Hawklord

Silly question but have you fitted led bulbs but not changed the relay as from memory this can cause issues.

Would it be a good idea to fit a boost pin in a 300TDI engine to get back some power which will have been lost after 30 years and 211k miles of use or would this be too much for it.

Something certainly looks wrong and it may as previously stated that it could be an optical illusion but the timing cover looks to be too far back compared to my 300TDI (see picture).

I have a steel EN8 Sumobar track rod to fit and wondering whether it needs to be painted or not to stop it rusting. Does anyone have one fitted who can offer an opinion.

@Peaklander Surely when selecting reverse gear there is a 12v and earth source going to the reversing light unit whether the bulb is fitted or not, so I would have expected the symptoms I am experiencing to be the same in either case. @GregK The rear lights and front lights are all sealed led units so the incorrect bulb can be ruled out. I do have a tow bar electrical socket and is one area that I haven't really looked at, but the wiring diagram doesn't show a pin in the socket for a reversing light which could be shorting. As stated in an earlier post, what happens is when the reversing light bulb is fitted, occasionally when selecting reverse gear the reverse light doesn't come on but the headlights, rear lights and dash gauge lights do and sometimes the gauge lights are only about half brightness (headlights full brightness). And when this happens the brake lights do not come on when the brake pedal is pushed down, but by removing the reverse light bulb everything works correctly. Also when the reverse and brake lights don't work the headlights cannot be turned off by the stalk on the steering column, only by switching off the ignition.

The electrics have been fine since my original post until yesterday when the reverse and brake lights stopped working together with headlights coming on when selecting reverse gear. So today checked the wiring in the back corners and all seems to be okay with no sign of any shorting out or corrosion anywhere. I then took apart the reversing light unit and again no signs of anything wrong there, but I then removed the reversing light bulb and the problem when away, brake lights worked and no headlights when selecting reverse gear. I can live without a reversing light but any ideas how removing the bulb fixes the problem I had. The other odd thing is that the 15 amp fuse hadn't blown this time.

I got mine from Autosparks. https://www.autosparks.co.uk/

At the last MOT it was noted that the swivel pin bearings could do with tightening up a bit, so how many pounds of force should there be (using a spring balance) to move the housing with track rod ends removed and oil seal left in place. The only values that I can seem to find are when the housing is fully off the vehicle and oil seal removed.

Thanks but are you correct that SFP000260 is the correct part number for both front and rear ? Also should have said that it is a Defender 90.

Can someone please confirm the correct part numbers for front and rear pads and pins/clips, whenever I think I have found the right PN another supplier shows them for a different vehicle or year. My discs are stock solid with no sensor needed on the pads. Any suggestions on which make to go for, vehicle is 99% road use.

I am experiencing strange electrical problems with my 300TDI which I assume are all related. For over a year now the 15A fuse for the brake and reversing lights periodically blows but it may be months, weeks or days before it blows again after replacing. This week when I switched off the headlights via the stalk on the steering wheel I noticed that the headlights stay on and they will not go off until I turn off the ignition. When I turn the ignition back on the headlights remain off until I switch them on again and then they won't turn off again. This doesn't happen every time but probably 9 out of 10 times. Yesterday the headlights and gauge lights came on when selecting reverse gear and go off again when coming out of reverse. I have a boomslang wiring harness so the headlight switch opens a relay and the headlights are wired directly to the battery so my initial thoughts were that the low beam relay is sticking on but this doesn't seem to have any link to the reversing light issue. When the headlight switch is pushed into the second on position I can hear a relay sounding click from the right side of the gauge panel and can also hear this when selecting reverse gear. This had totally stumped me and can anyone suggest where to start looking for the cause(s) of my problem.

Thanks all, and after spending most of the day going round in circles have gone for the Continental Cross-contact.

Thanks for your replies. The Michelin Latitudes in most adverts are stated as "Summer Tyres" (although some state "All Season") but in the real world would these tyres be suitable for all year round use in the UK weather conditions. I also like the Grabbers but they seem to be out of stock in most places.

I have narrowed it down to either Continental crosscontact AT, General grabber AT3 or Michelin latitude cross with the Michelin winning at the moment as the reviews give it a very good rating in the wet which to me is a serious consideration. Has anyone got any opinions on my choices. As I said previously apart from occasional fishing trips 99% of my driving is on the tarmac.

The bulbs at T5 and readily available from ebay by searching "T5 LED"