Badger110

Not sure on the laws relating to either the visual side or whether it affects the emissions test. I'm sure someone with experience in this field will be along to give some more information

Just accept that any company who wants any of your information will use it for their gain in some way and not neccessarily for the original purpose. Data is big money these days.

Some real nice experiences there, including the ****ting Lion I had a feeling i wanted to run over and rub those lioness's on the tummy like i do the dogs... Not sure the outcome would've been the same Nice video and pics, and with an older camera too! I was thinking you were at least using a D750 or above.

You are correct 👍 However you can remove the blank and set the ECU back to factory from tuned for an MOT

No, neither really. The truck gets used like any normal car, however what i have found is apparentely standard for this particular engine series. the crankcase breather is fed into the inlet manifold pipe...combined with an EGR vavle and you end up with this scenario. The way around it is to fit a Prevent captcha can and blank off the EGR. It's the cleaning i'm not looking forward to

That's the chap 👍

volume control valve, or suction control valve...it sits in the high pressure fuel pump and controls the low pressure side of the pump. It is a simple remedy to irratic cold running, low power at the top end and a few other gremlins with the tdci engine. there is a thread here on Def2 which shows uneven wear of the unit.

Whilst changing over the vcv i was aware of an mild oil leak over the past month or so under the bonnet and figured this was a good time to locate the source. As the oil has appeared on the underside of the bonnet, i was thinking it's around the front of the block more than anything, possibly being disapaited from the fan/belts at some point. I removed the inlet manifold to get to the vcv, it's not neccessary, but makes life a little easier and saves knuckles and ripping gloves. The interior of the manifold and intercooler pipework is coked up quite badly and with a fresh coating of oil, something's a little unhealthy in the engine. Dipping a finger in the inlet and dragging it out shows the amount of carp in there The engine has been running since i got it ( 120k miles ) and smokey at start up and it's now on 160k. It doesn't lose oil if i'm honest and has had 2 oil changes since i've had it. I was looking at ripping out the current airbox set up for something abit better and maybe a intercooler upgrade, but this will need to be sorted before any upgrades to the engine's performance is thought of. I shall look into it abit more as to the best way to tackle this and put it at the top of the jobs list. The vcv results? bloody brilliant! Smoother at cold, no lumpyness but top end was no real difference going solo, need to wait until i have a trailer attached to see if there is a benefit.

Well worth it, beautiful country

The guy who owned it was from Perth. Nice chap who gets stopped alot!

Vcv arrived today so that's a wee job that needs doing this weekend. The engine revs are up and down at cold start up, 6th gear seems a little flat too, so i'm hoping this may help. Also the Webasto for the shower ( which worked very well in Scotland ) has begun to intermitantly not power up the fuel pump. When it does this, it also fails to create a shutdown cycle, this could be because it hasn't ' fired '. I do have a spare from a BMW X5 which i can swap the PCB from this one to eliminate a unit fault. Other jobs to do this weekend are the lift up vents on the Dormobile roof. One decided to make a break for freedom whilst we were away and a kind gentleman captured and returned it whilst we were out. It's duct taped down in the position now and hasn't budged, but a more permanent solution is needed. I looked at replacing it with a marine style opening hatch but it's a bit overkill for what it actually is. I may GRP over it and fit a small circular vent that can opened to allow some fresh air in. The middle shroom vent in the upward position and dropping down into driving position casued some water to come in, i think it's collecting water when at an angle and dumping it inside when the roof is closed. It's no biggy but does need looking at, i may look at a motorised one which can be turned on to empty it when the roof is up.

My ignorance shows through I wasn't aware this was the case. The roads we found were clearly marked on the app with notices on the gates asking people to keep the gates closed at all times due to deer crossing over into areas with indiginous trees and destroying them, these were aimed at walkers no doubt. I shall be aware on the next trip

All very interesting points, thank you. With regards to a winch, it's an item i've considered and still might get, however it's the mounting which got me thinking. The front bumper has the wheel mounted to it and the rear is set clear as i'm still thinking of mounting a small cc trails bike to a swingaway set up which would take up the rear crossmemeber space needed for a winch. However, i did consider making up a tray at the rear which the winch can be ' dropped ' into and secured with quick release bolts if and when needed. If i make one for the front then i've covered both ends ( remove the spare wheel, drop the winch in ). Anderson plugs for power etc and when not in use, it can be stored elsewhere so as not hinder the swingaway or the front wheel mounted. Alternatively, use a tirifor, less hassle and simple Anyway i'm thinking off topic here abit. Back on topic, ATB's front and rear, HD flanges front and rear, CV and shafts replaced at the front and shafts only for the rear. The rear is apparentely pretty decent and won't receive alot of shock from ATB's over Lockers. ATB's are a fit and forget, enhance the already fitted TC and are cheaper and easier to fit. I'm going to contact 4x4Xcess for more advice and prices

It's Alpaca fur from the outer region of Norfolk, rolled on the thighs of virgins in the month of October, year 1987. Not disimilar to what Jason and the Argonauts were after i believe...

I had a very similar issue ( my radio didn't work either ) and after some searching came back with the cable connections on the rear of the ignition barrel. You can buy the part seperate to the barrel but you'll need a new set of shear bolts to re fit the barrel after you've cut the old ones off Look at this thread over on Def2, shows removing the barrel to get to it; https://www.defender2.net/forum/post603224.html

A fair few people have been to land of heather and superb scenery this year, we were amongst those lucky to get away for 3 weeks We arrived and stayed alongside Loch Ness for a week, walking, kayaking and driving about and i did a little video of the area We found fire/gravel roads which went a little off road using an app called Maps.me. These roads were gated with latches and high deer gates, cattel grids. It was nice to get off the tarmac roads for peace and quiet but i did get us into a bit of bother with a steep section ( sorry no photos or video of that! ). One such road allowed us a few miles of gravel road and a river crossing at the end of it The only odd part to the river crossing was the dear heads under the water...abit spooky! The second week we wanted to head north towards Cape Wrath and found a nice camping stop with showers and laundry in Durness. The weather for the first 2 days was nice and we did some good walks around the area but it began to turn pretty bad the 3rd day. I was filming part of the coastline on the 2nd day and moved to another spot on the 3rd day ( Smoo Cave ) when disaster struck the UAV and it developed a fault. I say fault, it fell into the sea off the coast! Adamant it wasn't my fault ( i use UAV's for work ) i couldn't do anything except look dejected and know that nothing could be done until i got home near a pc. That afternoon the wind took one of the opening vents off the truck and a nice chap walking his dog brought it back. Several rolls of duct tape ( thank to the Spar shop at Durness for stocking anything you might need! ) it was stuck down and we hunkered down for the weather. The following day was worse and as we weren't able to go for a walk safely and we're 2 hours from the nearest large town, we bailed from Durness and headed to Glen Coe for a week. Glen coe was stunning even if the weather followed us and we managed alot of walking. One of dogs, Millie, is a basset hound and she managed to get within 100ft of the peak of the Pap of Glencoe which is a steep slog up 2000ft of trails and mild climbing. She ran out of steam at the 2000ft mark and we were proud of her and her 4 inch legs to get that far! This is the shot looking down at the villiage of Glencoe and Loch leven at the highest point she got to 2 days later i walked/climbed up the next munroe with Hudson our Old English Sheepdog then climbed down with him. That peak was nearly 3000ft, both our dogs are climbing gurus now! Travelling around at this time of year gives the most when it comes to the colours of Scotland. Reds, Oranges, Yellows with Greens inbetween it is a stunning location and i could happily spend my days walking the peaks My only let down was the NC500 or the part we travelled. It wasn't the location or the views as they were stunning, but the relentless single roads filled with motorhomes. I get the attraction to everyone who wants to experience it, but it does make the journey tense, RV's slowing to look at the view, or frightened to pass each other or just huge gin palaces! I dread to think what it's like at peak season. Scotland has so much more than the NC500 and unless i was on 2 wheels, i wouldn't recommend it if i'm honest. However not all expereinces with other vehicles was a downside, we also bumped into this guy with his G4 90 with original plates on board. Nothing added apparently, except replacing the wheels, doors and one wing, it was orignal. I do have some more pictures and some video before the UAV ditched ( the manufacturer has agreed to replace it free of charge after viewing the flight logs ) so another video will be availble soon.

One thing i did notice with Scotland was the large wheelie bins at most car parks supplied by the locals for people to deposit their rubbish as the volume of traffic in these areas is much much larger than, maybe 10-15 years ago. Still got rubbish left 20 metres from the bin. You can't knock such a fantastic beautiful country for trying to cater for the traveller, clean public toilets with hot water and some even had heating!

These are coming along nicely, kudos to your obvious willingness and determination to get them done

Thank you all for your inputs. Here's my thought process and how i ended up here, and please feel free to point me in a different direction with your knowledge and experience This will be our home. It will provide us with the ability to get around the world in any situation, from Nordkapp to Cape town. I'm not one for uneccessary bolt on bits unless they have a function which improves mine, the wife, the dogs and most importantly, the truck's life and well being. The standard front diff, from what i can gather, aren't the best so i would like to replace it with something stronger. This got me onto the Ashcroft website where i sat for a while reading up on the locking diff set ups. I figured the Locking diffs alone are pretty substantial over the standard, so why not use them as a replacement. Keeping it in the Ashcroft family, the shafts and CV joints can all be done at the same time. The HD props have been bought, so that is covered too. As for the rears, well if i'm having a locking diff at the front, then i may as well replace the rear. Again the shafts and CV joints will be upgraded regardless. So it isn't so much having Locking Diffs as it is replacing standard with something abit stronger, the bonus is the replacements are also lockable. Nonimouse put it well when he says ' know your limits ' and i couldn't agree more. I've put myself in positions recently with the truck and stepped back and realised i approached it all wrong, but experience is a key to knowledge I can only see an improvement by doing this, however i'm happy if someone comes up with a suitable stronger set up than what i have to consider

it's been a few months dealing with family matters, but the build is back on. We took the truck to Scotland for 3 weeks and it performed great. Sitting in the evenings with the bushpig burning away and a few jars inside me, i began to consider upgrading the running gear of the truck. Long term we wish to use this world wide in all areas and environments, possibly towing a trailer and with a little money in the penny jar at the moment, now is a good time to spend it. Firstly, everything is standard underneath. I'm running tubed 7.5 x16 tyres at present and i'm happy to keep the size as they've proved pretty good so far. Rear axle first; Ashcroft LD, CV's replace ( abs version ) and rear shafts Front axle; Ashcroft LD, CV's replace ( abs again ) and front shafts Also i might have bagged some HD props from Def2 forum, but we'll see. Ashcroft do the service of fitting the lockers into my casings, however i think i should be ok to do it myself. Is there anything i might likely need to replace or consider replacing at the time? It does look like a good idea to peg the diff, but this does look beyond my capabilities! Am i likely to find a non pegged diff an issue or is it a belt n braces approach to have it pegged....? The first real stumbling block ( for me ) is fitting the air lines and hooking up the compressor ( T-Max )...do i need to run a seperate small tank? I don't think i do...but i'll go with those with knowledge/experience Also can i rig it so i can still use the compressor for normal tyre duties? I was thinking a t piece valve with a lever to direct the airline to an external adaptor to plug a line into for the tyres if and when needed and then moved back to supply the tank The axles will be dropped out and put on a bench if i decide to it, at this time should i be looking at anything else? Are axle casing strengtheners worth it? Will it hurt to weld them on anyway as it'll all be out and on the bench.

Indeed it is! Fitted the solar panel to the roof and wired that up to a MPPT to the AGM battery. When fitted, the solar panel charges the AGM and the main battery, however i have a VSR fitted between the 2, excuse my ignorance, but does the VSR allow flow both ways? I understand the VSR opens when voltage hits a certain point ( 13.6v? ) to allow charge to the AGM battery from the alternator, but should it also open if the AGM battery is receiving charge and hits 13.6v also? When i crank the engine, both batteries drop voltage to 12.6v which shouldn't happen with a VSR fitted.

I had one pass me by on the M6 the other week, i never gave it a second glance until the wife said ' that's a different looking car ' and pointed it out.

A few more bits done to the build, the main one being the heating and shower set up. I have 2 webasto thermo top c's kicking about which i was planning to fit one to the engine as a pre heater and 1 for heating/hot water set up. There are many ways to heat water in a vehicle or a boat or even your off grid spoon wittling shack in the woods and i've studied them all. I took Webasto's idea as it was the more simplier way and reduced a need to fit bulky items and tweeked it abit for my own needs; Firstly i made a small box in the rear quarter section of the Landy which was previously used to house the Propane bottle. In here i fitted the Webasto, a 12v pump and the heat exchanger. To the right of the opening, i fitted a bullfinch shower outlet The expansion tank is inside the Landy bolted to the rear panel, it's fairly slim so it's not in the way, this was the one i used; I have also fitted this Fan heat exchanger (FHE) to provide heat; The entire system is in fact 2 seperate water feeds ( as in the diagram ) The webasto side is pretty much a closed loop with water/anti freeze looping from the Webasto>PHE (plate heat exchanger )> FHE > Expansion tank > then back to the Webasto and so provides a loop. The shower/pump side is purely based on water drawn via the pump. The water is heated by passing through the PHE when the webasto is running. The system is designed to be used as; Heating for the truck ( via the FHE ) Hot shower using the mixer head Cold water feed for collecting water If we're using the shower outside, we don't have to have the heating on in the truck by not turning the fan on. Hot water circulates around the system but isn't introduced to the living area unless we want it. When the heating is on, we isolate the cold water pump to stop any heat travelling from the PHE. Webasto's have a temperature cut off about 40c and with the shower running, it'll hit this after 15 minutes ( on a hot day ) and cycle down for 10 minutes. If we have the heating on , i get 20 minutes of heat and cycle down for 10, again this has been tested on a hot day. I can lengthen the running times by extending the return pipe from FHE to maybe go outside or even i've considered running it along the floor of the cab to cool it down and provide underfloor heating, but i'm confident at the moment it will good to keep the truck warm through cycling every 30minutes or so. Cheers

Ssshhh don't tell her that! I said you'd be wearing a kilt and everything!

Good evening! I am still here, albeit not online as much, life gets in the way with one thing or another How are you doing up there? I threatened the missus we'd seek out geniune Scottish fabricator who could teach us a wee bit when we leave on our travels I must post some more updates to the build, it's a labour of love and i'm still enjoying it when i can