that happening? It's probably because the ignition light resistor, which is connected in parallel to the battery indicator, is dead. With no resistor, the current flowing through the bulb alone is probably not enough to excite the alternator. What's left is easy: to replace the resistor! Does anybody have any idea where can I find it on the truck?

I did some reading on the topic: http://www.alternatorparts.com/understanding_alternators.htm http://www.alternatorparts.com/FAQ.htm#one%20wire Maybe what I have is a self exciting one-wire alternator? On the other hand, the battery light seems to be working, so it must be wired to work using the two wire setup.